By Hal Brown, MSW (a psychotherapist, not a dietician)
Trump isn’t normal. We didn’t need Mary Trump to explain this from her first hand experiences and informed clinical understanding.
Trump is Mr. Creosote in the Monty Python movie “The Meaning of Life” which is a series of sketches attempting to basically describe the meaning of life.
From "The Miracle of Birth" where a woman in labour is being ignored by the doctors to "Growth and Learning" where a class of boys take a sex education course which involves watching their teacher have sex with his wife, to "The Autumn Years" where a French musician sings about the joys of having a penis, to Death" which feature a condemned man choosing the manner of his own execution which is to be chased off a cliff by topless women and falling into his own grave, the sketches do present a Monty Pythonesque perspective on life’s meaning.
The most memorable sketch actually doesn’t shed much light on the meaning of life back in 1983 when it came out. It is apropos, however, to the meaning of life today under Donald Trump if we compare the fictional character to the reality TV character.
What the Mr. Creosite sketch does describe is what happens when people try to normalize the the grossly abnormal and disgusting behavior of someone who happens to be president. Trump is like restaurant customer who has to be treated with deference even though he is causing great distress to other patrons and staff.
Sometime I think the media is still trying to play the Maître d'hôtel played by John Cleese trying to avoid stating the obvious and remain above it all. The Republicans in the Senate should have done what the restaurant mangers ought to have done: kicked him out when they had a chance.
We all see Trump gorging himself on self-serving delusions and threats, most recently about not accepting the results of the election should he lose. Like in the movie, we never see Trump actually eating. We do see him vomiting one lie after another. Metaphorically, he throws up profusely all over himself and his table, and the restaurant. He triggers other diners to lose their appetite and some of them also throw up.
The scene ends when John Cleese offers the massively bloated Mr. Creosote a thin mint. He explodes in an unforgettable scene. His chest opens partially digested food covers the restaurant and diners and starting a "vomit-wave" among the other diners who quickly vacate the premises.
Creosote in a Trumplike fashion is still alive even though his his chest cavity and abdomen have been blasted open. His heart is still beating although he looks confused not sure what happened. John Cleese walks up to him and hand him his bill saying calmly "monsieur, the check".
I hope this becomes a metaphor for what happens to Trump after he loses the election in a landslide.
