Anti-Trump Derangement Syndrome

Why do people viscerally hate Donald Trump? Sure, he’s nobody’s idea of a choir boy, but that’s not his role. I sat with four locals recently who spewed irrational venom against Trump. Why the hatred?

Remember Tiberius Gracchus?

Me neither.

I first learned the name Tiberius Gracchus recently while listening to a very interesting podcast that highlighted key events and people during the centuries of the Roman Empire.

What caught my attention was the historian’s comparison of Donald Trump and Tiberous. Both, is seems, were populists who believed that too much wealth and power had accumulated in the hands of a few establishment elites at the expense of to many deserving citizens. Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) slogan, “drain the swamp” rhetoric, anti-war stance, and his opposition to America’s membership in the United Nations are all good examples of his populist credentials.

Tiberious lost his life at age 29 when he opposed the elites in Rome. Trump has faced two assassination attempts in the last four months alone. Someone wants Donald dead. That someone is unlikely to favour Trump in the November election. Instead, the assassins likely harbour an irrational hatred for Mr. Trump for reasons the only they know intimately.

A good time to listen.

As I heard the four locals speak of Trump and express their hatred for him and the conspiracy theories about America if the former president is re-elected, I kept quiet.

It helped me to understand the profound effect that the Mainstrea Media (MSM) has on the psyche of its regular listeners.

One of the four ladies is American. All were Baby Boom age. Their rhetoric and convictions echoed the anti-Trump talking points of those institutions of corporate journalism that are desperately trying to stay relevant as the Internet gobbles their lunch.

Sensational news sells.

Appealing nearly exclusively to the emotions of their audience is a telltale sign that the MSM is nearing its extinction. Their species as purveyors is traditional journalism has been struck fatally by a massive comet - the Internet.

You can almost smell the desperation and the rotting corpses.

Alternate media arose from MSM distrust.

Meanwhile, the podcast industry is booming. Big names, and pior ‘no names’, are finding audiences both paid and unpaid. The richness in diverse opinion and sources of information is unprecedented and it continues to grow exponentially. It surprises me how many people remain oblivious to this Information Age revolution.

As a Baby Boomer myself, I wonder why some of my generation have failed to become skeptical of what the MSM has to offer while others, like me, are now loyal patrons of many alternative media sources?

I abandoned the MSM long ago after the Toronto Star published an article that made claims about me which were pure fiction. When I asked that the offending comments be retracted, I was told that the author had “credible sources” (i.e. the gossip mill).

I have not bought anything from TorStar since that day in 1993 and have referred to its newspaper with contempt as the “commi-rag” ever since.

Donald Trump was President for four years.

In spite of enormous obstacles placed in Trump’s path by the “Deep State” and the MSM, he governed adequately, especially when compared to President Biden in the last four years. This is my opinion which, I don’t doubt, would raise guffaws of disbelief from the four discussion participants I sat with quietly a few days ago.

The anti-Trump venom was catty and excessive.

None of the four offered any commentary on the job he did, positive or negative. Each took turns to attack his character as if they knew the man personally.

I heard crazy claims like “there will be a civil war if Trump is re-elected”, “mass violence in the streets” and (my favourite) “people will leave their homeland in huge numbers if he regains the White House”.

Where is their critical thinking?

Where are their facts?

What brand of crystal ball are they using to predict the future?

Are there “tribal” factors that I don’t understand which are responsible for this kind of groupthink venom which fails all reasonable tests of rationality?

I have been reminded often that discussions about politics are inappropriate in “polite company”. If that discussion is what I can expect these days from “polite company”, it may be good advice after all.

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