“Let them eat cake!”

This is a proverb that demonstrates insensitivity to or incomprehension of the realities of life of the disenfranchised. The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in his confessions, tells of a princess who on being informed that the peasants had no bread, replied, “Let them eat cake.”

While the phrase is commonly attributed to the French Queen Marie Antoinette, there`s no record of her having said it.

Donald Trump is oblivious to the stark realities of life of the urban poor. He can`t relate to normal folks, and he obviously has no clue how to relate to normal folks trying to survive in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

The spectacle of Donald Trump tossing paper towels to the survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico defines the cruelty and stupidity of the Trump administration, and it`s his “Let them eat cake” moment.

The optics of the billionaire president tossing paper towels as if he was playing fetch with dogs underscores his racism and disdain for anyone who isn`t white.

I shouldn`t be so harsh, I must admit a roll of paper towels is a perfect gift for the survivors of Hurricane Maria. Puerto Ricans can use the paper towels to clean the floors of their houses that have been defiled by sewer water. And with a dash of hot pepper a paper towel can fill the stomach of a Puerto Rican who doesn`t have anything to eat.

Marie Antoinette, regardless if she ever uttered the immortal phrase “Let them eat cake,” was beheaded in the French Revolution.

Heads should roll over the incompetent federal response to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Maria, started with Donald Trump. I leave it to you, my dear reader, to discern if I`m speaking literally or metaphorically.

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