In this day and age, it seems like every single headline pertaining to politics is outrageous, inflammatory, ridiculous, mind-boggling, or all of the above. Being inundated with absurdity every day makes one want to just ignore it altogether rather than constantly dealing with the stress of what is going to happen to our country. I'm here to tell you we cannot ignore it. President Trump is coming out unscathed from countless scandals that any one of these scandals would normally be the end of an actual politician's career.
Some examples:
1. Trump was accused of raping underage girls, but the cases were dropped due to accusers being threatened.
2. Trump's infamous inexcusable comments made about sexually assaulting (and grabbing) women.
3. Trump's campaign aides and other associates of his had numerously contacted Russian officials, followed by intelligence agencies warning the US that Russia has in fact interfered with our election.
4. Trump called the media the enemy of the people.
Any of these scandals alone would have been enough for the American people to lose trust in any other candidate much less a president, but this conglomerate of scandals has made many numb. Anytime another scandal emerges, it hardly seems like breaking news to anyone because it is expected at this point which is unacceptable.
Trump has made it impossible for the American people to deal with one scandal before the next one is exposed. Being overwhelmed with outraging information completely alters the norm of a single scandal dominating the news cycle for weeks or even months. Before this, each detail can be meticulously analyzed for possible malpractice or conflicts of interest. Some might argue that Trump is purposely manipulating the media since it seems to be working very well in his favor (unless you're counting approval ratings of course).
When we are already being bombarded with information on social media everyday about topics other than politics, it has become so easy to say "I can't handle anymore of this bullshit from Trump and Congress, I'm just going to stop paying attention to the news." The problem is that's exactly what they want you to do. Instead of just watching and letting it happen, do something because that works.
Trumps travel bans have been blocked by federal judges twice now. The voices of thousands of protestors who demonstrated globally were heard. We must continue standing up for what we believe in. Sitting idly and allowing injustice to take place is no longer an option. At one point or another, the Trump administration's actions are going to affect everyone. Now is the time to pay special attention to what is going on and take action.
Besides the obvious racism, xenophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, etc., another thing we must not normalize is the Trump administration demonizing all media but the outlets he likes. It is paramount that serious, credible news sources are taken seriously. They need to be given the respect they deserve, as they are the ones giving us reliable information. The Trump Administration unfortunately flat out lies to the public. Journalists are the ones following and investigating every aspect of Trump so that everyone can stay informed on what they must know. When there is an immeasurable amount of information pertaining to Trump's past business relations as well as daily emerging scandals, reporters do a public service by putting the most important information together, such as keeping track of almost 40 of Trump's conflicts of interest. The press is vital in our fight to hold the Trump Administration accountable for its actions.
Every day, we must work to stay outraged at every inappropriate decision, statement, and act that the Trump administration makes so that none of this becomes normal. As soon as it becomes normal, he will be able to get away with anything. A dangerous man like Donald Trump cannot be allowed free reign over our country. He must be held accountable and taken seriously before it's too late.
