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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think we are living in an Orwellian dystopia?

20 replies

BarbaraVineFan · 04/11/2024 18:49

Here is an article about Trump's disgraceful comments about journalists at a rally

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/trump-says-he-would-not-mind-if-journalists-were-shot-at-pennsylvania-rally/

The section of the article from Trump's 'spokesman'.reads as follows :

Spokesman Steven Cheung argued: “President Trump was brilliantly talking about the two assassination attempts on his own life, including one that came within 1/4 of an inch from killing him, something that the Media constantly talks and jokes about.
“The President’s statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else.”
Cheung added: “It was about threats against him that were spurred on by dangerous rhetoric from Democrats.
“In fact, President Trump was stating that the Media was in danger, in that they were protecting him and, therefore, were in great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also.
“There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!"

This kind of tricksy, emotive duplicity really reminded me of this passage from Animal Farm about the tyrant Napoleon's spokesman, Squealer:

That evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon's papers. The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon's own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comrade Napoleon's cunning. He had SEEMED to oppose the windmill, simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence. Now that Snowball was out of the way, the plan could go forward without his interference. This, said Squealer, was something called tactics. He repeated a number of times, "Tactics, comrades, tactics!" skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.

The modern world depresses me sometimes.

Trump says he would not 'mind' if journalists were shot at Pennsylvania rally

Donald Trump has said he would not “mind” if an assassin shot journalists at a rally in Pennsylvania as he labelled them as “fake news”.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/trump-says-he-would-not-mind-if-journalists-were-shot-at-pennsylvania-rally

OP posts:
Ytcsghisn · 04/11/2024 18:54

The only person who has actually been shot at during this election campaign is Trump himself. He’s a bit batshit crazy. But the other side is just pure venomous.

BarbaraVineFan · 04/11/2024 18:56

With respect, that's not my point. My point is the blatant attempt to distort the truth and to 'repackage' what Trump said in a more positive light, which reminds me uncomfortably of the manipulation of the truth in Animal Farm.

OP posts:
Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/11/2024 19:00

He's talking about himself being shot though, through the journalists, so you are putting your own spin on his admittedly silly comment.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/11/2024 19:02

While gesturing to the panes of glass protecting him and then to the journalists in attendance, Trump said: “I have this piece of glass here. But all we have really over here is the fake news.
And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much. I don’t mind that.”

Ytcsghisn · 04/11/2024 19:05

BarbaraVineFan · 04/11/2024 18:56

With respect, that's not my point. My point is the blatant attempt to distort the truth and to 'repackage' what Trump said in a more positive light, which reminds me uncomfortably of the manipulation of the truth in Animal Farm.

Distorting the truth is perhaps a little less concerning than outright lies that the so called centrists, progressives and leftists have been telling us.

isthereaway · 04/11/2024 19:07

@Ytcsghisn - of course, there are always 'bad apples' in any group. But, from what I have seen & read, Donald Trump is a person who spew any hateful racist / misogynist bile he thinks will get him airtime, regardless of the damage it does. He's remarkably manipulative & denies facts almost constantly: bad for democracy. He is also a criminal (many times over).

@

isthereaway · 04/11/2024 19:08

@BarbaraVineFan thank you for that post - very interesting - I shall show it to my Ds who studied this book @GCSE.

Tutorpuzzle · 04/11/2024 19:13

I think that ship has sailed! Politicians answering questions with “Well, what I think people really want to hear is…”, or the indoctrination that convinces some/most people the royal family are paragons of hard working public servants rather than lazy billionaires successfully avoiding tax (see today’s thread on this). I mean, I could go on all night. Trump is just a bit more obviously trying to obfuscate, and a bit more laughable.

Love me a bit of George Orwell though, so thank you for that OP!

Michelle12A · 04/11/2024 19:13

The media always treats trump badly, you can understand why he dislikes them.

EalingLucy · 04/11/2024 19:23

Wow. Shocked at how many pro-trumpers there are here. The man is insane! And a massive liar.

spuddy4 · 04/11/2024 19:25

EalingLucy · 04/11/2024 19:23

Wow. Shocked at how many pro-trumpers there are here. The man is insane! And a massive liar.

Show me a politician that doesn't lie.

swiftieswoop · 04/11/2024 19:27

EalingLucy · 04/11/2024 19:23

Wow. Shocked at how many pro-trumpers there are here. The man is insane! And a massive liar.

They aren't real people, Mumsnet keeps being targeted for this shit, god knows why. I think the Russians aim for anything Western rather than distinguishing between US and UK.

TooBigForMyBoots · 04/11/2024 20:15

YANBU @BarbaraVineFan. We heard his words. We know what he said.🙄

This blatant lying to our faces is disgusting and disrespectful. It has become a common tactic amongst crazy right whingers. The scary thing is that their fanbase actually come to believe these lies because they want or need to.😱

EalingLucy · 05/11/2024 08:58

spuddy4 · 04/11/2024 19:25

Show me a politician that doesn't lie.

There’s lies and then there’s bat shit crazy conspiracy theories and speaking absolute nonsense.

EalingLucy · 05/11/2024 08:59

swiftieswoop · 04/11/2024 19:27

They aren't real people, Mumsnet keeps being targeted for this shit, god knows why. I think the Russians aim for anything Western rather than distinguishing between US and UK.

I think I need to leave mumsnet. It’s full of absolute fucktards - this makes sense.

TooBigForMyBoots · 08/11/2024 01:17

Michelle12A · 04/11/2024 19:13

The media always treats trump badly, you can understand why he dislikes them.

Edited

The media doesn't treat him badly. It reports very little of what he's done. He's a big ole rapist fraudster. Like Mohammed Al Fayed.

But still alive and with the future of American women in his grubby wee hands.

EyeofOrion · 08/11/2024 03:35

Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/11/2024 19:02

While gesturing to the panes of glass protecting him and then to the journalists in attendance, Trump said: “I have this piece of glass here. But all we have really over here is the fake news.
And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much. I don’t mind that.”

So, he doesn’t mind if the journalists are shot first?

OonaStubbs · 08/11/2024 03:55

Trump won. People need to get over it.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 08/11/2024 08:58

So, he doesn’t mind if the journalists are shot first?

I was very clear it was a stupid comment, but he was talking about it as a silver lining of himself being shot, as a man who has faced real attempts on his life during this campaign. It's a gallows humour joke, however inappropriate. It's misleading for the OP, complaining about "duplicity", to represent it the way they did without actually looking at the exact quote, which they don't provide.

Michelle12A · 08/11/2024 19:02

TooBigForMyBoots · 08/11/2024 01:17

The media doesn't treat him badly. It reports very little of what he's done. He's a big ole rapist fraudster. Like Mohammed Al Fayed.

But still alive and with the future of American women in his grubby wee hands.

Oh yeah nothing nicer than calling him Hitler. Trump is in fact very much reported on aswell.

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