Trump, His Supporters and the Fear of Being 'Wrong'

Donald Trump s election has never been about political ideology or parties because the man has no political ideology or party. He aligns himself wherever the wind happens to blow.

His election is about perception. Truth. Facts.

On Facebook , a friend posted thoughts about Trumps tweet referencing that his nuclear button was bigger than that of North Koreas Kim Jong-un. A debate ensued. Typical and tired loopy liberal vs. nutjob conservative rhetoric was tossed around.

One response from a Trump supporter read, you need to watch a different channel. That sent me on a roll.

There is only one network pushing an agenda that Donald Trump is the greatest President weve ever seen while concurrently being a victim of Hillary Clinton and others. That is the Fox News Network.

In the case of Clinton, she was rendered (somewhat) politically irrelevant on November 9, 2016. Clinton haters got what they wanted, yet over a year later, they continue to behave as though she won the election. In fact, Fox aired a couple of reports using language that makes it sound as though she actually IS the President.

The general accusation laid at the feet of Trump supporters is that they are deluded and living in an alternate reality Fox News feeds them. When I communicate with Trump supporters, they tend to feel similarly towards anyone who doesnt agree with them.

They believe that hundreds of other media outlets are all in cahoots to get this President, and pull off the most impossibly coordinated ruse of all time. To Trump supporters, Fox News is the only source of absolute truth.

As the Facebook debate continued, it was re-iterated that we (we meaning pro-USA/anti-Trump) are all watching the wrong news. So, I asked, What else should we be watching besides Fox? Enlighten us. I genuinely wanted to know. Where else did this person think truth is being reported?

The response included no names of other news outlets, but these words: Watch what you want.

That confirmed that not only did they have no answer to my question (because there is none), but that they felt caught. They could not back up their idea, or bring themselves to write that they might have been -gasp!- wrong about something. (Sidenote: this was not a bot).

Speaking as someone who has never been accused of having a distorted worldview until Donald Trump became President, I pay attention to ALL sources. Even the ones I don't like.

I have no problem admitting when I dont know something, or may be wrong about something. I am not experiencing some sort of mental incapacitation. I am able to distinguish when a story has consistency across many different networks and newspapers, and also able to distinguish when one channel is reporting an alternate reality.

I realize this implies that I am stating anyone who blindly supports Trump or Fox News are stupid, delusional or ill. Not necessarily.

I recognize that they choose Fox and do not read other outlets. Thats their prerogative. Everyone has free will. They could decide to see what other outlets are reporting and come to a conclusion through logic and critical thinking, but they arent. They've made up their mind that Fox is IT -- the only source.

The type of person telling others they need to watch a different channel (note: singular) is actually projecting their own habits onto anyone who disagrees (i.e., the rest of us).

Donald Trump is a mirror for those who support him with blind devotion. I see a common thread among his supporters and Fox News watchers: the fear of being embarrassed for having bought into a total crock, and, the fear of being wrong.

Does the latter sound familiar? Who is our President? A man who can never admit to the slightest mistake (see covfefe). A man who gets flustered and ends conversations when hes challenged and cant support his own thoughts. A man who can never admit when he is wrong or doesnt know something. It would shatter his whole being. That is part of his psychosis.

Ive read enough about Trumps history to surmise that he's always known, on some level, that he's not bright. Thats why he has to "puff up" and present himself as the greatest and smartest guy that ever walked the face of the earth. This has been Donald Trumps way of surviving since he was very young and he never evolved out of it.

That subconscious fear also exists in his supporters. If it is incontrovertibly proven that supporting Donald Trump was a huge mistake, it reinforces or confirms they are stupid. Chances are, they already believe that about themselves, accurate or not.

No one wants to be wrong or feel stupid. No one wants to be embarrassed or humiliated. At the core, beneath any ideology or policy issue, that is what Trump followers are afraid of and why Trump serves as their mirror.

Donald Trump, Fox News and others are teaching some valuable lessons, albeit in a totally back-asswards way. Someday soon, this will be more evident. When that day comes, I hope most of his supporters are in a safe place. For those who hear it, the wake up call is going to be very powerful and painful.