The Elephant in the Room: A Journey into the Trump Campaign and the "Alt-Right"
Written and Narrated By: Jon Ronson
Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
It’s like this, see: I LOVE Jon Ronson, so I loved this book… even tho’ I was ready to shoot m’self by the end…
Here’s what Jon Ronson says about Jon Ronson: He writes “funny stories about unfunny things.”
So WHAT could be un-funnier ‘n the 2016 Presidential election campaign with that infamous purveyor of conspiracy theories, Alex Jones? And Roger Stone?
…and Donald Trump…?
Nothing. -BUT- It turns out that once again Ronson had me howling with laughter. I can’t quite explain it because EVERYthing Alex Jones promotes is hideous, and Roger Stone comes out looking just plain evil (Ronson brings to light the man’s love and promotion of violent dictators… cuz it means more money for the man), but when you have Jon Ronson, desperate to get an “in” for Jones shouting out: “Bohemian Grove!”
Well, it’s just plain funny cuz Ronson is all sweaty and twitchy and feeling pretty dad-blasted extreme—He’ll do whatever it takes to get his story. That he and Jones are old chums and once “infiltrated” one of the elite weirdo ritual ceremonies wherein a dummy is tossed into a fire (A human sacrifice, Jones cries! No, it wasn’t, Ronson avers. Wellllll… yes it was, Jones mutters…) is sweet and sobering at the same time. Ronson makes Jones just a tad like a lovable ol’ teddy bear… until he’s raging and condemning and casting stones and making hoRRIfic allegations that somehow stick with the people who slavishly follow Jones and who adoringly buy T-shirts that have Bill Clinton’s face on them with the word “Rapist” emblazoned on ‘em also.
It’s disgusting.
But somehow one just can’t look away when Ronson says it (In his usual style—fraught with angst and much swaying and staggering!). These are truths as only this author can tell ‘em, and make no mistake: This is all fact as Ronson NEVER deviates from what he’s recorded. The words of the people speak for themselves; Ronson delivers those words; we make our own calls on how we’ll assess those people. That those people are shameless and don’t quibble about the statements they’ve made is beyond belief; one would think they’d backtrack some but, as we’ve come to see, they usually just double down. It’s disgusting; it’s scary: There’s a bit where Jones is all mesmerized because he DEFinitely is someone Trump is taking his cues from. Jones has hit the Big Time.
Make no mistake. This isn’t just about the alt-Right. The left doesn’t come off looking so good either, and there are descriptions of feckless reactions, of violence done to Trump supporters that played into the Trump campaign’s hands. It’s all soooo verrrrrry disheartening.
Fortunately, Ronson is just so danged funny. Enough to make me stuff in another of his audiobooks for my Listening next week.
Unfortunately, this is an “unfunny thing” and the book closes on a How on EARTH did we get here note, with a question of what the future might look like.
Nearly four years in?
We know… we know…
Lemme know when I can come outta this bleach dip I've been in, yes?
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.