Is “McGA” Replacing MAGA?

post 76 – Illogical Nation 4

As we continue Looking for America, we need to talk about McGA (pronounced Mic-GAH’ with an accent on the second syllable) – “Make China Great Again.” But first…

TOP OF THE MORNING

… to all of my friends. A few little-known facts about Saint Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland, include that he was an Irish slave in his youth. According to Wikipedia (and therefore it must be true), Patrick slaved as an animal herder for six years before escaping sometime around age 22.

Patrick was never formally canonized by the Catholic Church but is regarded as a saint with a stature practically as high as that of the apostles. Although Ireland was known to be snake-free—or shall we call it “snakeless”—for thousands of years, Patrick is credited with driving the snakes out of Ireland and into the sea. Some interpret the legend as meaning Patrick defeated the Pagans and/or drove corruption out of Ireland, or at least out of religious teachings.

In a weirdly similar yet opposite way, the current American president is driving “American Exceptionalism” off American shores. He is more interested in being the personal policeman of culture, speech, education, and gender identity than he is in America any longer being the “policemen of the world,” or the world’s greatest economy. He’s encouraging Europe to flex its own nuclear muscles and inviting the creation of trade pacts that bypass America.

DAVID BROOKS

Last week in the New York Times, opinion writer David Brooks questioned whether Trump’s policies are Making China Great Again. My friend Douglass Umi, suggested the same a few days earlier.

We can call this phenomenon “McGA.” It’s important to distinguish this word from “MAGA.” If you say Lady GaGa, take “GaGa” and replace the first syllable with “Mic.” Then, accent the second syllable.

DOUGLASS UMI

I rang up Douglass this morning to ask him about McGA.

Douglass: McGA? Do you mean Make China Great Again?

Spook: Yes.

Douglass: Or do you mean Make Canada Gravitate toward Asia?

Spook: Kind of the same thing. Right?

Douglass: Unless you mean Make Children Measled Again.

Or Make CEO’s Grovel Again
Make Commoners Genuflect Again
Make Coup-attempters Glorious Again
Make Corruption Gainful Again
Make Cars Gas-guzzlers Again

Spook: Pick one and tell me about it.

Douglass: Look at it logically. We can’t assume every political leader is smart. But we can assume some leaders in Canada, Mexico, and Europe are. Being smart, they’re probably discussing how to develop new supply chains. It would be irresponsible - a crime against their own people - if they didn’t. Now that Trump has made America an unreliable business and security partner, it’s not far-fetched that some of these plans will be implemented.

Spook: How did we get here?

Douglass: There are dozens of answers. One is that Americans tend to disfavor government directing business. But that’s a very bad idea! That alone is costing us “Americanism.”

You see, Americans can only stop the American government from investing in business. We can’t stop Japan from cornering the market in batteries, Taiwan in computer chips, or China in EVs and solar panels - all of which they did over 20 years or more, and all of which are the future. Those governments wisely invested in these industries while America sat back and let the rest of the world surpass us. And now, we are paying the price.

After decades of sitting back, America finally responded with Biden’s CHIPS and Inflation Reduction Acts, investing in building computer chips and EVs right here in America. But Trump is killing these programs.

Meanwhile, Europe and Mexico can’t get enough EVs, and demand for computing capacity continues to double every 24 months. So, between Trump’s tariffs and cancelled programs, where are Mexico and Europe supposed to turn? The logical choice is China.

Spook: Make China Great Again!

A CLEAR PATH

Douglass: Exactly. Trump has cleared the way for our traditional adversaries to grow enormously – economically and militarily. In return, Americans are promised “one-time price increases” that will put a sizable dent in our retirement savings but will eventually lead to more American jobs. I don’t see the second half of that happening. If existing supply chains and trade relations erode, new ones will develop between Europe, Canada, and China and exclude America.

THE GREAT REPLACEMENT

We’ve been lied to about The Great Replacement. It’s not newcomers to America forcing out the older white and black families. That’s an excuse for the pain caused by the real Replacement - Trump and his allies allowing the very untrustworthy, un-altruistic China to replace America as the leader of the world. For what? To manipulate the market? A real estate deal? Opening Chinese markets to Telsa?

Spook: How do you not get depressed by this?

Douglass: What’s depressing is denying reality and living in a fantasy bubble you know deep down is not real. You have to continue piling on more and more layers of untruth, or your bubble bursts. That takes so much energy, eventually something has to give. A day of reckoning comes.

RISING ABOVE

But the more you see the world as it really is, the more agency you have to navigate it. I’m not saying my perspective is the right one. But let’s at least attempt to live a more realistic story than the one Trump has sold America.

Remember what our friend Paul Mugwart has told us. The real story is in your heart. All the rest is a sideshow. Do what makes your heart sing. Do it to the best of your ability. Savor the journey. No matter where you find yourself, stay balanced. From a position of balance you can reach over to the next guy or gal and help them - if they ask.

Spook: Paul Mugwart also said, “It doesn’t matter (w)here you are. You are always Here. So BE here. Now! And perfect the pose.”

Douglass: Well, put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Spook: And…

Keep the Flame Alive!

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