I’m scared to talk about Trump. The sound of his name makes me seize up. To see him on television as President makes me want to run far away, maybe to Antarctica. I’m scared to even acknowledge his name, in fear it will give him more attention and power, similar to a demon in all my beloved horror films. I’m scared of his message and influence spilling over into Canada. I’m scared to not have the facts straight. And I’m just plain and simple scared of him.
“Fear of the name increases the fear of the thing itself” states J.K. Rowling. Clearly, fear isn’t getting us anywhere.
After 9/11, journalists were not digging for the truth because they were so shocked by the events. The Atlantic noticed, after the attacks, journalists were swept up in the national feelings of fear and outrage — and failed to do their job. They took everything at face value. We now know that the “war on terrorism”, wasn’t entirely motivated by the attacks on that fateful day.
It is easy to react. It’s easy to have strong emotions when we feel threatened. Fear is one of the strongest emotions we can have.
I question if fear is not precisely what they want us to feel? Those unsettling, and ridiculous tweets and outrageous news headlines no doubt have instilled fear into all of us. Whether one sits on the side of dichotomy of fear of “the Other”, or fear of the leader, the root is all fear.
I challenge us to confront this fear. Challenge the face value of these public relation tactics. Dig a little deeper. Read between the lines. Place high standards on the media you consume. When it comes down to it, social media is a tool used for distraction and persuasion first and foremost. We have to be careful how receptive we are to this. The more properly informed we are, the less fear will plague our minds. The less fear we have, the better we can understand the truth of what is going on and be better equipped to defend ourselves.
As much as I still want to plug my ears when I hear his name, I won’t. I refuse to be ignorant. Knowledge is power.
By addressing this fear and getting past it, we can work towards reducing their power and finding ours.
Image Source: https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/trump.jpg