Stephen King revealed he fears Donald Trump will triumph at the elections. The author spoke at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. last Saturday when the Library of Congress honored him for his lifelong work advocating literacy.
King has long criticized Donald Trump, regularly taking jabs at the candidate in Twitter and opposing his candidacy. He even joined the hundreds of authors that have petitioned against him. King has noted that Trump has a “real shot” at winning, —which terrifies him — and he has admitted that he is afraid of a Trump presidency, which he would not have believed three to four months ago, in his words.
Stephen King believes lack of culture and reading has led America toward this path
King has long advocated for literacy, supporting libraries and encouraging reading. He believes that Trump has been able to get this far because of a general disregard the American public has toward culture.
Endeavors such as free concerts and poetry slams are not seen as important, and daily reading rates keep declining in America which, King says, means that “analytical thought” also suffers a fall.
King argues this leads to a significant portion of the national population made of people who are “lazy thinkers” that are unable to detect deceive, which in turn leads to politicians being allowed to resort to generalities and misinformation instead of “the specifics.” This is completely wrong, as King believes politicians should be the smartest and the best society has to offer.
King vs. Trump
King has referred to Trump’s speeches as “a piano falling down the stairs,” meaning it is only empty noise without any substance. Quite appropriately, King feels that the core of the situation with Trump is that there is a lot of fear in the United States.
“We’re afraid that the government is going to take away our guns, we’re afraid that Mexico is going to invade the United States, we’re afraid of this, we’re afraid of that, we’re afraid of taxes, we’re afraid of transgender bathrooms – the whole thing. As long as people are fearful, it’s hard to have a rational discussion,” claimed King to interviewer Ron Charles in a conversation with The Washington Post.
Stephen King also took issue with Maine Governor Paul LePage, criticizing his statement earlier this year that asylum seekers brought “ziki fly” (presumably Zika virus) to the state of Maine.
“The statement is mind-boggling in its own right. That Governor LePage might have believed it is more so. That many accept it as a fact is the most mind-boggling of all. The ability to think clearly and logically leads to good decision-making, and I believe that the ability to think clearly grows along with the ability to read,” said King.
Trump’s opponent for the presidency, the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, is not exempt from criticism. King believes she has been a “lackluster candidate,” and he took issue with what he feels is “a sense of entitlement about her campaign like ‘Ah, it’s my turn and I’m running against a buffoon. Therefore, I am already president.’”
Stephen King’s life
Stephen Edwin King was born September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine. His father abandoned the family when he was two years old, and from then on had financial difficulties. While still a child, King discovered H.P. Lovecraft work and decided to become a writer after reading it.
In 1970 King graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maine. Three years later, his first novel, “Carrie,” was accepted for publication, and King was paid $2,500 for it.
The book was published a year later and in 1975, “Salem’s Lot” saw the light. In 1977, one of his most famous works, “The Shining,” was released.
So far, King has published over sixty books and has sold almost four hundred million copies. Many of his works have been turned into films and television shows. His novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” was the basis for the famous movie “The Shawshank Redemption.”
His novel “Misery” (1987) was also adapted into an acclaimed film, which gave Kathy Bates the 1990 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Annie Wilkes. “The Shining” also became the iconic film of the same name, directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Jack Nicholson.
King has received the Hugo Award, the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the National Medal of Arts, the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award.
Donald Trump’s life
Donald John Trump was born June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York. Trump left school when he was thirteen and subsequently enrolled in the New York Military Academy. He graduated from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Trump worked in his father’s real estate and construction firm. In the seventies, he was given control of the business and renamed it “The Trump Organization.” Even though his endeavors were always followed, he became mostly known for his reality show “The Apprentice,” which he hosted and co-produced from 2004 to 2015.
Source: The Guardian