In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, mainstream media urged us all to “cool the temperature” of political discourse.
While I am all for a more civil political discourse, forgive me if I find it a bit rich coming from the same media that has spent the best part of a decade calling the man “literally Hitler” and “the greatest threat to democracy”.
COOLER HEADS
The mainstream media has put itself in quite a precarious position, because any call to “cool the temperature” amounts to a tacit admission regarding the unending hyperbole they have been spewing since Trump rode down that escalator in 2015. Because if Trump is “literally Hitler” then his assassination should be the ethical duty of any good citizen who wishes to prevent tyranny. If Trump is “the greatest threat to democracy”, the only reason we should all be upset is because the would-be assassin missed.
Is the media ready to take responsibility for raising the political temperature
The logically consistent position of the left can only be one of dismay and frustration at the inaccuracy of the shot. In fact, the other guy (not Jack Black) from the washed-up 90s novelty band, Tenacious D, made exactly those remarks. Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, better known by his online handle Destiny, went even further: going out of his way to appear on any platform that would have him to not only bemoan the inaccuracy of the shot, but proudly proclaim that he did not even care that Corey Comperatore, the innocent man shot by the assailant while protecting his family, lost his life.
As horrid as those remarks are, and they rightfully received their backlash, they are the logically consistent position of the bullshit the US establishment – aided by left-wing activists – has been actively pushing. I mean who cares if a Nazi gets shot at a Nazi rally, right?
WORDS
Words have meaning, and as Jordan Peterson warns: “be precise in your speech”. Adolf Hitler was responsible for the murder of at least 17 million people. As at the time of writing, Trump is responsible for zero murders.
And after a very brief pause, both the Democrats and mainstream media are right back to calling Trump “the existential threat to democracy”. Going through the legal process to challenge election results apparently amounts to an “existential threat”. It is honestly a surprise that more people haven’t been motivated to shoot him after being blasted with lie after lie after lie, non-stop propaganda, for nine years.
Don’t get me started on making a criminal out of your political opponent for incorrectly filling out a campaign finance declaration form. Given how the media has presented that case, one would be mistaken for thinking non-disclosure agreements (i.e. “hush money”) were illegal.
So if you can’t beat him in the polls and you can’t throw him in jail, what’s the next logical step? You’ve spent almost a decade laying out the justification.
The mainstream media has put itself in quite a precarious position
ACTIONS
But if the media is actually genuine in its calls to “cool the temperature” and “return to civil political discourse”, cheap throwaway lines aren’t going to cut it. Lecturing others to be nicer when talking politics might not have the desired effect. To truly cool political temperatures we need to stop talking past each other and actually address the legitimate grievances of all sides.
Is the media ready to take responsibility for raising the political temperature by calling any politician or political candidate who isn’t an outright establishment hack “dangerous”? How about the endless climate fearmongering? Or cheerleading the greatest assault on liberty for over three years? Radio silence.
But don’t even think about sharing a meme about the stupidity of the world we currently find ourselves in, because that is what’s dangerous. Unauthorised speech, or “misinformation” according to the latest edition of the Newspeak dictionary, is the true danger according to the media. It is dangerous because it is a gate they cannot keep.
While more civility in politics would certainly be refreshingly welcome, maybe it’s time for the media and establishment politicians to lead by example and take some accountability for their own (massive) roles in turning up the dial. Maybe then I’ll be willing to take the call a little more seriously.
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While always avidly following politics and culture, James Hol was not politically active until the overreaction to COVID. In a matter of months, James gained invaluable insight into all levels of government, being heavily involved in Federal, state and local election campaigns.
