Think of Donald Trump what you will. There’s no denying the unprecedented way he’s dumbing down and polarizing public discourse in America.
Alas, never before has a public figure been respected so much for offending so many.
Truth be told, I couldn’t care any less about this Trump phenomenon. Not least because I remain convinced that it will flameout in due course (i.e. well before next year’s presidential election).
What concerns me is that his boorish way of ignoring the categorical imperatives of civil discourse might last much longer. After all, even erstwhile intelligent people are now aping his schtick – by flouting objective truth and common decency.
So, to those of you who now hurl gratuitous insults, blatant lies, and/or racial slurs, purportedly because, like Trump, you don’t want to be politically correct, please beware:
Speaking hard truths with unfailing politeness is the only way to rein in political correctness gone mad.
Indeed, for you wannabe political leaders out there, instead of Donald Trump’s self-serving The Art of the Deal, I recommend Lee Kuan Yew’s public-spirited Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going.