Fear Tactics and Trump
No, This Story Isn’t What You Think It Is
As a solopreneur interested in all things business, I will say Donald Trump has one thing going for him as a businessman. (It also led to his ultimate success in becoming our 45th president.)
That is his ability to get the masses rallied around him by playing on their biggest fears.
I don’t blame Trump for this… but hear me out if you’re screaming inside right now. There’s a reason why I avoid most things political and mainstream media — because they ALL use this same tactic.
The greatest way to get the attention of people is through their fear. It’s true no matter the circumstances.
Shitty, right?
For an extra credit assignment, I implore you to seek out all the ways this tactic is used. I think you’ll be surprised at how subtle it can be. I know I was.
So, the real question now is… why are so many people still invested in these bullshit stories and campaigns? Is it not obvious to everyone? Do they really play right into the hands of these shitty tactics?
This writing is spurred on by an ad I heard while streaming, of all things, a punk rock radio station.
Can’t make this shit up.
I patiently waited, a bit heated to my core, to hear who the ad was for. Lo and behold, it was for Trump. Hence the reason he became a focal point of this story.
But this story ISN’T about Trump or politics. It goes much deeper than that.
Thinking about fear tactics led to a Facebook post I made on my personal page a few weeks ago that included a quote from Brené Brown.
“… the whiter, straighter, Christian, majority culture you are, the more mistakes you’re gonna make. It’s not a question about whether you have a bias or not. It’s what biases do you have, and how many, and how bad, and how deep.”
The reason people fall into fear tactics is because they refuse to face their biases. Point blank.
Anyone who spends time in self-reflection with the intent to become a better person for this planet and society does not fall into it quite so easily. Though, they ramp up their tactics to suck even the best into the trap.
Why are we SO afraid of owning up to what’s wrong with us? Is it the inherent need to be part of the herd? A survival-mind instinct?
As a white person, I own up to growing up in majority-white regions and having biases instilled in me without my realizing it. These things often run much deeper than we’d like to admit they do.
It takes a lot of work to root them out, and quite frankly, many people don’t feel like exerting the effort.
That in itself is a privilege–when you don’t feel like exerting the effort to treat others with more compassion and kindness by rooting out your negative judgments of them.
Sometimes you’re going to say or do the wrong thing based on biases you don’t even realize you have. These seeds were planted by people outside of you long, long ago. They are not YOU.
It’s similar to the concept of limiting beliefs. They shape us whether we like it or not. That doesn’t mean we have to ignore their existence and allow them to become further cemented.
We can dig those suckers out. And if they return, or we find their next of kin somewhere along the way, we can root those bastards out too.
That is how society grows and gets better. It’s how we collaborate, love, and live life to the fullest extent possible. It’s how we experience profound joy and companionship we might have otherwise never known.
I’m not saying everyone needs to vocalize their biases. Each person must choose for themselves if they feel safe to take that step. However, the real work is acknowledging it within yourself and making an effort to change.
As a minority in the LGBTQ+ sector, twice I might add, I’ve witnessed a ton of biases in others whether they recognized them or not. I remember things people said from decades ago that they’ve probably long since forgotten.
It isn’t pretty to see them, recognize them for what they are, and yet be unable to change them. That’s the work of the other person. We own what is inside of us, and no one else can fix what’s broken in there.
Well… maybe many years with a good therapist and/or a hypnotist.
The BEST way of doing the work is through immersion.
A prime example: I’m a minority in a family full of white conservatives (both sides). I like to believe I’ve helped them grow by, well, existing, and through my unwillingness to be anything other than what I am.
When you love someone deeply, and something about their character calls your bias into question, you are much quicker to root it out than you would be had you not had that experience.
If you have biases with racial minorities and they show up more and more in your little world bubble, you’re quickly going to learn your biases are wrong.
Some of the coolest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and loving were another race, gender, or sexual orientation. It’s enlightening and profoundly energetic to connect with people of other cultures, lifestyles, and belief systems.
I can’t imagine NOT having those kinds of experiences.
What matters most to me in this life isn’t money or power but connection and love. It’s people. I love people.
I assume you also love people since you’re still here reading.
So, I ask, whether liberal or conservative or something in between, that you take just a little time to notice any biases that arise within you during your daily routines and interactions.
If you’re saying you have none, you’re wrong and yes you do. Perfection does not exist. Every single one of us holds biases.
REALLY notice them. Drop all fear surrounding the noticing. Otherwise, you’ll continue to ignore and push them down.
Then question the fuck out of their validity. 9 times out of 10, they’re entirely untrue and are taking up valuable space in the recesses of your mind. Pull the suckers out and plant something you know to be true and beautiful.
Now, go forth and create a better future.
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