I have had the opportunity to visit and work in other countries. I enjoyed each experience, but almost without a doubt, I was happy to be back in the good ole USA. As frustrating as politics can be in our country, it pales by comparison to the politics in places like Brasil where I worked for a year.
The great thing we have going is the ability for all of us and especially the media to question the elected officials and those that wish to become one of our representatives.
To watch the interaction of Donald Trump and members of the media, most recently Jorge Ramos, I believe tells a lot about what we can expect if Trump were to be elected. Like it or not - all candidates will be subjected to questioners trying to embarrass, criticize or just be a royal pain in the .. How the elected representative or candidate handles one the basic rights of questioning the implementation our democracy is an important measure of future actions.
Here's a fairly well balanced account from the Christian Science Monitor:
http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/text/USA/Politics/Decoder/2015/0826/Donald-Trump-feuds-with-Univision-s-Jorge-Ramos-blow-to-GOP
The first thing that pops into my head when I think of the media is the negative things. Like how the media twists things into what they are not, how they will only give you one side of the story to either misinform viewers or sway the viewers opinions on a certain matter, how the media mostly just covers the bad that people do, but not the good that people do, and the list can go on. Although I use social media every day of my life, and I am always surrounded by some type of media outlet, I mainly have a negative attitude towards the media. So, I love how you brought up the point that “our” media has the ability to question elected officials and those running for any type of prominent position in our country. Especially during election times, I think that it is interesting to see how those running for positions will react towards the media. Whether they are national, state, or local positions, it is important to see how these people will act under certain types of pressure.
ReplyDeleteI do not really have an opinion on the matter of how Trump acted during the interaction you mentioned. However, I do feel like the entire situation could have been handled better. I don’t think you could have used a better example of how the media questions officials or those running for office and how important their interactions are. Positions on policies, platforms, and things of that matter are of course very important, but it is also important to know how those running for office will handle certain situations. I enjoyed your post, and it really made me think about the media and how the media is not always horrible, as I perceive it to be.
Donald Trump certainly is a unique character. He is playing a HUGE role in this election and actually has more support than most thought he would have. I think it is interesting how he portrays himself during important media presentations such as this one. What I find most interesting about him is that nothing phases him. You would think that being a PRESIDENTIAL candidate, he would actually utilize a bit more class while addressing those who are going to put his name out there. These journalists are the ones who are either helping or hurting his image to the public. I don't necessarily think that trump acts in this manner because he is under pressure but simply because he is arrogant. Trump should have addressed this young man with more respect that what was presented. It's kind of embarrassing that this man might one day be a president to us and he could use this same behavior with other officials from different countries. If he offends people continuously, its going to ruin our reputation.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what other stories you bring forth, Roger.
While I am not convinced that Mr. Trump has the correct level of respect for the office of the United States President needed to be elected, I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to his politically incorrect way of speaking. I think he has also brought a lot of needed attention to the election, causing those who would not necessarily be too involved in politics to take notice. Additionally, his lack of any need for outside funding seems to free him up to say and do what most politicians would not. He is refreshing in a unique way as a potential primary candidate, but I am not sure I would trust him for anything past that.
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