Karl Marx’s observation, “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce” is widely quoted. (Indeed, I believe I did so previously in a blog entry.) However, events this week have made me rethink the validity of the statement, and now I believe that it should be read backward: “History appears first as farce, then as tragedy.” Let me explain.
After Donald Trump mused about emptying Gaza and turning it into the Riviera, ideas began to seep into my little brain. (The unofficial motto of this blog is, after all, Alexander Pope’s statement, “Fools rush into my head, and so I write.”) My first intention was to write another faux news article like the last post, announcing that Trump was offering Mar-a-Lago as a home for some displaced Gazans and his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey as a tent city for many others. These refugees would be the leftovers from those not forced by Trump upon Egypt and Jordan. Trump would attempt to maneuver those countries into compliance with his wishes by imposing 60% tariffs on specific commodities like figs, dates, and camels.
I also intended to illustrate how the Trumpian San Tropez would look:
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Yesterday, the New York Times printed an article whose headline read:
Trump Says He May Cut Aid to Jordan and Egypt if They Don’t Take Gazans
The president turned up the pressure on the two nations to agree to his proposal for them to house the Palestinian population of Gaza and said the Palestinians would not have the right to return to the territory.
So there it was in print—my farce threatening to morph into tragedy.
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Oh, to clear up one thing: why did I intend to have transactional Trump offer to house some Gazans at his golf course? My faux news article would have quoted him as follows:
“There’s always a shortage of caddies.”
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