According to Van Luling what are some examples of how Trump's own rhetoric invokes the image and iconography of the Kong myth?
In October of 2016, Daily Show host Trevor Noah compared Trump to Kong. Watch the above clip. What, for Noah, is the similarity between Trump and Kong? Why is this observation funny? Why is it poignant?
As we have discussed throughout the semester Kong and other fictional apes like Caesar have historically been associated - both positively and negatively - with African-Americans. What significance, if any, do you see in the fact that in the year 2016 a black South African man (Trevor Noah) can host one of the most popular and influential shows on modern American television and openly compare Donald Trump, a white man, to King Kong?
To further complicate this issue considers the highly controversial political cartoon published in 2009 by the New York Post which depicted former President Barack Obama as a crazed chimp (inspired by a real-life news story which also inspired a pivotal scene in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Why was this cartoon so much more controversial than those depicting Trump as a giant angry gorilla? Look at the above political cartoons depicting Trump as Kong.
What message are they sending? In some cases how accurate was that message considering the results of the election? Do you find these kinds of cartoons effective? Do you find them funny? Also why in Hillary Clinton Godzilla? How are the cartoons depicting President Richard Nixon and Donald Trump as King Kong similar? What do you suppose may be the significance of this?