How to Get Over Donald Trump
Other people get along just fine without Donald Trump. You can too.
Ignoring is Bliss
Stop paying attention to Donald Trump. Full stop. Treat him like a bad breakup, one that ended painfully; remove everything from your immediate environs that reminds you of Trump.
There, it’s that easy. Quit Twitter, or unfollow him, and anyone else that retweets him, even to pan him. Ignore him.
You’ve heard the old adage feed a cold, starve a fever? Well, this is sage advice for the modern age, and perfect advice for progressives beleaguered by Trumpian ethics. It is the only known cure for anyone struggling daily through a haze of hatred for Donald Trump that is robbing people of their will to live, or as Frank Brunei of the New York Times writes, their will to Tweet.
Starve it for attention.
“But why isn’t everyone else furious about his Tweets?” you might ask, furiously. “What is wrong with everyone? Are they just not paying attention?”
And just there, inadvertently, you may have stumbled upon the solution for your Trump problem, unintuitive as it might be.
No, Virginia: They aren’t paying attention. Not a bit.
Here’s a secret: Most people aren’t even on Twitter.
I know, it’s shocking. But they aren’t. The reason they aren’t as worked up about Trump is that they really don’t know- or care- what he says on Twitter.
7% of Americans use Twitter; the other 93% don’t bother.
Those 93% of people in the U.S. don’t even care what their closest friends and associates say on Twitter, not even their High School crush- obviously, or they’d join. You really think they care what Donald Trump says on Twitter?
“But he’s the President!”
So, what? And?
Right up until about a minute ago, the vast majority of Americans didn’t know or care what the U.S. President or any other world leaders said or did on a daily basis. Unless it was very good, or very bad, people just didn’t care enough to really pay that much attention.
Here’s the thing: They still don’t.
People just don’t care enough about politics to spend hours everyday reading, understanding or processing it. It’s not like Dallas or Friends or anything. Some people barely know who is the president.
C-SPAN has been on 24/7 for years and literally no one cares enough to watch it, not even the participants themselves. It is the most boring reality tv show on television. Always has been.
People. Just. Don’t. Care.
The exception to this rule are news journalists, 100% of whom are on Twitter; celebrities, 100% of whom are also on Twitter; and Twitter activists, on Twitter. These people put great stock in everything Trump says or does on Twitter and elsewhere, they spend a lot of time sounding off about it.
But their power over Donald Trump is virtually nil.
“But we’re talking about the end of democracy in America! The collapse of the free world as we know it! A threat to everything we hold dear as Americans!”
Please. Policies and laws that went utterly without question until yesterday, you mean?
Expecting people to suddenly see the world of politics as an existential threat to their life, liberty and happiness is a tough sell. In my opinion, it can’t be done without a platform like Twitter, from which you can drum these constant pitched political battles into peoples’ ears without ceasing.
Push away from the keyboard. Delete your Twitter account- at least give yourself a month of rest.
“But we have to take Donald Trump to task for all the terrible things he says and does!” you might be tempted to argue.
No, we don’t.
First of all, that’s exactly what he wants; every liberal on Twitter screaming for the blood and home addresses of every conservative voter even considering casting his lot for Donald Trump.
Remember, Trump supporters get all the information about the progressive reaction to Donald Trump with absolutely none of the context or provocations of the Trump presidency.
Secondly, taking Donald Trump to task for all the things he does in a blazing post to be enjoyed by all your family and friends is doing exactly nothing but causing whatever hashtags are created by or in response to Donald Trump to trend. This is not an ideal outcome.
It is amplifying Trump’s message; not the left’s.
Lastly, and worse, reacting constantly to everything Donald Trump says and does on Twitter isn’t doing the liberal psyche any good. This state of shock and disgust has made liberal arguments bitter, brittle, too easily broken by any emotional ploy designed to send people over the edge.
Clearheadedness, reason, logic, sound judgement; these are the only things that can beat Donald Trump.
Continuing to feed this fever is only making it burn stronger and hotter; let’s try starving it.
Join the 93% of Americans who do not enjoy Twitter and turn the volume down on Donald Trump.
(contributing writer, Brooke Bell)