General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGermany Had Its Own Malignant Narcissist at the Helm and His Name Wasn't Hitler
Not sure if this article at the New Yorker, an historical touchstone, has made the rounds at DU. However, the parallels of the non-leadership and narcissistic antics of Kaiser Wilhelm and Babyfingers Trumpster is remarkable, sobering.
The Kaiser ruled Germany from 1888-1918. He was finally forced to abdicate and lived out his life in the Netherlands but not before causing considerable havoc and outrage on the world stage. His petulant and inconsistent ravings are very reminiscent, as is his fondness for all things military and aversion to any and all criticism.
This paragraph caught my eye for its gobsmacking familiarity:
In fact, Wilhelm didnt accomplish very much. The general staff of the German Army agreed that the Kaiser couldnt lead three soldiers over a gutter. He had neither the attention span nor the ability. Distractions, whether they are little games with his army or navy, travelling or huntingare everything to him, a disillusioned former mentor wrote. He reads very little apart from newspaper cuttings, hardly writes anything himself apart from marginalia on reports and considers those talks best which are quickly over and done with. The Kaisers entourage compiled press cuttings for him, mostly about himself, which he read as obsessively as Trump watches television. A critical story would send him into paroxysms of fury.
Cant say this information provides any great comfort. Wilhelms tenure includes the Great Slaughter, aka WWI. But we have certainly been here before. Sadly, on multiple occasions.
Interesting piece and a clear warning. The good news is that the Trumpster is not a monarch, despite his on-going delusions.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/what-happens-when-a-bad-tempered-distractible-doofus-runs-an-empire
lapfog_1
(30,065 posts)peggysue2
(11,464 posts)Sophia4
(3,515 posts)peggysue2
(11,464 posts)Holy Zeus, reading that article one'd think it's SHITLER all over. But Kaiser boy was 29 in 1888 when taking power & it took 20+ years to get to ww1, we're way sped up now
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)peggysue2
(11,464 posts)I too was astonished. It's almost as some terrible reincarnation happened on our timeline. Remarkable how awful they both were/are and how many disturbing behavioral traits they share.
Was it Mark Twain who said: history does not repeat itself but it often rhymes.
Xolodno
(6,667 posts)...his relative Tsar Nicholas II began mobilizing for war. He knew the Kaiser wasn't "all there" and reason would not win the day. Of course Nicholas II pretty much fucked himself with listening to his own "conservatives" and rejecting his grandfather's more liberal agenda, but that's a different story.
peggysue2
(11,464 posts)in this timeframe either. The Trumpster has proven himself beyond reason, relying instead on the gurgling in his gut.
Btw, just read tonight when asked about how he came to his trade ideas/demands at the G-7, he conjured up another lie:
It's because of the knowledge gleaned from the Wharton School of Business, a school he never attended because he never attended a graduate program.
On the other hand, he could be considered for an Honorary Master's Degree in Serial Lying.
Oy!
Captain_New_York
(161 posts)Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War (1991) and Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea (2004) both by book by Robert K. Massie will give great insight on the mad emporer Wilhelm
peggysue2
(11,464 posts)Kaleva
(37,994 posts)"Captain Hazel "Hank" Murphy (Harry Goz) is the ostensible leader of the crew, though his qualifications, and even his grasp on reality, are questionable. He is generally found loitering on the bridge neglecting his duties. Murphy spends his time participating in scams and juvenile antics and generally causing problems that the crew have to solve.....Generally, Murphy is incapable to the point of incompetence.... "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealab_2021
Shown on the Cartoon Network. Yeah, it's a perfect fit