(Or, How to Immunize Your Children against Trumpism Through Good Parenting)
Think you can stop MAGA in its tracks by pointing out their self-contradictions? Guess again. Think that blasting their latest outrageous lies on social media will make a dent? Forget it. MAGA takes it as a compliment. And never mind generating stupid memes. Memes are little but grade school taunts, and that’s all the effect that they’ll have. Memes are meant to entertain the converted rather than spreading knowledge and awareness. In other words, wasted space.
If you really want to tell truths about MAGA in a way that is impossible to defend against, frame everything in terms of first-grader level right and wrong. It slips past the denial mechanisms and deflection techniques taught by hate propaganda’s whataboutisms and talking points.
Like, does anyone really think that the people who run around like delinquents wearing T-shirts that say “F___ your feelings” and flags that depict the middle finger and read “f___ you” are the sort of people who will raise anyone’s children right?
Frame it as child-level right and wrong, and MAGA will instantly resemble a band of overgrown juvenile delinquent truants who think it’s funny to metaphorically (and sometimes literally) trash and vandalize the upstanding segment of society.
You can even work anti-MAGA education into your parenting, to wit: “Son, if you do something wrong, or hurt someone, or break something that doesn’t belong to you, don’t be like those Trump supporters. Trump supporters never apologize for anything, and they always blame other people for the things they do wrong. Trump supporters never take responsibility for their actions. The right thing to do is to take responsibility, apologize to the other person, and find some way to make things right with them.”
Or, “I’m sorry that your team didn’t win, but keep practicing and you may win next time. But don’t be like Trump supporters. When they lose, Trump supporters try to steal the winner’s prize and call it their own accomplishment, or they simply try to wreck the winner’s prize itself. When Trumpers lose, they try to steal what the winners won fair and square, such as using recall elections to yank the winners’ choice of governor out of office in the middle of his term.”
“Always tell the truth, my dear. Don’t be like Donald Trump, who tells lies without a care in the world. Lying is wrong. Honesty is the best policy.”
Or, “Son, if you don’t like what someone looks like, or how they dress, just leave them alone. Don’t be like MAGA. MAGA goes around like a street gang, hurting other people just because they don’t like them. It’s okay not to like someone, but if you don’t like someone, just leave them alone. Trump supporters try to hurt people just because they’re different. But that’s wrong. The right thing to do is just don’t bother them.”
“Be kind to animals. Don’t be like Trumpers who think cruelty is funny. Cruelty is wrong. Always treat the defenseless with kindness and love.”
These are just examples, and I will add more pithy samples to this piece as they come to mind.
So, use this simple first-grader morality technique to frame MAGA for the audience, and you can immunize the next generation against Trumpism along with your other family vaccinations.