“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending (its) best…They’re rapists and some I would assume are good people.” These lines were some of the first to make headlines for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“I just start kissing them…I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it…Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” This is the quote that was sure to expose then-candidate Trump and eliminate him from the presidential race but only strengthened his core.
The same man that is now president of the United States, has continued a trend of making headlines for the things he says, “despite the constant negative covfefe.”
Most recently the Washington Post broke the news that in meetings concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals President Donald Trump is quoted questioning, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”
Temporarily disregarding the clearly racist sentiment that lies at the core of that question, there is a greater concern with the way journalists and citizens react to the perpetual excrement that comes from the president whether by mouth or by tweet.
If Einstein’s definition of insanity, doing the same task over and over expecting different results is to be believed, then American journalists have surely gone off the deep end. When President Trump was able to place the hand that, “grabbed pussies” on the Bible and give an inaugural address with the same mouth that dejected minorities throughout his campaign, the Trump base appeared tolerant of discriminatory rhetoric so long as they believed they were the beneficiaries of President Trump’s divisive behavior.
Therefore, the people who would have a change of heart concerning President Trump based on their own values of inclusivity and equality as a result of something he said would have already done it by now. This means that the media only clogs important channels for education and empowerment by continuing to dedicate headlines to the continuous foul words of the president.
There are dreamers whose futures are uncertain, there are veterans who are homeless and or troubled by war, there are families with their healthcare at risk. Net Neutrality is gone, and offshore drilling will be expanded.
All of these changes come while the congressional government manages to be greatly dysfunctional. Rather than muster up a phony reaction of surprise when the president says something belligerent, lets double down on the issues he attempts to distract from. The people benefit from attention to their cause much more than attention to the character of President Trump.
The seat of the presidency currently does not mean what it used to mean. So until someone is elected who will respect the office let’s move away from reporting his words and report on his actions. What better way to weaken the reach of an egotistical demagogue than to treat his words as that of a child.
Every morning President Trump feeds the blue bird over a cup of coffee and we rush to embed the bluebird’s droppings into articles and dedicate air time to President Trump’s next foul comment. However, it is crucial that we remember that our obligation to educate and empower is better served by focusing on the implications of policy. Giving too much attention to the wrong words only exacerbates the divide we face in our country.