Punk rock legend Henry Rollins has penned a column in LA Weekly that examines just how depressingly quickly we've come to see the "dumpster fire" of Donald Trump's presidency as perfectly normal.
"The term 'dumpster fire' keeps coming up when people mention the Trump administration," Rollins writes. "It fits. It’s a sad mess that’s roaring away right in front of you. That being said, that incredible ability of humans to acclimate and find the horizon comes into play."
Rollins goes on to describe how initially shocked he was that Trump kept sending out unpresidential tweets even after getting elected, such as his attacks on the cast of Hamilton or on civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis (D-GA). Soon, however, he became numb to the president's outrageous behavior and simply accepted that it wasn't going to change.
"The shock wore off and it became how it is," he explains.
Even more depressing, Rollins says, is the way that he's become used to seeing the president face absolutely no negative consequences for his actions.
"An administration with zero accountability," he writes. "Took a while, but it registers as normal now."
Rollins also says that he's gotten used to the fact that the president cannot seem to consistently speak in coherent English, although he admits he was first conditioned to accept this sort of thing under the presidency of George W. Bush. In fact, Rollins believes that Trump's chaotic verbal explosions are one reason why his use of Twitter is so effective.
"I understand why the comrade uses Twitter," he writes. "Unless it’s one of those psycho rallies, Trump is simply unable to speak in sentences that can be understood."