I would argue Trump is the culmination of media trends; he “hijacked” nothing, but rather is just like it in ways others are not.
What do we as Americans value?
- ) Money
- ) Celebrity
- ) Easy answers
This may seem hard to swallow, but look at Kim Kardashian (what does she do, exactly?) and look at Donald Trump…both seem to lack depth yet provide the above in some form..so have large number of followers.
The problems we face are complex; hard to understand in the end. If one person says this, and that we have to be thoughtful…well, that sounds like a lot of work and sacrifice; if someone tells us instead that all we need to do is a build a wall (and someone else even pays for it) and our problems will go away…that seems easier. How is that tacitly different than the promises of get rich quick schemes (popular in America since who knows when, and certainly proliferating with the advent of the web…from bad startups with no staying power to kidnapped kings in Africa asking for a simple wire transfer)? We won’t get fooled again! Indeed…
There is authenticity in the web, and in America…but you’ve got to look beyond what the surface…and I wonder if it is really valued…
I’m not surprised at the rise of Donald Trump…our worship of money and celebrity over other things (wisdom, peace, knowledge, understanding) has just been reflected in our choice of leadership…
I surround myself with people I believe are authentic…rare but beautiful..the noise of the election…I keep that volume turned very low..despite the media (this morning on WNYC commentators spent 30 minutes on Trump, 5 on Hilary and about 2 on Bernie); the people lead, the leaders follow..maybe Trump is just meeting his makers…