Block Trump. Save Lives.
I blocked Donald Trump on social media, and I think you should consider it too.
You might have heard by now that Twitter added a disclaimer to one of President Trump’s recent tweets noting that his words violated the company’s rules against glorying violence.
The tweet attacked the character of the protestors in Minnesota labeling them “THUGS” and indicated that he was in favor of opening fire once the “looting starts.” The tweet was problematic, racist, and steeped in white privilege.
The American worldview, currently fixated on binary options and perpetuating division, would indicate that you fall on one of two sides regarding whether you understand why the tweet was all three of those things: problematic, racist, and steeped in white privilege. There are many more qualified writers to speak to those reasons of why and how the tweet was problematic and if you are in the camp of not fully understanding why the tweets are harmful, I would encourage you to research and listen to voices of color who are leading the discussion on race and privilege in this country.
The point of this essay is to discuss the impacts of these types of tweets and whether you were aware of it or not, and I would be willing to bet you were. At the minimum, you probably had an idea that something was happening with President Donald Trump and Twitter.
That’s a pretty safe bet these days, right? It is a basic, commonly accepted part of the American psyche taking up a small portion of each of our brain spaces that Trump is always involved with something divisive on Twitter.
As someone who writes about mental health, and specifically how I have had to create healthy and strong boundaries to create space for my own mental health, it probably wouldn’t surprise you that I have set some boundaries around social media and Trump. This instance though, with the racist tweet about the protests in Minnesota, has definitely helped me fully realize that my decision to block Donald Trump a few months back was the right one for me.
I’m also more confident than ever that folks need to hear messages of why blocking out Trump might be a good idea for their mental health in addition to the collective well-being of this country. More specifically, I’d like to tell you why I believe you should block Trump on social media platforms.
Now, as a writer committed to living and communicating authentically, I have to start off by admitting that I am not speaking to everyone when I say that “you” should block Donald Trump too.
For instance, if you still support Trump, then you are not the intended audience for this message. That isn’t meant to be offensive to you as a person, but I’ve decided at this point that I do not have time to have conversations with you if you still support this man and you are welcome to read more on why if you would like.
If you are a member of the press or other profession that is highly involved with the President’s daily activities, this message is also more than likely not for you. I’ll circle back to you fine folks though here in a bit if you stick with me, though.
Now if you are still here I think it is safe to assume you are not a fan of Trump. There are countless reasons as to why that is the case whether you weren’t supporting him from the beginning or got there at some point over the course of the last few years. The specific reasoning doesn’t matter as much as the potential action. I think you should block Donald Trump, and I’m going to tell you why:
He is a Dumpster Fire on Twitter
No matter where you lie on the political spectrum if you no longer support Trump it is safe to say that you agree his tweets are inflammatory. They cause a lot of commotion and in many cases a good bit of trauma and real-world consequences. Due to the fact that you no longer support Trump, I’m sure you know of at least one Twitter scandal at this point.
Social Media is a Powder Keg
This week’s news that Facebook actively worked to stop internal efforts to make their platform less divided highlights how much of a trap social media has truly become. We have all seen the divisiveness on these platforms and most of us do not need this type of blatant evidence when we have experienced the anecdotal evidence on our own newsfeeds.
No matter how well-intentioned someone is in terms of wanting to put forth helpful information or have measured conversations it seems to be the norm that nuanced dialogue is hard to find on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Our protective instincts have evolved into a form of looking for information that will help validate our worldview online, and now we are learning that these very platforms are incentivizing that unfortunate divisive behavior.
Remove the Oxygen
If we’ve learned anything over the last few years it is that Trump encourages confrontation and thrives on finding an adversary. A large issue, among so many others, with the President being so divisive is that there are invariably casualties from both mental and physical health perspectives. Shooters have cited his rhetoric in manifestos and while right-wing pundits would like to bash any discussion of mental health and the importance of the words spoken by our nation’s leaders in order to rile up their base enough to stop treating humans with any type of common decency.
My point is that these words are harmful for many reasons, yet they continue to drive conversations more often than not. There have been countless articles and opinion pieces on why that is, but many agree that it is simply because of the spectacle of it all. Trump and his tweets are the flames while social media, in general, is structured to be a conduit for an explosion of fire and hate with our attention being the oxygen that helped make it happen.
Blocking Trump is actively trying to reduce the reach and impact of his harmful rhetoric.
Now, I am well aware of a glaring objection to this line of thought. It is one that I would have raised my hand with at one point over the course of the last few years. That objection is that we should not be blocking Trump because that would be turning a blind eye to an enemy that creates so much harm, and in all honesty, I can’t disagree with that take even now.
If at the end of the day, someone believes that their activism or motivation is based on seeing his words, I wouldn’t want to take that away. My point however is that it is worth considering if you haven’t yet.
The fact that I even knew that Trump’s recent tweet was marked as violating Twitter’s rules about glorifying violence speaks to the idea that it is possible to stay informed on the actions and words of the President without actually supporting him with a social media follow. That is because members of the press, which I mentioned were most likely not included in the intended audience for this message, are will do their job. Additionally, I also believe there is a need for voices of activism to keep watch as well. If you are one of those members who are staying vigilant so that others do not have to subject their mental space to the rhetoric, I do want to make it clear that I am grateful for that action.
Listen, I get it, the idea of blocking the President of the United States on social media platforms is a piece of advice that I never thought that I would be giving. And again, there are quite a few groups of individuals that I do not think this advice pertains to, but for many who do not support this President and know they will be voting to remove him from office come November, I think it is worth considering.
In the spirit of complete and transparent authenticity, I will openly share that my primary driver for advocacy in terms of how it impacts my life directly is to ensure that I have equal rights as a gay man. That said, my experience being treated as ‘other’ or ‘less than’ by the culture of my conservative and religious upbringing also helps me empathize and hold a passion to help with ensuring that other Americans who are minorities or pushed to the margins for whatever reason are afforded equal rights as well.
In order for that to happen, I’ve become convinced that very large and intricate systems will have to be torn down, replaced, and built up stronger than they ever were before. I am so new to advocacy that I have to admit I do not know how much force and sheer will it will take to make those changes. All I do know is that it’s important to have my strength for big work, and that strength is too precious to waste by expelling energy on Trump.
This isn’t about turning off politically. It isn’t about stopping the fight for equality and ensuring that all Americans have a seat at the table. It’s simply a call to save your time, energy, and talents to devote to those actions by treating Trump as the public health and safety concern that he is.
Block Trump. Save lives.
