Ecce homo is an old Latin phrase generally translated as
"Behold, this is a man." This generally leads to philosophical exposition
on the human condition.
Yiddish has a version with a somewhat different slant:
Oich mir a mensch.
This, loosely, translated, means: You kidding, this is human?
The Yiddish came to mind today when my dental hygienist, a
fluent Yiddishist, and I were bantering about Trump.
Another Yiddish phrase strikes me as apt: A shtick fleish
mit eaigen — A piece of meat with eyes.
"A shtick fleish mit eagen" doesn't only cover
walking dead types, zombies and the like; it also refers to moral and mental absolute zero nothings like Trump who,
if I believed in such things, I might construe as a consummate construction of
the Devil, something the Teyvl (Yid. for Devil) has sent into our world in
order to cause maximum harm.
If so, this Satan ex machina is off to a good start.
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