President
Donald Trump and his tandem of denial and divide -- Conway & Spicer -- in just a span of about 10 days managed to:
· Create and spread
fake news.
·
Falsely
accuse legit news organizations of being fake (CNN).
·
Claim there can be alternate facts.
·
Demand
journalists who don’t report the news as he sees fit to be fired.
·
Declare
the media their position party.
Suggest funding for the NEA would be cut or eliminated.
Suggest funding for the NEA would be cut or eliminated.
How
far away are we before the media is:
·
Fined?
·
Arrested?
·
Censored?
·
Banned?
Now
all of this may seem like a mere distraction from serious issues like
immigration, healthcare, terrorism, and the economy. But what could be more
serious than our precious freedoms – of the media, of free speech, and of the
right to protest?
Before
any dictator can fully get his way, he must silence and control the media. In the tyrant’s playbook, President Trump
would create division and fear, to pit one group against the other, and to
demonize someone or something that really isn’t a threat. Oh wait, looks like he’s been reading the
handbook that’s been employed by Russia, China, N. Korea, and other iron-fisted
nations.
The
story, as unbelievable as it is, is not that President Trump does what he
says -- he does -- or that what he says often violates laws, ethics, or common
decency. It is about what we – all
Americans – will do – to stop, slow down or alter the course King Trump is on.
In a
world where lies become truth, where allegations without proof are stated as
fact, and where words lose their meaning, we must correct things as they occur
in real time. We must be vigilant, and
be on top of every ridiculous declaration uttered by the Novice in Chief, his
spokeswoman, Kellyanne “The Con” Conway, and the White House mouth monkey, Sean
“Spice up the Facts” Spicer.
When
falsehoods, half-truths, and fact distortions go unreported, unchallenged, or misunderstood,
we all lose. The battle has begun, and it’s not just over jobs or walls, it’s
about truth and justice and how we communicate with one another.
I
saw a movie about 15 years ago – the name escapes me – where each day a street
in a city changes at midnight. It may
disappear or get re-routed. Eventually,
but slowly, unaware citizens could no longer find their way around or out of
town. They’d become boxed in. There’s a parallel here. Each day, President Trump circumvents
reality, and in the process, creates and promotes a new one. If we’re not careful, our understanding or
very awareness of the facts could diminish swiftly.
Ok,
so good, like-minded people reading this are saying: “So what should we do about his? What could we do about it?”
First,
don’t give up. Don’t just throw your hands up and feel resolved to seeing him
in office for the next four years. Stay
informed. Don’t just laugh with Bill
Maher and Samantha Bee or stay up on things with The New York Times. Watch Fox,
read Britbart, and be aware of what’s
being debated and championed. I can't give into ignorance.
Second,
be an activist. Letters to the editor,
comments on blog posts, and engaging your senator or Congressman or The White
House are important to the process. I do this.
Third,
sign or initiate petitions on major issues. I did.
Fourth,
join or form a protest march. I did -- and will.
Fifth,
donate money to organizations that stand up to bullies like King Trump,
including the ACLU. I did.
Sixth,
argue with friends, family, and colleagues. If they agree with you join forces
and take action rather than just whine to each other. I do this.
Seventh,
vote in every election and make your voice heard. I did. I will.
Eighth, join PEN America. I just applied.
Eighth, join PEN America. I just applied.
Most
importantly, consume and defend the news media.
They are our watchdog over King Trump.
Make them better, stronger, and defiant.
Words are a powerful weapon, but be aware they can be used for or
against you. As King Trump terrorizes
the nation – and the world – with his biased assault on the truth,we must
fight back against the Era of Big Ignorance!
FREE PR WEBINAR FEBRUARY 7: SIGN UP NOW
“In
our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics’. All issues are political issues, and politics
itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”
--George
Orwell, Why I Write
“In
a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
--George
Orwell
“Political
language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to
give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
--George
Orwell
“But
if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
--George
Orwell, 1984
“Doublethink
means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind
simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
--George
Orwell, 1984
“Big
Brother is Watching You.”
--George
Orwell, 1984
“It’s
a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
--George
Orwell, 1984
FREE PR WEBINAR FEBRUARY 7: SIGN UP NOW
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog
are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in
Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby
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