“…for all things that have a function or activity, the good and the ‘‘well’’ is thought to reside in the function.”
-Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics (sect, 1.7)
Over the past week, we’ve analyzed two individuals or characters who effortlessly used main-stream media to influence the world. These individuals are Donald Trump and Waldo. Waldo is a fictional character from an episode of Black Mirror whose initial purpose was to mock and add humor to the social and economic issues of the community. However, in one of his segments, one of his “jokes” went too far and made him a relevant and common name in households across the community by involving himself in an important political election. Many predicted that the odds of him winning the election were little to none due to setbacks predestined by his character and actions such as his obscene vocabulary, his immaculate skills in name calling as well as his ability to express and demonstrate how he felt about many things in an unfiltered manner. However, his presence in the race made the election worth watching. The initial voice behind the character (Jamie) quickly realized the negative implications of his actions and quit, but his boss decided to continue on with the character out of greed. In the end, Waldo, who’s presence was taken lightly became the comedic voice and leader of the people. As for Donald Trump, well I’m pretty sure his name says enough. He entered the political race, but no one took him seriously. He was primarily known for his ability to take the focus off of him and highlight the errs of his opponents by means of name calling.
So what is their function? How can any of their actions be seen as good or well, when they both managed to turn groups of people against each other for the security of a political position? In a relative article (which I will have linked at the bottom of my post) I found published earlier this year entitled “For Donald Trump, Every Vice is a Virtue” it explains exactly how he and similarly Waldo can be seen as characters of virtues. In the article, its main focus is the issue of Trump’s tax return and how he is able to turn the situation around to portray it as he is being personally victimized by the IRS. On many occasions, both characters were attacked by their opponents as an effort to confront them about their lack of knowledge and experience to complete the job at hand, but both Waldo and Trump managed to somehow reverse their claims and prove that their incompetencies are how in some form of fashion makes them a great candidate because they speak for the people.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/for-donald-trump-every-vice-is-a-virtue/2016/05/16/4ace3e64-1b9b-11e6-8c7b-6931e66333e7_story.html
good post and interesting article! I'm also interested in the connection between the good and function with respect to the recent election.
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