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It should come as no surprise

To the editor:

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that some Americans could be swayed to vote for a celebrity as president. Decades of audio and visual media have been geared to attract audiences with images and innuendo that don’t necessarily reflect real life but serve as an entertainment distraction. Americans worship the false idols of celebrity status.

Trump rallies are like sporting events: providing excitement and a sense of team loyalty. It’s fun to buy and wear Trump gear while experiencing the crowd mentality. Trump puts on a show with his rude, boasting remarks, and they relish watching a bully as long as they’re not the target. It’s no surprise that people can no longer distinguish the difference between being entertained by a celebrity and the serious role of the president of the United States.

Millions of people are scammed every year because they willingly believe that something positive is going to happen despite the lack of tangible proof. That’s much like the Trump voters’ wishful thinking that America is going to return to the days of the family of four going to church, Dad working to produce USA products, white homogeneous neighborhoods and the U.S. military gloriously winning wars. They want to believe that the GOP can magically retrofit America.

It’s amusing to be part of the Trump fan club, use one’s Facebook to put people down or follow intrigue on conspiracy websites rather than confront the reality of personal problems or society’s ills. That’s why the GOP has cleverly denied unpleasantries for years: racism against Blacks, sexual attitudes and attacks against women, income tax disparity, corporate corruption, hatred toward immigrants and ethnic groups, and now the coronavirus.

Some Trump supporters would much rather play the blame and denial game in order to keep believing what they have decided to believe, because that is what decades of media manipulation has conditioned America to do. Don’t think; just react to the emotions the words evoke.

The superficial focus of the media world endorses self-centered, materialistic ideas that play into the posturing of those who take up their battle cry for freedom of personal choice while disregarding any negative impact on other people. Dismissing any verifiable evidence contrary to one’s conclusions means not having to rethink attitudes or carefully guarded assertions. I haven’t met a Trump supporter yet who doesn’t live their life that way and cast their vote accordingly; have you?

Martha Hodges

Massena

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