“Quid Pro Quo”: Alternative Definitions (Jennifer Semple Siegel)
So 45 does not
know the meaning of the “elitist” Quid Pro Quo.
Through the magic of Wikipedia, one can find the official English meaning of the Latin term Quid pro quo,
often used in the English lexicon as is.
Unfortunately, 45 does not understand this.
So, for simplicity’s sake, the term also refers to an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other.
For example,
“Something for something.”
“A favor for a favor.”
“Give and take.”
“Tit for tat.”
“You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch
yours.”
“One hand washes the other.”
This back and forth ought to be a simple concept for the transactional 45
to understand, although when he was just a businessman, he often ignored the quo,
his part of the bargain.
But that’s another story.
45 is now the President of the United States
and should be beyond such tomfoolery.
Apparently not.
On July 25, 2019, the President attempted to engage in Quid pro quo with a foreign government to dig up dirt on a domestic political opponent.
A no-no.
“Abuse of Power,” an impeachable offense.
On Halloween, the House of Representatives will vote on an Impeachment
Inquiry.
Will 45 be impeached and removed from office?
Still unknown – as of this writing, the complete “legacy” of 45 has yet to
be written into the historical record.
We can only hope for the best.
Meanwhile, like alternative facts, alternative definitions for Quid pro quo have emerged as anonymous internet
memes:
Terse.Clear.Stunning.
An even clearer (and cleverer) meme – although the slant rhyme scheme with
the original term isn’t precise:
Even 45 should be able to comprehend these three alternative definitions.
Note for Future Generations: Topical memes and inside jokes
tend to grow stale very fast; the best suddenlys tend to stick to universal
themes that will remain fresh five, ten, twenty-five years, one-hundred years
later.
However, occasionally a topical
meme feels important and compelling enough to post in the moment, and one must hope
for the best when future generations discover this Suddenly site.
Because Quit.Bro.Go, Quid.Pro.Go,
and Just.Quit.Bro, anonymous memes from 2019, will eventually fade into the mists
of cyberspace, I offer readers not-yet-born in 2019 (or too young to be aware) some
explanatory notes.
Quid Pro Quo has
been tossed around a lot in the past few months; the president feels as though terms like this are elitist and, therefore, do not speak to the common folk.
Therefore, it is up to progressives to educate him and his supporters regarding
meanings of words that might challenge their intellect (or lack, thereof).
In 2019, the House of
Representatives opened an Impeachment Inquiry on Donald Trump, 45th President, referred here as “45.”
For many progressives, speaking
his actual name feels like profanity – we would rather shout out, “F*ck, f*ck,
f*ck,” a million times over. In addition, referring to him by his presidential
number is a way of not accepting him as part of our human race. Yet, calling
him a monster or an animal insults monsters and animals everywhere. A number is
neutral, non-judgmental, yet recognizable as non-human.
A crucial fact that might
be lost in the future as the nuances of 45’s legacy fade into History: 45 is impulsive,
immoral, and amoral.
When, a few weeks ago, he betrayed
our allies, the Kurds, he understood clearly that Kurds would die (and they
did), but he simply didn’t care. He wanted what he wanted (oil fields), and he
wanted it now.
As a Presidential
characteristic, amorality is far worse than immorality, for immoral people can and do change,
whereas amoral people can never change – even if they assume a patina of
normality, amoral people, incapable of genuine morality, always place
self-interest first – self-first is encoded in their DNA.
While amoral people cannot
change, an amoral President can change history – and not in a positive way.
At best, the harm caused
by an amoral leader and his or her enablers can take decades to undo.
At worst, an amoral
President can kill a democracy and, perhaps, bring down a nation.
This, alone, makes 45
unfit for the Presidency.
I can only hope that our
Democracy will have survived the 45 era.
____________
(703 words)
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