You Don’t Hate Trump, You Hate The Media’s Portrayal of Trump

Have you ever considered that the Trump you know and hate isn’t the real thing? Is it possible? You haven’t met him. So how do you know him? By what the media says about him.

Truth be told I hate that man too. I hate the man they described to me on TV and social media. He is sexist, racist, elitist, crude, despicable, criminal, hateful, and everything wrong with America. But is their portrayal of him true?

In my opinion, no, in fact it is a disgracefully dishonest portrayal of him. I stumbled into this conclusion accidentally. I accidentally attended a Trump rally that was near by. The media told me that black people are beaten, berated, and not welcomed at a Trump rally. I just had to see for myself if such cruelty existed. I drove three hours to get there.

I accidentally enjoyed myself. It was almost like a concert, people were dancing and partying. No one kicked me out or any of the other black people there. I listened closely for racist chants and remarks, but I couldn’t hear them, only laughter and excitement.

I also accidentally enjoyed his speech. I thought to myself, wait a minute, where is all the hateful stuff? I was promised it would be here. It wasn’t. He cracked a few jokes and gave an enthusiastic speech.

I drove the three hours home exhilarated and pleasantly surprised that all the supposed cruelty that existed at Trump rallies didn’t happen. I mean, I guess it is possible that “they” knew I was coming and put on a grand performance and everyone acted their best just to fool me, but that isn’t a conspiracy theory I will to entertain.

The next morning I scanned the news, and sure enough coverage my rally showed up. Except, what they claimed occurred at my rally didn’t happen. They claimed that Trump wanted to shoot migrants, a thing he never said, or endorsed. Trump the racist was what they wanted me to believe, but the Trump I saw last night wasn’t racist, or even hateful. I had a decision to make, trust my experience, or trust the news. I chose myself.

This led me to go back and rewatch several of his speeches, especially the ones the media claimed were controversial. So there I sat for hours and hours, comparing their assessment of his words to what my ears heard. And each time, I found their assessment to be dramatically embellished, fabricated, or willingly leaving out important context.

From then on I paid closer attention, and found my hatred of Trump retreating, and making way for more tolerance of him. At the same time, the media continued to tell me to hate him. I soon discovered that I didn’t hate Trump, although I did hate the media’s portrayal of Trump. I looked around and saw many more people unknowingly doing the same. Most people I hear or see hating on Trump are actually hating the media’s portrayal of him.

It’s like the “Truman Show.” Where there is a whole entertainment network designed to make us perceive a certain reality. But it is just as fake. The scary bridge in the show, is only meant to keep us inside. I’m willing to bet everything I have, that you too don’t actually hate Trump. But you certainly hate the media’s portrayal of him — and so do I. The thing is, Trump and Trump’s portrayal are two very different people (thankfully).

So do you want to see what’s on the other side of that bridge? Or do you want to stay inside the “Truman Show?”