People in the Media: Please Stop Talking About Donald Trump

VP Elect Kamala Harris

Source: Office of Senator Kamala Harris, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

As a teacher of writing and rhetoric at CU Boulder, I can tell you that rhetoric matters. What people say and don't say matters.

Many of you readers know, as I do, that if you want to be healthy and happy, you need to reduce the volume of negative, hateful, divisive, and critical rhetoric you subject yourself to from those around you. The ability to divorce yourself from toxic sources of negative expression is a sign of strength and, indeed, health.

The media have done a very good job over the last four years of informing us about what Mr. Trump tweets, says, and thinks. It’s time to stop.

For about a month now, I've been dying for people in the media, on both sides, on all sides, to stop talking about Mr. Trump. Or at least start talking about him a lot less. It’s time to shift the conversation from what Mr. Trump tweeted, said, or did today to what President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will do and, indeed, are doing right now. We need to move forward. We need to move on. We need to start planning for a better future for all of us.

A fine example of someone ready to move on rhetorically is Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who, when asked to comment on Mr. Trump's calling VP-Elect Harris a "monster" responded calmly: "He's a silly man with silly words."

This morning, in conversation with CNN's Jake Tapper, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn provided another example. When asked what he thought about Mr. Trump refusing to call President-Elect Biden to congratulate him, let alone concede the election, Representative Clyburn said, "It doesn't matter to me whether he concedes," explaining that we cannot focus on one person only, and boldly stating that what we need is for the Republican party to stand up for the integrity of democracy.

Now that all media networks have called the 2020 election in favor of Biden and Harris, their attention needs to focus on them—looking forward, swinging in a more positive direction.

Distractions, digressions, regrets, grievances, threats, and hate will slowly fade away. Everyone knows that. I implore people in the media to focus their rhetoric and their attention on the prize: a more positive future. Please lead the way for us.

And in case you're wondering — yes, this will be my last post about Mr. Trump!