Most of us understand that the use of repetitive rhetoric is a trick and by using the same phrases and similar speech, this tactic works to activate our minds to be trained to think a certain way. Many would argue that former President Trump was a master at repetitive rhetoric, as are his fans with their conspiracy theories, and then there is the mainstream media with “orange man bad”.
One line by, Chimimanda Adichie that stood out for me was, “ show a people as one thing and only one thing over and over, and that is what they become.” (9.30) You can argue that, “Oh no, Trump is an exception to this” and maybe his is? But I am no fan, and often wonder is he as bad as we are led to believe? Are all his supporters as stupid as we joke about? One thing I do know is that media has the power to make it the definitive story.
In 2006, on my first trip to Africa, I was flying between Zimbabwe and South Africa. While standing in the security line, I started to discuss the cover of the magazine with a fellow passenger. The magazine head line, “The Western Media Bias in Africa”. I had picked up the magazine in a grocery store, which I visited to confirm that indeed there was food. The Western media biased programed me to believe that everyone in Africa was starving. The lady inline was polite, but said, “We don’t need your help, after the Europeans, now the Chinese are here, bringing their products killing our innovation and entrepreneurship. We aren’t what you see on TV, not everyone is poor and uneducated.” She was a doctor. When I think about what I knew, my single story about Africa was that there was an Aids epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, people were starving and Band Aid (1984) sang “Do They know It’s Christmas?” to raise money for famine relief. Africa was supposed to be a dirty impoverished, conflict ridden, starving country but it wasn’t. I woke up to the media bias and the realization that it is all bullshit, and that philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit (1986), was correct. Since 2006, I have spent nine woke years living abroad, seven in Africa, and have frequently fought off the single “American” story, which is, “oh thought all American’s were stupid and uncultured.” The common belief is that because of being such a young country we have no culture or history. But, our American story doesn’t start with the Mayflower, does it.
