There is something wrong with a society or culture that seeks to blame others. The advocacy media have this virus in spades, and they do everything in their power to convince the American public that this is a justifiable psychological approach to the problems that befall a country and a people.
It goes something like this: The synagogue shooting is President Trump’s fault. The pipe bomber? Trump again. The Parkland school shooting? Let’s pin that one on Trump, too. The Texas church tragedy? Trump. The Las Vegas massacre – you guessed it – it’s all because of 45.
What Gives?
If you listen not that very hard to the so-called mainstream Fourth Estate, there is seemingly no end to the calamities that President Trump has caused, permitted, or otherwise incited. And this comes despite the very words uttered by the president. Here are a few of Mr. Trump’s reactions to these homegrown disasters that the legacy media have chosen to ignore:
The Synagogue: “This evil anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us. It’s an assault on humanity. It will require all of us working together to extract the hateful poison of anti-Semitism from our world. This was an anti-Semitic attack at its worst.”
The Pipe Bomber: “These terrorizing acts are despicable and have no place in our country.”
The Parkland Shooting: “Answer hate with love, answer cruelty with kindness.”
The Texas Church: “We join hands, we lock arms, and through the tears and through the sadness, we stand strong.”
We could go on and on, but you get the idea. In an article for Psychology Today, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., cogently elaborates on the blame game, known in shrink-speak as psychological projection. Might any of her reasons behind this pattern of behavior apply here?
- Blame is an excellent defense mechanism; blame helps you preserve your sense of self-esteem by avoiding awareness of your own flaws or failings.
- Blame is a tool we use when we’re in attack mode.
- Blame falls “into the category of a destructive conflict resolution method.”
- “It’s easier to blame someone else than to accept responsibility. There’s less effort involved in recognizing your contributions to a bad situation than in accepting the fact that you’re actually at fault …”
- People lie. It’s pretty easy just to lie and blame someone else even though you know you’re at fault.
Avoiding blame by pinning it on another is ultimately a very sinister act. It means you never have to take responsibility for your actions. Therefore, when Eric Holder appeals to his political followers to “kick ‘em when they’re down,” or Mad Maxine publicly calls to ratchet up the violence on those with different political views, there is no need to take responsibility.
ChangingMinds.org, another psychological web source, puts this in perspective:
“We have a deep need for a sense of identity, and one way we do this is through social comparison, contrasting ourselves against others. As a part of this, if we can place ourselves higher in the pecking order of society, then we can feel more important and have a greater sense of control.”
“Much of our conversation with others is in fact a social duel in which we seek a higher status than others. And blame is one of the tools we use to this end. If the other person is bad, then it seems we must be relatively good.”
Did you catch that last sentence? Blaming others is a way for the media elite to signal their virtue to the public. The fact that Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot by a Bernie guy matters not one whit to these folks, but that the pipe bomber was a Trump fan speaks volumes to these people. Why? Because they believe in their heart of hearts that they are our betters in every way. The moral high ground is entirely their territory, or so they relentlessly imply. In kindergarten vernacular, it’s another way of saying, “You’re bad, but I am good.”[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”24″]There is seemingly no end to the calamities that President Trump has caused.[/perfectpullquote]
Peril Awaits
While blaming others might seem a useful technique to the advocacy media, there is a peril to this kind of conduct. It demonstrates a total lack of integrity. If used regularly and often, it becomes less believable. And finally, it can produce a desire by the person or persons constantly blamed to resist and attack.
This spiteful schoolyard game of “It’s all your fault” has become the media’s primary way of stoking the very same political fires they claim President Trump has ignited. So just who here is really to blame?
