Trump and the age of enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment, a profound philosophical movement of the late 17th and early 18th century, pushed against the bounds of established knowledge, “questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change” (A+E, 2017). Unburdened by the religious, monarchical and aristocratic constraints of the past, society was able to make monumental strides in its knowledge, understanding and application of liberty, independence, science and reason. Amongst the variety of physical symbolism generated during the Age of Enlightenment and the French and American revolutions – such as the tricolore cockade and the Liberty Tree - was the the Liberty cap. Also known as the bonnet rouge, the Phrygian cap or the pileus, it was Roman in origin and copied from the pilos, a form of Greek sailor’s hat. It was made from felt, brimless, and was often worn by freed slaves, for whom the item was symbolic of their liberty. The cap was worn during the French revolution to represent an individual’s commitment to the new republic, and became symbolic for a freedom from all forms of servitude – monarchical, religious and aristocratic – and an indicator of unification; it became synonymous with the republic cause, and their liberty.

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Three centuries later, another change – this one based more on radical than rational ideals - was once again represented, although debatably less intentionally, by the donning of a red cap. In June 2015, the then real estate tycoon and reality television star Donald Trump announced his bid to become the 45th president of the United States of America, having spent the best part of three decades sporadically hinting at the idea. Hoping to secure the Republican nomination, he took to the campaign trail in July 2015, and, in a move necessitated by the Texas heat, traded his usual business attire for a weather appropriate ensemble which featured the now infamous red cap, proudly emblazoned with his campaign phrase: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” (Spodak, 2017). It has become a symbol synonymous with the Trump presidency; sold as an item of official merchandise and sported at rallies, at his inauguration, and on a day-to-day basis, both by swathes of his supporters and - on occasional still - by Trump himself. 

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A symbol that once represented the freedom to think for oneself, of pushing the boundaries of established knowledge and understanding, could be interpreted as having come to be a signifier of completely different ideals that are not just less progressive but are considered by many to be actively both reductive and harmful. The republicans in revolutionary France were radicals, unwilling to bow to the opinion of, or in servitude to, others. In modern America, so many of Trumps’ supporters seem to be content to believe every word he says – even in instances where he can be proved to wrong – and to also blindly trust his media allies, such as Brietbart or Fox News. It would appear that many people are content to exist in their own echo chamber, unwilling to question the information that is fed to them, and satisfied with allowing their media diet to be dictated by confirmation bias and propaganda. Although Trump did not choose to wear a red cap in order to represent any of the symbolism of the Age of Enlightenment or the French Revolution, a degree of enlightenment and revolution is precisely what is needed to limit, mitigate, and ultimately improve the rampant misinformation and misrepresentation, and to separate dogma and mistruth from facts and reality in the age of dystopian post-truth that is modern America. 

 

Reference List

 

A+E (2017) Enlightenment. Available at:  http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/17/politics/donald-trump-make-america-great-again-iconic-hat/index.html  (Accessed: 29th November 2017).

 

Spodak, C. (2017) ‘How the Trump hat became an icon’, CNN. February 17th. Available at:  http://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment) (Accessed: 29th November 2017).