Take A Breath, America
|The Blade
Go ahead and do me a favor.
Turn on the TV, just about any news channel will do. What do you see? Mobs screeching on the steps of the High Court, senators and congressmen alike being heckled and badgered at restaurants, and the talking heads adding fuel to the flames as they descend into a diagnosis of the ills plaguing our country.
“Fascism has run rampant,” they cry. “The midterms are a referendum on life and death,” they protest. The rhetoric used and crisis shown on every American’s TV screen is enough to compel one to hunker down and grab the nearest 12 gauge in preparation for the ensuing civil war.
Now do me a second favor.
Turn off the TV and go somewhere public. A church service or a trip to the supermarket will do. What is it you see now? People. People whose primary concern isn’t the current status of the 2nd amendment or the latest Senate appointment to a district court, but rather what time church starts and where to go for dinner.
The political arena is in a frenzy, made evermore so by the upcoming midterms, but the political sphere doesn’t encompass all. The majority of citizens continue with life as usual and are content to go about their day, worrying only about the truly important things in life such as faith and their family. But if this state of bedlam portrayed by the media doesn’t sync with reality, why preach its terror in the first place?
One aspect is that shock and awe get ratings and good ratings equal better business. Americans generally want their news to be engaging and match reality shows in entertainment levels. This isn’t exactly new information but it does demonstrate that media outlets will sensationalize and blow things out of proportion for the sake of their faithful viewers.
But the second reason is much more covert and damaging. Fear and panic equal votes at the poll. It’s no secret that various outlets have their biases. CNN isn't exactly publishing op-ed pieces on the beauty of free markets or bringing on experts to discuss the virtue of presumptive innocence. The media outlets have long been hand in hand with the political parties they support.
This has produced a system that allows for outlets to hyperbolize and distort various subjects, in turn producing a whirlwind of anger and rage directed at the opposite side of the political spectrum. This should lead to votes in the polls and the media’s choice of candidate in power at last. This strategy worked remarkably well up until 2016.
Donald Trump’s victory signaled that the majority of Americans had stopped buying into the rhetoric and were now disavowing any negative press about their beloved leaders.
Both sides are equally guilty of this, but instead of taking a look at this strategy in a critical light, the various media outlets have merely ramped up their rhetoric. They have become hell-bent in ensuring that every citizen thinks Trump is one justice or presidential act away from becoming a dictator, or that Republicans hate both the disabled and elderly and are only concerned for themselves and the rich.
This is clearly bad for a civil democracy. How can progress be made if each group is convinced the other has nefarious intent behind their political agenda? There is a clear intention in the eloquence and imagery being portrayed: they want you to be scared, they want you to panic, they want you to hate the other side, all so they can get who they want in power.
But it’s all a lie.
The media will try their hardest to make you think America is on the verge of collapse, but it remains plainly untrue. Our economy is strong, crime is at historic lows, and people continue to live happy and productive lives.
We obviously have problems, and you should vote for the people you think can fix them, but the ideological walls that divide us will never be as strong as the civil bonds which unite us.
Don’t buy into the rage and hate being peddled on the TV, take a deep breath and rest assured, America is doing well and its people (for the most part) get along just fine.