Dear Joe,
I wish I could sit down with you face to face and explain why so many of us were offended by the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House.
For me, it had nothing to do with the UFC or who showed up for the fights. The brand you and Dana have built is a bona fide American success story. More power to you. As for the fighters, in my book, anyone brave enough to put it all on the line in the arena is remarkable to witness. Their dedication and discipline inspire me. I don’t understand anyone who can’t admire that.
And as for the people who attended, I, for one, love Shane Gillis. I think he’s hilarious and brilliant. It was a show. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to witness it firsthand.
My problem is that I believe some of our public spaces are sacred. And unlike many of the great powers that came before us, these American monuments belong to all of us. Not to whoever happens to hold power at the moment.
The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It does not belong to any President. It belongs to the people. To treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for.
This is not Rome. Presidents are not emperors doling out bread and circuses for the peasants. The White House is the People’s House. This “celebration” could have happened in any stadium within a stone’s throw of the South Lawn. No one would have had an issue with it.
But that was obviously Donald Trump’s whole point. By holding the event on the South Lawn, what he was saying to the rest of us is:
“This is my house. I own it. I will do with it what I please. I’ll build a colosseum and have the gladiators fight under my gaze. I’ll tear down the East Wing. I’ll pave over the Rose Garden. I’ll cover everything in gold and marble. I’ll erase the names of all the men who came before me.”
The fights were an exhibition of imperial domination, not a celebration of our 250th anniversary as a democracy.
The White House is not Buckingham Palace. It is not the Palace of Versailles. It is not the Forbidden City of Beijing. It does not belong to an emperor, or a king, or a commissar.
The White House belongs to us. All of us. The person who sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office is nothing more than an honored guest. A temporary caretaker.
The President is our servant. Not our Caesar.
Respectfully, Hunter
P.S. Cage match between me and Don Jr.? Your call on the venue. Anywhere but the South Lawn.
Of course the last thing that Tulsi does in office before she departs @ODNIgov is release vague, pro-Russia conspiracism bullshit with no factual revelatory value.
The Senators who opposed her confirmation hearing were right about her when they raised concerns about her foreign ties.
Ultra successful people typically cancelled all backup career options when they were younger.
These people will quit a high-paying job, drop out, sell their apartment or sacrifice life's comforts in the pursuit of success. Society will judge you for making a reckless decision, but in our experience, the ones who kept the backup option to become a consultant or join a big company almost always took it, usually 2yrs in when the work got boring.
People with a backup option live as two people: the version doing the work and the version that exists if you quit. This split personality means you only put 50% of your maximum mental effort into the risky option.
To be world-class at anything, you have to set fire to the boat and bridge behind you.
It’s almost impossible for an ADHDer to have a job that doesn’t help others or solve problems that have real impact.
You can force it for money but it will slowly degrade your spirits.
And that’s why corporate politics is hell for you.