Diminishing astonishment and our political environment …

Years ago I posed my theory of the Point of Diminishing Astonishment. 

In short strokes, the PODA is about human nature and how we recognize meaningful change. When we see enough of something, we start subconsciously diminishing its importance; it becomes just more of the same -- the new normal -- and our tendency is to ignore it. To then move the needle and get our attention, that something has to increase at least a whole magnitude, but preferably exponentially.  A mere incremental increase doesn’t do it. 

The original basis for my theory had to do with technology – more specifically modem speed, first, and then CPU processing speed (an extension of Moore’s Law). Nobody got too excited when either of those stepped up incrementally; they had to double or triple or more to get attention.

Then that became the new floor for expectations. Anything less was inconsequential.

However, practical limits eventually come into play. There is a point when no matter what you do it simply won’t make much of a splash. You’ve hit the ultimate PODA for that. 

What does that have to do with today’s political environment?

Plenty, I believe. Especially when it has to do with Trump.  

The latest “bombshell” is that he’s a skirt-chasing weasel. No! Really??? 

For many years before he ran for office, Trump enjoyed his playboy persona. His dalliances with stars and celebrities were widely covered by local New York media. His affairs, his infidelity to wives and girlfriends, and his very public divorces over those infidelities were constant fodder for gossip columnists.  The front pages of NY media loved to show his latest trophy date.  

The fact that Trump likes women – a lot – and considers himself a modern-day Casanova who beds every woman he can is not news. To be surprised at that now is like being startled to learn Charlie Sheen has drug and alcohol issues, or that the Pope’s a Catholic. 

Yet it’s big news today that Trump never changed.

At least to media types. 

The rest of the public is more “meh.” Mainly because they’ve seen it so many times before.  Only the players change – now it’s a former Playboy playmate, a former porn star, and so what? Before it was dozens of others.  Is anybody surprised?

But how is Melania dealing with it? Probably the same way his first two wives did. Unhappy, for sure, yet shocked? – I doubt it. They knew who and what he was when they married him.

That’s the stunner for the media. Where’s the outrage?

Not just about his infidelity, but about everything Trump does.  From not being a traditional Republican, to fighting with his own party, to attacking his own Attorney General, to attacking Special Counsel Mueller, to forcing out his own appointees, to maybe starting a trade war, to saber-rattling with North Korea, to thumbing his nose at our alleged allies and neighbors, to overturning treaties, to moving our embassy to Jerusalem – they are aghast. 

He tweets. He taunts. He threatens. He insults.  And the media are shocked. 

I don’t know why they would be. He was doing all that from the moment he started his run for office. It may be a key reason why he won.

He’s just continuing the same stuff as President. What’s new?  

For most people, absolutely nothing. They’ve seen all this before, going on for almost two years now. By now, they’ve accepted it as the norm, even if they don’t always like it.

They’ve reached the Point of Diminishing Astonishment concerning Trump.       

I have to admit I’m getting there, too.   

By relentlessly pounding Trump over everything – and I mean everything – hour after hour, the media have inadvertently raised the bar so high now it’s almost impossible to find anything that will be perceived as earth-shaking anymore.

Trump should thank them.