I belly laughed when the President reached out to the Media and made a formal request for them to live stream his speech that is happening on Tuesday night from the Oval Office.
Trump has continually bashed the media at every turn. He has called the media, "The Enemy of the People" too many times to count. That term has roots in a history I truly hope Trump is not aware of, because if he is, his use of the term is even worse.
The phrase dates back to Roman times, but came into more regular use during the French Revolution. Ennemi du peuple was used to refer to those who disagreed with the new French government during the Reign of Terror, a period during which thousands of revolutionaries were executed by guillotine.
It's next very obvious use was by the Nazis, during the Third Reich's rule in Germany. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels referred to Jews as "A sworn enemy of the German people".
The term gained its widest use by Joseph Stalin during the early years of the Soviet Union. Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin used the term vrag naroda (enemy of the nation/people) to refer to those who disagreed with the ideologies pushed forth by the Bolshevik government and, later, adopted by the newly formed Soviet Union.
The phrase lost popularity in the 1950s when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev came into power and denounced Lenin and Stalin's use of the term to refer to anyone who disagreed with the leaders. In a speech to the Soviet Communist Party, Khrushchev stated, "The formula enemy of the people was specifically introduced for the purpose of physically annihilating such individuals."
In more recent years, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez also called political dissenters, "enemies of the homeland."
'Enemy of the People' is not a phrase rooted in anything historically good. It is a phrase that should never be spoken about the Free Press in the United States, which is an institution that helps to define our freedoms and separate us from other countries where the Press is not free and is run by the State.
Now, having said that, the Trump Administration put in a formal request to have "The Press" live stream his speech in the Oval Office Tuesday night. Why would you use who you claim to be the Enemy of the People to help you spread your rhetoric?
The fact is that the Press is not the Enemy of the People. The Press, in large part, is reporting the facts...facts of which are contrary to what comes out of the President's mouth because of how much and how often he lies. He can't stand to be covered negatively, but everything he says and does is negative, so the coverage is of course negative. The Press is going to fact check the things he says and does, and for good reason.
Trump doesn't deserve the Press' support tonight; not after what he has done and said to them. Look at the Jim Acosta ordeal. He is overstepping his bounds and saying things that are entirely too Dictator Like in nature.
He needs to be called out for his continued lies and misdirection, and it needs to happen NOW.
DUNK
Trump has continually bashed the media at every turn. He has called the media, "The Enemy of the People" too many times to count. That term has roots in a history I truly hope Trump is not aware of, because if he is, his use of the term is even worse.
The phrase dates back to Roman times, but came into more regular use during the French Revolution. Ennemi du peuple was used to refer to those who disagreed with the new French government during the Reign of Terror, a period during which thousands of revolutionaries were executed by guillotine.
It's next very obvious use was by the Nazis, during the Third Reich's rule in Germany. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels referred to Jews as "A sworn enemy of the German people".
The term gained its widest use by Joseph Stalin during the early years of the Soviet Union. Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin used the term vrag naroda (enemy of the nation/people) to refer to those who disagreed with the ideologies pushed forth by the Bolshevik government and, later, adopted by the newly formed Soviet Union.
The phrase lost popularity in the 1950s when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev came into power and denounced Lenin and Stalin's use of the term to refer to anyone who disagreed with the leaders. In a speech to the Soviet Communist Party, Khrushchev stated, "The formula enemy of the people was specifically introduced for the purpose of physically annihilating such individuals."
In more recent years, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez also called political dissenters, "enemies of the homeland."
'Enemy of the People' is not a phrase rooted in anything historically good. It is a phrase that should never be spoken about the Free Press in the United States, which is an institution that helps to define our freedoms and separate us from other countries where the Press is not free and is run by the State.
Now, having said that, the Trump Administration put in a formal request to have "The Press" live stream his speech in the Oval Office Tuesday night. Why would you use who you claim to be the Enemy of the People to help you spread your rhetoric?
The fact is that the Press is not the Enemy of the People. The Press, in large part, is reporting the facts...facts of which are contrary to what comes out of the President's mouth because of how much and how often he lies. He can't stand to be covered negatively, but everything he says and does is negative, so the coverage is of course negative. The Press is going to fact check the things he says and does, and for good reason.
Trump doesn't deserve the Press' support tonight; not after what he has done and said to them. Look at the Jim Acosta ordeal. He is overstepping his bounds and saying things that are entirely too Dictator Like in nature.
He needs to be called out for his continued lies and misdirection, and it needs to happen NOW.
DUNK
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