Several years ago I worked for a man who was just like Trump. Egotistical, selfish, but a smooth talker. Probably a bit of a sociopath. He owned a private school. He sold people on his class, his erudite form of speech, his mannerisms, his love of classical music, his suit. The man knew his audience: Rich, wealthy foreigners who wanted to maintain their customs from home, Americans who did not like the public school system, etc. I’ll be honest, I was initially suckered in too. I thought by joining the faculty, I would get a great line on my resume, a good salary with benefits, and a start to my career as an educator. Sure, I was actually making a substitute teacher’s salary, but I’m sure once the owner saw my dedication and hard work, he would reward me. I might even be able to “learn the ropes” by watching the man up close, see how he operates his school as he had for decades.
Man was I fooled.
The school was his personal piggy bank, and it was failing. The school building looked practically bucolic from the outside, but upon closer inspection the science lab was dilapidated, several classrooms needed to be fumigated, and the gym leaked. The man was so cheap that he didn’t even want to spring for cleaning the carpet. “The kids can wear socks indoors. If the staff wants it clean so bad, they can clean it themselves.” Leadership.
The school population was only at 50 when I came in. I was sold on it being a large school, but I guess large is a relative term. I tried to do my best, and I quickly became adored by the parents and the kids really responded. We made the best out of the year, but a small school like that is not good for some children. Children need a variety of friends and activities, not just academics. A few parents left to find different schools, despite the proprietor sitting them down for tea and trying to get them to stay, or at least to make sure they had paid the non-refundable tuition before they left. The teaching staff worked hard to keep the kids in good spirits, to teach to the best of their ability, and to try and advertise the school. After all, with so many people on staff there would have to be budget cuts. No kids, no money, means cut cut cut! People’s salaries were cut and there were no benefits in sight. The owner would only advertise if it were totally free. He never appeared once at an informational meeting. He would skip out on paying contractors, getting them to do absolutely needed repair work, and then was insulted when they came and asked for their pay. “Oh, money is such a delicate issue for you, isn’t it?”
This man had everyone under a spell.
It took over a year to break out from under it. I was the first one who did. The other teachers had few options. They didn’t have teacher certification, and were limited in options for where to teach (at least, limited in their heads). I told the staff time and time again he was going to cut people’s pay. He was going to withhold people’s checks until the last minute. I said that he would never hire a marketing team because that would mean paying money. I even told them that if they requested more school supplies, his answer would probably be “buy it yourself.” What was the response I got? Denial. “No, that doesn’t make any sense, the school is losing children. He needs to advertise.” “What do you mean he wants me to buy colored paper? Obviously that should come from the school fund.” “You’re so negative!” Really. It wasn’t until he skipped out on paying the light bill one month that the other teachers started checking the job boards.
Parents were also mesmerized. Keep in mind, many of these parents were educated professionals. Most of the moms were housewives, but they also had degrees and were sophisticated. The owner used my popularity to keep parents around. After all, I got results with the kids. People will climb mountains and walk over hot coals to make their kid happy and to ensure their future. The owner milked this to his advantage. The parents KNEW they were paying college tuition (5 figures!) to go to a private school with sub par facilities. They could go to the public school down the street and get music, sports, shop class, classrooms filled with children, you name it, for none of the cost. It wasn’t until the school was whittled down to 15 kids (I kid thee not) and I left did some parents leave...in the middle of the year. In case you’re wondering, yes, he lied to them saying that I was on the roster for the up coming year. When I quit and found an actual school to work at, he yelled at me over the phone, telling me how awful I was to leave (during the summer when class was not in session), that the school was a part of my life, and when was I ever going to tell him. I was such a monster. Yes, me.
Every year there was discussion of when the school would close. It never closed until no more children walked through the doors. As long as someone with money in their pocket was there, the doors were open. The man’s avarice was naked and laid bare for all to see. Even as more and more parents shuffled out the door, he just found new marks, until there were none left. After all, why close? As long as the money comes in, the owner could travel to California and enjoy “smell parties” at his private residence. Yes, you read that right. “Smell parties.”
I get Trump’s appeal. I. Get. It. People don’t want to be broken from the illusion because it fills a perfect puzzle piece in their heart. The school was international. We had kids from many cultures. Many children in the past had gone on to become doctors, etc. The school had been open for over 20 years. The walls were lined with framed art work drawn by the students themselves; little bowls of fruit and funny faces. The library was picturesque with books and a little sofa. The owner knew that you weren’t buying a school, you were buying the fantasy of being rich, wealthy, learned, worldly, and cultured. He knew people trusted him, and he knew that the purpose of the school was to make him wealthy and make it so he didn’t have to work until 1:30 in the afternoon.
Trump is the same. His followers exist to fill his pockets, which is why he takes 20% off the top. He doesn’t have to make the hard decisions, his followers will make it for him, because they want to him to succeed. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll veto it if he can, otherwise, he’ll run with it. Pence for VP? What the hell. He’s not here to run the country, he’s not here to do anything but enrich himself and build up in his mind how great he is. But no one is going to see this, or will want to see it, because the puzzle piece Trump fills is there desire to be financially secure, to not look in the newspaper and see horror after horror, to go back to a time when there was racial harmony, and when men were men and women were women. After all, what do we have to go back to?
Trump is not incompetent. Trump is not running in circles not knowing what to do. Trump is not “outraged” or “flummoxed” or any of the other adjectives people ascribe to his campaign. He is doing what he set out to do, aggrandize himself on the emotional needs of others until there is nothing left. Under no circumstances should any sane person let this men anywhere NEAR the White House.
The sad thing is many members of the faculty acknowledged I was right from the beginning, but only after the screwing was complete. Reason and skepticism spared my mind from his guile early on, but the staff had real human fears and hopes he preyed on. The mental tools necessary to break the spell are the same tools most people don’t use on a regular basis. I think many Trump supporters are mentally capable of seeing the man as the brazen fraud that he is, but their other human emotions trap them. I don’t know what to do about it, and I hope Hillary can think of a way.