Trumped, twittered and mobbed

The expected happened. Donald Trump’s trumpet of fighting till the end was literal and real. For most people in the world the scenes of a mob barging into the parliament seemed an occurence out of South Asia or Latin America. Some thought it was a meme, others took it for a parody. It was a reality show. A show of what the greatest country, as they prefer to call themselves, has become. A show of how the mindless pursuit of “greatness” at all costs finally costs you national sanity. A show of how the philosophy of winning at all costs makes you a loser at a low cost. And finally, a show of how the ability to communicate freely, widely and deeply can become a liability rather than an asset.

Whether this was the last hurrah of the Trump era or the first of many to follow is still disputable. What is indisputable is the fact that the mob was not an extremist minority expressing its outrage but representing a major chunk of the population of this country. According to a YouGov poll on post-attack sentiments, almost half of the Republican voters and one fifth of all American voters have been radicalized. That is why it is difficult not to take this event seriously. This vandalism has to be seen in the context of having a superpower that has millions of people believing that they must rule singularly and trample over any rules and laws that try to subjugate them. This is truly a democracy killer and a reminder of despotic and autocratic abuse of power under the guise of democracy.

Trump emerged winner in 2016 despite everything. He was not supported by the media, neither by the establishment nor by his own party seniors. But he played to the “very average” American instinct. That instinct was they wanted to live cozily, undisturbed, earning and spending more than everybody else in the world. Trump’s “make America great again” slogan captured the discontent of the typical Americans who want jobs, pizza and the beach. The recession in 2008 and the constant cost cutting and jobs going to non-Americans was very disturbing for them. Trump also cashed in on the anti-war sentiment about American soldiers dying in wars and the immigrants taking away the share in the ‘American Pie’ in his first election sweep shocker in 2016. His four-year period was marked by his open racist remarks that stunned the world but appealed to his base support. If Covid-19 had not happened he probably would have been re-elected. There are 3 key lessons to learn post-Trump era:

1. Information leads and misleads- Trump mastered the art of using social media as an alternative to electronic media. He saw how CNN and the press were against him and he used twitter to reach not just the Americans but the world. He openly admitted how social media helped him win the race in 2016. “The fact that I have such power in terms of numbers with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.,” Trump said after winning the election in 2016, adding “I think it helped me win all of these races where they’re spending much more money than I spent.” His use of twitter to announce policies of the most sensitive nature made a lot of mouths open in amazement, but he got away with it. He played for his core support of the largely white, rural, job pressed Americans whose view on Covid-19 being a “Chinese conspiracy” was articulated by Trump throughout the year. This denial led to an absolute healthcare system demise in the US with record number of infections and deaths. Had that not happened he probably would have been preparing or his second term now.

2. The mindset defines the value set-Trump believed in himself and his ability to get what he wanted by defying all odds whether right or wrong. His unbelievable win in 2016 made him even more cocksure in his actions. Building walls, banning countries and firing people was done with minimal regard to values, rules and procedures. He considered himself invincible. Racism flourished. Hate speeches became a norm. This led to the sad incident of George Floyd’s death. The “BlackLivesMatter” movement should have given him an alarm bell. It did not. Being infected with Covid-19 should have tamed his abrasiveness. It did the opposite. He thought he could conquer disease and dissidence both. That is why when he lost the elections he could not accept it. For the Republican Party that took great pride in President Abraham Lincoln’s values of equality and dignity, this is matter of self-reflection. Trump has promoted discrimination, hatred and divisiveness as a complete abuse and devaluation of the value of freedom.

3. Leadership vacancies to be filled-There is huge leadership gap in the world. This is an opportunity for leaders to raise their stature to fill this gap. The Corona crisis has exposed the superficial self -centered leadership fragility. Leaders like Trump, Johnson, Modi, Bolsonaro are all being watched with fear and anxiety for their myopic vision and narrow mindsets. What the world needs is a leader of the Lincoln and Mandela stature – leaders who promote peace, unity, equality and compassion. History has shown that when in extreme trouble leadership has a habit of emerging from all sorts of unexpected places and background. Maybe a lesser “great” country can produce better leadership and occupy the vacancy created by this leadership deficit.

The next decade, i.e., from 2021 to 2030, will be a testing decade for countries and companies. Many companies have protested against the Trumpian values. Twitter and Facebook have barred Trump’s statements and other businesses are refusing to participate in many Trump Initiatives. While all this seems noble the question arises that where were they when Trump was behaving exactly the same for four years. The other question is that would they be doing such actions had Trump been re-elected? These are deeper soul-searching moments for citizens of this world.

The next decade presents challenges but opportunities too. Opportunities for lesser countries to take lead; opportunities for smaller players to challenge the big ones; opportunities for the voice of the voiceless to be heard; opportunities for the social causes to become pivots of not just talks but actions. The last decade was termed a ‘decade lost’. Let us hope that the next decade is termed ‘the decade of rediscovery and renaissance’.

(The writer can be reached at [email protected])

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021