I have very few heroes. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of them, not just because of his brilliance on the basketball court. I admire Kareem for his outspokenness, activism, and willingness to admit mistakes. The latter is a rare quality in someone who has been famous since winning 3 national championships at UCLA as Lew Alcindor.

I’ve always loved that picture of Kareem receiving the medal of freedom from Barack Obama in 2016. Kareem is so tall that he makes the then president look short. Obama is 6’2″ but he looks like Muggsy Bogues next to the retired Laker great.

Wanna see a picture of Kareem with the 5’3″ Muggsy?

I’m not here to praise Kareem the sports hero but Kareem the writer. One of the best  presents I’ve ever received from Dr. A is a subscription to Kareem’s substack newsletter. It’s not just a vanity project, Kareem puts a lot of time and effort into it. I’m proud to call him a fellow blogger. Holy humblebrag, Batman.

In his latest edition, Kareem writes about the bizarre relationship between the Indicted Impeached Insult Comedian and his followers. Let it rip, Kareem:

We need to understand that there are two Donald Trumps. The first is just a man—a not-very-impressive man who embodies all the worst characteristics of humanity. He is a walking manifestation of the Seven Deadly Sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, sloth). No need to catalog his crimes and misdeeds, they have been on display for years. Without his name and wealth, he is the kind of person no community would want to have. He is the rough beast slouching toward D.C. to be born. Again.

 

The second Donald Trump is a symbol to his true-believer followers (not the hucksters in business and politics looking to turn a profit). To them, he’s not a man but a fantasy character from a movie or comic book. They don’t see a rapist, a fraudster, or a destroyer—they see themselves. He is a cardboard cutout at a carnival or comic-con with a hole where patrons can stick their heads for a photo of their face on the fantasy figure. They like that he’s not too bright, because that sets the bar low enough that anybody could make policy, no knowledge or critical thinking required. They can then fantasize about themselves in his place. They like that he challenges those in power, even when he personally put them in power because he fights against authority—even though he craves to be that authority and would crush his follower’s rights in minutes. That is why no matter what atrocities Trump commits, they won’t register. His followers’ superpower is that they are invulnerable to facts, logic, or evidence.

Yeah you right, Kareem. I can’t top that.

Kareem is a jazz fan. One of his favorite artists is John Coltrane. Trane gets the last word: