On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. This act was so ridiculous and so ludicrous that all of my friends were talking about it. What I didn’t hear about nearly as much was the litany of other executive orders that concerned immigration action changes.
Now, we are less than 100 days into the new Trump administration, and things are bad and only getting worse every day.
Political distractions are useful tools in the belt of any controversial figure looking to get things done. Diverting the attention of the public away from important issues and toward an issue that will get them fired up is common. I mean, do we really think Trump cares about drag queens? I’ll give you the answer now: he doesn’t.
Distractions are effective because politicians rely on the public being ignorant about when they are being diverted from a real issue. This is especially a problem within rural areas where education and exposure are lacking.
Trump is effective at talking to his base and keeping them distracted with social issues while he slowly strips away their rights. A couple examples include Trump endorsing a Republican U.S. Senate nominee who falsely said schools are putting litter boxes in bathrooms for students, or Trump getting rid of regulations on shower heads so they’ll have a stronger stream again. They don’t even care as long as “wokeness” is being destroyed.
You should care that every day seems to bring a new story about a protester being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and not being heard from again. You should care that the SAVE Act could take away the voting power of millions of Americans if it’s passed by the Senate. You should care that petty tariffs will cause the prices of groceries and other necessities to skyrocket.
Distractions are easy to fall for, especially rage-bait adjacent ones like renaming the Gulf of Mexico. An overall sense of discontent and rage has become prevalent in America, especially after COVID-19.
Being forced to stay inside for several months, combined with the economic downturn that occurred, deeply affected the average American. Grocery prices increased due to supply chain disruption. Because things haven’t changed much since then, and as the wealth gap widens, people get angry at their circumstances.
People are angry that gas prices are so high, and they’re angry their groceries are costing more and more each year. People are angry that landlords keep raising their rent, and they are angry at the cost of health care.
So, where can they direct all of this anger? Is it at their landlords? Their bosses? Well, it’s easier to get angry at distractions. That’s where politicians step in and fire up the base by inciting rage at whatever will get people angry.
Politicians spin these molehills into mountains, and people get angry. They take to X and express outrage at drag story hours while their rent gets higher.
It’s easier to talk about the Gulf of Mexico than it is about these other issues, though. I get it. Looking these atrocities in the eye and then still having to go back to your daily routine is a hard pill to swallow. It’s critical we don’t turn a blind eye, especially now.
Don’t let yourself get distracted. Pay attention to executive orders signed and to news concerning immigration or proposed changes to voting laws. Pay attention and get angry at the right things and the right people. It’s not drag queens raising the prices of rent and groceries.
