While many have laughed, at no time was the presidential bid of Donald Trump humorous. Although television networks viewed Trump’s initial antics as entertainment, they underestimated the intoxicating elixir of power and the impact it would ultimately have on those who shared his views or lacked a sense of direction.
Cashing in on ratings, news outlets and political shows showered Trump with unprecedented free coverage for months. In the process, they helped draw out of the woodwork those who have long held views of hatred and prejudice. Through Trump’s use of fear and false hope, he attracted others who sat on the fence for years. The media, by providing Trump a megaphone, assisted him in arming millions with ammunition, both real and figurative, as the solution to their barren lives.
Lacking the skill to design real solutions, Trump resorted to hate speech and violence – and the media played their role. Assault weapons took flight off the shelves owned by capitalists who financed and stoked the flames. Trump continued to dangle the bait, and networks fed off the ignorance that reached a feverish pitch.
With only months to go before this crucial election, the consequences of this game has emerged. More troubling than Donald Trump’s campaign of sexism, racism, xenophobia and violence – what will survive even a failed bid for the White House – are the millions of people who follow blindly behind this Pied Piper of hate. Trump has succeeded in luring millions into believing their problems are caused by someone else and that walls, exclusion and get-rich-quick schemes will suddenly fix their plight.
He’s used smoke and mirrors to disarm those already struggling for answers and convinced the middle class that the richest nation on earth is not rich enough, that those with an average of two cars in the garage somehow need three, and that homes with indoor plumbing, granite counters and hardwood floors leave them needing more.
He’s shipped jobs out of the country and blamed Obama for the deed. He’s built his businesses by being “very, very smart” and grew them by filing for bankruptcy many times, but they’re convinced that their path will be easy. And therein lies the danger.
We, as the American people, lost crucial ground while media moguls got rich. We watched the country further divide, hate dig in, and disparity grow beyond measure. In the wake of Trump’s instability and the closer the election comes, the media appear to take reporting more seriously than before. With viewership buoyed by Trumps daily antics, political newsrooms no longer give nods to all things fabricated and grossly distasteful acts. Even FOX has taken notice.
The problem isn’t limited to us getting close to a mad man holding the button. A growing psychosis fed by fear and uncertainty threatens the very fabric of society. We can’t let Trump control the conversation that ultimately affects us all.
Christi Griffin, is the founder of The Ethics Project, a non-profit organization addressing the impact of crime, injustice and incarcerations. She is the author of “Incarcerations in Black and White: The Subjugation of Black America.”
