"We're off to see the Wizard..." Is Donald Trump our "Wizard"? Geoffrey Dunn of The Huffington Post argues that Trump is indeed the man behind the curtain. Should we listen to Mr. Dunn? I say, absolutely. Not only is he an award-winning author and filmmaker, he has a B.A. in politics, an M. A. and PhD in sociology, and "has over three decades experience in investigative journalism."(1) In other words, he knows a thing or two about the way our country and politicians operate. Because he is a contributor to the Huffington Post, Mr. Dunn appeals to a left-leaning audience. However, it is more than possible that this particular piece will catch the attention of more than just the typical readers that frequent this site. Why? Because if nothing else, it's entertaining. Be that as it may, it is most likely an unconvincing argument to those who do not already view Donald Trump in a negative light.
Mr. Dunn first points out that The Wizard of Oz was more than just a classic children's movie. It was, in fact, based off of a series of books by L. Frank Baum, and "is riddled with political references and served as an allegory for American populism in the 1890s." Mr. Dunn cites Mr. Henry M. Littlefield for first taking "note" of these "political metaphors." Mr. Littlefield was a high school teacher that wrote a thesis for the American Quarterly, which was published by John Hopkins University Press. In this thesis, he claimed each character represented either a specific person or group of people, as well as the issues Americans were faced with at that time. Mr. Dunn takes this idea and applies it to Donald Trump.
Mr. Dunn states that Trump has "become the modern-day version of the Wizard, hiding behind a phalanx of curtains and screens...to create a fraudulent illusion of power and influence." He backs up his statement by referring to Trump's "racist rants on immigrants, misogynistic attacks on women, vicious lies about Muslim's, and vague economic sophistries." Mr. Dunn provides links to validate these claims, including sites such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Salon. Mr. Dunn then goes on to compare Trump's supporters to the Munchkins, who, according to Mr. Dunn, feel "dispossessed and disempowered." Are they falling for Trump's antics because they have been fooled by the "illusion?" Mr. Dunn even presents Marco Rubio as a possibility for our "modern-day Dorothy", fighting to expose the Wizard for what he truly is, since Rubio told his own supporters "what we are dealing with...is a con artist." It is quite clear that Mr. Dunn believes Donald Trump is a fraud, and has only garnered support because of his grand "smoke and mirrors" act.
Again, this was an entertaining read. Does that make it a valid comparison? I think so, but I am certainly biased, as I have a great distaste for Donald Trump. Mr. Dunn is a credible author, and so his view is worthy of attention. He uses a wide range of sources to support his stance, however, these sources are obviously biased when it comes to Donald Trump. It would have made for a more powerful argument to include objective sources(if there is such a thing) that confirmed Mr. Dunn's points. Overall, even with the biased sources, knowing what I do of Mr. Trump makes this argument seem logical to me. However, Mr. Dunn disappointed me by taking multiple jabs at Mr. Trump's appearance. At one point he refers to Donald as "literally cartoonish." I see no point in attacking one's outward image to make a point. Mr. Trump has given plenty of ammunition to his opposition. His looks should be a non-issue. Another point to be made is that this comparison could be made of any man or woman seeking the presidency. Certainly Trump is not the only one to create an "illusion." Perhaps this changes the strength of the argument for some, perhaps it does not. Despite the biased sources and the fact that this could be a favorable comparison for a number of people, I think Mr. Dunn is spot on when it comes to Trump. What do you think?
(1) http://us.macmillan.com/author/geoffreydunn
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