When Google celebrated Marshall McLuhan ten days ago, I considered writing about McLuhan's influence on Donald Trump. Today, Donald Trump gave his first Medal of Honor to Private James McCloughan. McCloughan and McLuhan spell their names differently, but pronounce their names the same. I believe that there is a method to Trump's message and it can be found in Marshall McLuhan and Andy Warhol (who was influenced by McLuhan.)
When I search Private McLuhan, I find a short 1967 Marshall McLuhan video about "the new electric world." Perhaps I am creating meaning where it doesn't exist, but I do not believe that it was a mistake that Trump's first Medal of Honor recipient is Private McCloughan.
Last month I wrote about Trump and Warhol. (Trump loved Warhol's business sense.) McLuhan also influenced Andy Warhol. Warhol supposedly referred to McLuhan as his "Honorary Muse." For example, see here and here. (In the second example, you can also see a photo montage both men.) Warhol was often misquoted or contradicted previous quotes. Many Warhol quotes are probably said by someone else. Warhol did not necessarily care if he did his own work... it was as if he flaunted having a ghost writer. Sound familiar?
As for McLuhan, there is a long explanation and a series of shorter ones. McLuhan's famous quote "The medium is the message" will be lost on our media who continues to obsess on Trump's intentions or state of mind. Most people focus on the content instead of the delivery system or the way the message is delivered. (I don't know Trump's state of mind either. I am not claiming that he is evil or pure, but I think that he is brilliant.)
A few of McLuhan's famous quotes might help. He called them McLuhanisms.
- Politics offers yesterday’s answers to today’s questions.
- Why is it so easy to acquire the solutions of past problems and so difficult to solve current ones?
- Today each of us lives several hundred years in a decade.
- The price of eternal vigilance is indifference.
- At the speed of light, policies and political parties yield place to charismatic images.
- “I may be wrong, but I’m never in doubt.”
... and many more
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