Geas and the Politics of Trump

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Geas (pron. gaysh): In ancient Celtic mythology a geas is a personal taboo or obligation, usually placed upon a hero by the Gods.  Adherence to one's geas is supposed to enhance power and prestige.  Violation of geas leads to death and destruction.


In the Irish story of  CúChulainn, the great hero was under a geas to never to eat the flesh of dogs nor was he was permitted to refuse food offered by women.  His downfall was then wrought by enemies who contrived to have an old hag offer him a bowl of dog stew.  Either way he was doomed and thus he rode on to his death. My son reminded me today of geas and how it applies to the current political climate. 

While it appears that Donald Trump is trapped by conflicting geas, no Gods were involved. His ego demands that he reach for the highest and most visible achievement possible, but it also demands that he never ever be perceived as a loser.  And it was all fine for him until he entered politics -- a highly visible arena for the greatest achievement of power, but one where fully 50% of contenders must concede defeat and usually do so graciously.

Trump's ego does not allow him to concede losing no matter what.  He was even furious that he did not win the popular vote in 2016, being only able to claim victory on the technicality of the Electoral College count.  He started claiming election fraud long before the 2016 election and again in the months before the 2020 he said that if he lost it was only because the election was rigged.

Geas is a fine tragic device in ancient mythology, but in modern politics it just means inflexible thinking and an inability to accept reality.   At this point Trump's constant whining about how the election was "stolen" from him is destabilizing our entire system of government.  We have already seen one violent insurrection, and it may not be the last.  We have open calls for a military coup to overthrow our constitutionally elected government.  We have states racing to restrict voting rights for all citizens, all because of one man's lies to protect his fragile ego.

And we have wacky conspiracy theorists in Congress and the media who seem to think that the Constitution can be discarded in the mistaken belief that Trump will be reinstated as president in August.  Again we must point out that there is no mechanism in the US Constitution nor in any part of US Law that allows for negating a certified election.

Something that should have also restricted Trump's behavior -- applicable to all members of the government -- is the Oath of Office:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

But Donald Trump has never taken an oath he couldn't or wouldn't break because playing by the rules, keeping promises, obeying the law -- that's for losers, and Trump can never ever be a loser.  Consider his three marriage vows.  Not one kept.  If he could not keep an oath to even one woman why should we believe that he would keep an oath to a piece of paper and the country for which it stands?  Since he must be a winner no matter what happens, if something doesn't work out it must be someone else's fault.  Marriages fail?  Blame the women.  Business goes under?  Blame the accountants.   Re-election failed?  Must have been rigged against him.  His ego will NOT permit him ever to accept blame.

Trump is happy to claim the mantle of the Messiah bestowed upon him by evangelicals, as long as no one demands that he behave anything like Jesus Christ.  No humility, no generosity, no compassion and certainly no self-sacrifice.  He isn't giving up on pride or greed or lust or envy or gluttony or wrath or sloth.  He just loves those seven deadly sins too much and since conservative christians love him as is, there's no need to change a thing.  He is perfect just the way he is.  To change would be to admit that he was "wrong" and that would make him a loser.  There just isn't anything remotely Christian about a malignant narcissist.

None of this makes for a good leader, certainly not a freely elected president of the United States of America.   None of this qualifies as patriotic.  Trump wraps himself in the trappings of patriotism just as he wraps himself in the trappings of religion.  And just because he appears to be dealing with an ancient geas it doesn't make him heroic because his geas was not laid upon him by the Gods, but by his own deranged psychopathy.  



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