Outrageous statements always get more attention

Right now in the US, the Republican party is focusing on choosing its candidate for the Presidential elections. With a grand total of 17 candidates, supporters have a wide variety of potential candidates to choose from. But who is getting the most media and public attention? You guessed it: the flamboyant millionaire Donald Trump who makes it a habit of spouting the most outrageous statements every time he opens his mouth.

He has managed to insult and ridicule women, Mexicans, and any other minority he can think of.

As the creator of the reality show Celebrity Apprentice, he obviously knows what he’s doing. And he sure knows his audience. In this age of media hype, television programming which makes it a point to exploit that which is the most bizarre, and celebrities who seem intent on living their lives for the camera at any cost, American audiences have been conditioned to respond like Pavlov dogs to such outrageousness.

Like most of us (because the world has indeed become a global village) they have become blasé about what makes news. Just look at what gets most clicks, likes and shares. It is not the ordinary human stories of people doing something which is positive for others, and which might uplift us, but instead, that which stirs us into passionate anger and outrage.

Politicians such as Trump and notorious columnists like Britain’s Katie Hopkins and America’s Ann Coulter, for example, have a cynical instinct for what will get them into the press. They are manipulating the media every time they come out with their most shocking statements, stirring the pot deliberately, pushing people’s buttons and then just sitting back, and letting their latest “shocker” take on a life of its own.

I know what you’re thinking. Here I am falling into the trap as well, by writing about these people. That’s true to some extent, but I am only doing so because I think it is important to understand why this phenomenon is happening. Just look at the reaction to Trump’s jibe during the first debate, when he was taken to task by the (female) moderator that he has called women he doesn’t like, “fat pigs”, “dogs”, “slobs” and “disgusting animals”. Raising his finger to correct her, he remarked with a smarmy, smug smile, “only, Rosie O’Donnell” …and, what was even more disturbing, a large portion of the audience burst into a roar of laughing approval and wild clapping.

Predictably, Twitter came alive with the expected outrage, and (even scarier) Trump’s ratings continued to soar. What is it which makes human nature come alive, and sit up and take notice when people who don’t have a filter, such as Trump, make these kind of public pronouncements? I think the explanation is twofold:

1. as much as it may be difficult for us to stomach, we have to acknowledge that there are those who agree with the kind of misogyny, class, racial and social hatred as espoused by people like Trump, Hopkins and Coulter. They express what a section of society actually thinks and feels and it is a kind of cathartic release for them that there are these public figures who have such a powerful platform, who are not “afraid” to verbalize it. Hence the ratings, the approving online comments (sometimes written anonymously) and the general thumbs up.

2. those who are against this kind of verbal abuse (for it is abuse), meanwhile get so genuinely worked up at the outrageousness of what has been spouted that they spend much energy and time denouncing it. Now as well-meaning as this is, it is having an adverse effect by indirectly generating even more publicity for the outrageousness. Basically, if only a few thousands had tuned in to watch the actual debate, many more millions are now aware of what Trump said because the media (and the public) have ensured that it has gone viral.

And there is Trump, with that self-assured glint in his eye, fully cognizant that he has latched on to media gold. He has become the master of the carefully timed one-liner, always very craftily tailored to be used as an effective sound bite in the evening news. If he doesn’t make it as the Republican candidate, he has a future as a stand-up comedian. In fact, I see him more of an entertainer than a politician. But if he does make it and is the frontrunner to contest the presidency against the probable Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton, the actual presidential campaign is likely to be a series of long running “jokes” directed specifically against her because of her gender.

Like his tweet saying that she couldn’t satisfy her husband so how can she possibly satisfy America.

If the unthinkable happens and he is elected, then America is facing the prospect of having someone at the helm who is going to be a bigger disaster than Bush and Berlusconi combined.

People like Donald Trump thrive on being notorious, and while it is important to highlight what he says in order to create awareness about what kind of man he is, the media also have to ensure that by reporting what he says, they are not just simply “feeding the monster”.

The liberal media have tried their best to scupper his chances with their relentless jokes and memes about his orange tan and equally orange comb-over hair. By ridiculing him, the message to the American people is that “you cannot seriously want this man to be President?” At first I thought it was working to a certain extent, but after that roar of approval I heard from the audience during the debate, I’m beginning to wonder. Because for every liberal out there, there are whole chunks of conservative right-wing voters who agree with Trump’s blatant contempt for women and for his suggestion to build a big wall to keep the Mexicans out because “they are sending the worst people over to us”. They are lapping it all up, as they unleash their own bottled feelings about these sensitive issues.

I’ve also noticed something else which (weirdly) seems to appeal to certain types of people. Trump is loud and brash, and after Obama’s understated, low-key, well-spoken approach, I suspect there are those who want someone who is larger than life to lead the US. Unfortunately, this does not play well on the world stage, because Trump perfectly epitomizes the cocky stereotype of the know-it-all American which many Europeans and other nationals cannot stand. I cannot stand it either as I prefer politicians to be dignified and eloquent. The last thing we need is a bigoted loudmouth as leader of the most influential country in the world.

As I’m writing this, Donald Trump has been quoted as saying that the female moderator (Megyn Kelly) was out to get him during that debate, “she had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her… whatever”.

Predictably, a media firestorm has ensued, and there is news that the conservatives have shut him out of their latest gathering because of his continuous offensive remarks towards women.

The problem with those who think it is so hilarious to offend a certain sector of society and who are egged on by those who agree with them, is that they tend to forget that everyone has a vote. Every time you offend or mock that segment, whether it is for their appearance, their gender, race or social class, that is another slice lopped off your voting base, who will never ever dream of voting for you or the party you represent.

I just trust that no woman is mad enough to vote for Donald Trump.