“Never let them get control of your mind.”
I’ve used that phrase my whole life. It means think critically, don’t let emotion cloud your intellect. The media today, doesn’t subscribe to that philosophy. They don’t control their own minds. Donald Trump does.
Mainstream media laughed off his candidacy. There was a belief he wasn’t serious. You Tube videos abound with entertainers, pundits and politicians saying, “Donald Trump will never become president.”
The majority of pollsters, operating in a “used to be” reality used old methods to canvass a new world.
“Popular culture,” unaware they are neither popular, nor culture, made it socially unacceptable to publicly support Trump. Violent “antifa” thugs provided muscle to enforce that. The Democrat Party, listening to themselves, sabotaged Bernie and coronated Hillary for the cakewalk to the presidency.
Except, Trump won. The media empire: New York Times (and clones), Associated Press (AP), network and cable news, Hollywood, and the polling industry got embarrassed. Vain, self proclaimed experts, a full year of their lives was shown to be a total mistake (or fraud). Embarrassment turned to rage. They lost control of their minds.
Rather than adjust to a new reality, they decided to recreate the old one. They became the hell spawn of Chicken Little crossed with the Boy who cried wolf. Everything Trump does isn’t only wrong but dangerous. Press briefings have become “gotcha” contests. Rumors which once would have been deemed implausible are now reported as fact. Judges make rulings based on Trump, disregarding the law. Late night hosts have thrown away decency to smear Trump and his family. College students threaten riots against speakers they disagree with.
Democrat leaders decided that with cover from the media, they can not only obstruct Trump, but destroy him. Investigations, prosecutors and impeachment fill their dreams. They throw these terms around like candy at a parade. Vulgarities have become a staple of their discourse. It’s trickled down to the average democrat. Clinging to a phantom “popular vote” victory, they chant, “not my president,” reminiscent of those shouting “no rain” at Woodstock. It rained.
The precedents being set in the area of media bias, coupled with the trend toward restricting “unpopular” speech are unsettling. The AP, google, and facebook declare themselves fact checkers and censors.
I believe there are many in the media with unclouded minds. They must be appalled by the state of their industry. Today’s financial realities force local outlets to depend on the AP for national stories. They expect real journalistic standards from their local reporters, but have little control at higher levels.
Partisans do not care if we abandon principles of truth and fairness in reporting. They view Trump as a danger to their world view, or more likely, the gravy train the current system provides. “By whatever means necessary” is their mantra. It’s shortsighted. Pendulums always swing back. Those who lie, distort and smear inevitably become targets of the same. Half the population considers them “fake news”. Can the other half be far behind? A liar’s seldom believed, even when telling the truth. We may be entering journalism’s “steroid era” where supposedly factual articles have asterisks attached. I’m not sure the “powers that be” see it coming through the rage controlling their minds.
What seems to be lost in this are the nearly 63 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump. The elites didn’t see them before the election, and don’t see them now. Voters were exposed to a year of unfavorable press and a campaign full of questions about Trump’s fitness. They elected him anyway. They expect him to fulfill his promises, and see him trying. With clear minds, they see what’s being done to Trump, and by extension themselves. They’re not happy.
Journalists reporting real news would allow debate on the merits of a Trump presidency. That’s not happening now. We may be nearing the point where it won’t matter.
Eugene Mattecheck Jr.
Note: an amended version of this article was the featured guest editorial in Views From The QCA in the Dispatch-Argus today
