9-11-2001 & 1-6-2021: Bookends to The Potential Downfall of America

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What’s a marketing columnist doing writing about politics?

Politics has permeated our nation’s soul and consciousness and drives many of our actions, including purchasing. And since this column started six years ago, I have been preaching a simple message: success in marketing relies on empathy and creativity.

It is through the lens of empathy I will present my case. You can agree or disagree. We still have free speech in America. But know one thing–– without vigilance, our freedoms may be temporary.

September 11, 2001, will forever be known as one of the darkest days in American history. Foreign terrorists hijacked two passenger planes and flew a suicide mission into The World Trade Center’s twin towers. History shows there were warning signs of an impending attack and intelligence agencies’ miscommunications.

But it happened, and we watched in horror. Like the other date in infamy, December 7, 1941, this was a foreign attack on American soil.

And we wanted to go to war.

There was a problem. We did not have a land to declare war on. We were attacked by people who believed the U.S. was evil and threatened their religious beliefs and way of life. Al-Queda, a militant Sunni Islamist group, took responsibility for 9-11, and 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, our ally.

Al-Queda members were in many countries, so we declared war on terror.

Following 9-11, there was a surge in patriotism. We came together as a nation. But something disturbing was also happening. Fear was festering. We surrendered our freedoms out of fear.

The Patriot Act was quickly passed (Big Brother could now legally watch us). Homeland Security was established and grew like kudzu on Miracle-Gro. Color-coded threat security levels became a thing.

And, most disturbing of all, political forces began the drumbeat of war on a nation- Iraq. They fanned the flames of fear. We had to battle Iraq’s evil leader Saddam Hussein before he developed “weapons of mass destruction.”

Politicians used fear and rallied our nation into war with Iraq, a country producing none of the hijackers on 9-11. Soon, America was entrenched in a Middle East war. And the death of Saddam Hussein did not atone for the sin of 9-11 or shorten our war.

America began engaging in torture and practices like waterboarding that was against our morals and the Geneva Convention. We were mired in Middle East quicksand and losing our proud identity as the ‘shining city on the hill.’

At the root of 9-11 aftermath was fear. FDR told us fear was the only thing we had to fear, but we didn’t listen. We compromised our American values.

We’re still fighting our war on terror, but now it’s not the foreign terrorists who pose our biggest threat. As the cartoon character Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and it is us.”

Twenty years after 9-11, we had 1-6, an insurrectionist uprising as a mob of zealots, stormed the Capitol building, trashing the people’s house in their efforts to overturn a free and fair election.

Why did this seditious act happen? Fear.

Fears flamed by President Donald J. Trump, a man many psychiatric professionals believe has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The symptoms include an excessive need for admiration, disregard for others’ feelings, an inability to handle any criticism, and a sense of entitlement. Does that sound like anyone we know?

Also, a man known for his lack of empathy.

Trump had built his brand on fear. He is a master manipulator who always finds “the other,” a common enemy.

Some of his greatest hits include: the Central Park 5, Obama is a Kenyan President, Mexican rapists are coming to America, Muslims are evil, football players who take a knee in protest should be fired, Black Lives Matter “thugs” were dangerous, radical Democrats hate the country and serve China, the caravan is coming, COVID-19 is a hoax, on and on.

The upshot of all his blather is victimhood: his and his followers. He attracted white supremacists and militias who saw government as the enemy.

For many, he provided the fear that allowed them to wear a shroud of victimhood. People who may have lost their jobs to slave labor overseas or automation and felt politicians had turned their backs on them, forgotten them, and indulged globalism over our country.

Trump was the populist who was going to make America great again and put America First. He started his reign with a lie–– that his inauguration crowd was the largest inaugural crowd ever. Despite photographic evidence disproving this claim, the Trump administration persisted and introduced the concept of “alternate facts.”

We were off and running. Over the next four years, Trump said 30,534 lies, according to The Washington Post.

The Trump playbook incorporates classic fascism techniques that have been used by autocrats throughout history. The press is the enemy of the people. There is a Deep State out to get him. Anything he didn’t agree with was de facto fake news. Those who did not pledge allegiance and loyalty to him are enemies and must pay.

Trump surrounded himself with sycophants and “yes” people, creating a perfect echo chamber.

For those who wonder how someone like Hitler happens, you saw it on display these past four years.

And the culmination of Trump’s efforts came to fruition on January 6, 2021.

Trump’s proud supporters bought his lie that he had won the election in a landslide–– he was the rightful winner of a second term. This was based on allegations with zero evidence. The Trump legal team lost over 60 court cases as they tried to support their wild claims.

The president called on his supporters to come to Washington on January 6 for a rally. He and his son Donald, Jr., and Rudy Giuliani (oh, how America’s Mayor crashed and burned) whipped the angry crowd into a frenzy two weeks ago. The MAGA maniacs believed themselves patriots as their master instructed them to save America by overturning the election–– “the most secure election in U.S. history,” acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said, before he was fired.

His people also believed his lie that V.P. Mike Pence could overturn election results and nullify the Electoral College results.

Thus, his believers did his will, battling Capitol police and breaching the Capitol, while their fearless leader watched comfortably from his White House roost.

Five people died in the wake of their insurrection destruction.

Thankfully, the politicians were kept safe from the crowd’s wrath. Gallows with a noose had been constructed in front of the Capitol waiting for the dispensation of crowd justice!

Even after the disgraceful display of anarchy in the halls of democracy, 93% of the Republican representatives refused to acknowledge Biden as the legitimate president-elect. They also backed Trump’s lie. Why?

Out of fear, I suspect.

You see, Trump now owns the Republican Party. 74% of GOP voters believe Trump’s lie about his winning the election. And those politicians who go against the wannabe dictator do so at their political peril.

But now, corporate America is beginning to take notice. Many leading companies have turned off the spigot for political contributions to those politicians who do not accept Biden as our duly elected leader. Expect to see more of this. Including product boycotts (it’s not a good time to invest in My Pillow).

Also, expect to see a surge of patriotic ads from marketers. The idea of unity is good for brands to embrace.

So, how do ordinary patriotic citizens become radicalized to the point of revolution?

Fear. Because the appeal to our reptile brains is more potent than messages to our rational thought. Not for everyone, but for many.

Fear sells. That’s always been true. Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones, Fox News Channel, Newsmax, and One America News have profited handsomely by amplifying narratives designed to foster fear. These media amplified Trumps lies and propaganda over the years.

And now, here we are, January 20, 2021. A new American president has taken office.

Today we live in two realities, but there can only be one truth. People select the media that confirms their perspectives and prejudices.

How long can that go on? That is the question.

Is there hope for unity? I doubt it, but we’re going to have to muster a way to work and live together.

Because now the terrorists are not just on foreign lands. They are homegrown and dangerous to our democracy and freedoms.

Our Democratic Republic has held. This time. The United States of America is 244 years and running.

But never forget, fear could bring it all down.

I believe America is still a great country, but it is up to every one of us to ensure it stays that way.

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Enjoy PD Scullin’s debut novel “SAWDUST: Love is wilder than a circus,” a humorous romp across America with a circus in the early ’80s. You’re a click away from a helluva fun ride. Buckle up and go.