I learned long ago that perception matters; perception can mask truth. I have known this and even I can fall victim to false perception. I was once again reminded of this after a baseball game.
What’s more American than baseball? At a World Series game in America, you will have as diverse a group as any. Military and civilian, Democrat and Republican, citizen and immigrant will gather to watch the game.
When the current President of the United States attended such a game last week, the behavior of those gathered was not what we’ve come to expect when DT stands in front of a crowd. They booed him and chanted “lock him up” in anticipation of an impeachment.
There was outcry from his supporters calling it un-American and unprecedented. There were those who argued the office of the president deserves respect.
Me personally? It brought a smile to my face.
Here is what we’ve come to expect when Donald Trump gives a speech to a large crowd: fandom. The crowd cheers at his every unintelligible utterance as if it’s from God. They wear their red MAGA hats and hold signs and shout derisions at his enemies. It’s disgusting really. We see these rallies on the news all the time. They aren’t ever that big but they are made to look big by cheating camera angles and clever lighting. The perception created is one of immense and overwhelming support. We never see descent at a Trump rally because dissention is quickly snuffed out by security.
This president surrounds himself with yes-men (and I do mean men) and sycophants. He has neatly insulated himself from the broad spectrum of Americans and has no idea how the majority truly feel despite what polls and approval ratings say. He doesn’t see it so it doesn’t exist. What he does see in the media is dismissed as fake news.
This perception doesn’t match reality. This gives him and his supporters the feeling of majority. It is a false perception and as proof we have what happened at the World Series game last week. When a range of Americans gather, those who support 45 aren’t the roaring red hats concentrated at one of his rallies. They are the minority and always have been despite his electoral victory in 2016.
The majority of Americans didn’t want him as their president and didn’t vote for him. The office of the president should be respected but that respect doesn’t extend to the man occupying that office. If Trump made more public appearances in front of crowds like that at the World Series, I suspect we’d hear a lot more booing!
End Transmission.