David Jenkins: Plenty of blame to go around for Capitol events

Watching the events at the Capitol last week I, like many, could only cringe. What happened was disgusting, inexcusable and just plain sad. The fallout has been just as sad and while most of the fingers have been pointed at the President and Republicans, there is plenty of blame to go around.

While blaming President Trump for last week’s events is easy and most certainly justified, one person did not lead us to this moment. This situation has been brewing for years and years and blaming Trump is like blaming a drug for a person’s overdose. Yes the drug bears a significant responsibility but it had to be manufactured and someone had to take it.

Those who think Trump and the Republicans are solely to blame fail to remember that there was a reason Trump got elected in the first place. It wasn’t because of his fantastic political resume or his great ideas. It’s because he was a change from what had become a distrust in government. People wanted change so bad they were willing to elect a crude, egomaniacal, attention-monger as the President of the United States.

So when Democrats want to throw blame around remember that the best candidate they could muster to run against Trump in 2016 was an extremely flawed Hilary Clinton. Not to mention their candidate in 2020 was Joe Biden, someone who was elected not because of who he is but who he isn’t.

But the blame goes further than the Democrats. The distrust that many have of the national news media is actually true. For over 25 years I have worked in the newspaper business and have seen how the national media has changed, including the Associated Press. And I have noticed how biased the media has become.

For example, this was a headline several weeks ago that came across the Associated Press: “Despite smooth election, GOP leaders seek vote restrictions.” Smooth election? Since when are lawsuits, election results coming week after the election, problems with mail-in ballots and just the general mess the pandemic played into it make a smooth election? But there are many examples and most are subtle, but they are there.

For instance, when Trump’s claims of election fraud were mentioned they were called “baseless claims.” While the claims may have been baseless, in journalism school, at least when I went, we were taught not to editorialize. So an adjective like baseless isn’t needed. They should be referred to as claims and let the reader decide if they are baseless.

Examples like this can be found all over the national media dating back years and getting more and more prevalent each and every year. And I don’t think it is even a conscious effort. I think it stems from social media, yet another thing that holds plenty of blame.

How can social media not hold blame? First, without social media, there is no President Trump. Many are cheering Twitter for banning Trump’s accounts but had they done that four years ago, I doubt very seriously he would have been elected. But the censoring of people on social media fuels distrust and, in my opinion, definitely had an impact on the election.

I personally know of a few people who have had had accounts suspended on social media for expressing their thoughts. Thoughts that were nothing egregious but were on one side of the aisle that apparently were not in line with what the powers to be deemed appropriate. Yet vitriol was spewed from the other side and nothing was done. And then those same people are surprised when the other side believes their voice isn’t heard.

Not to mention social media has given everyone a voice. Users can say whatever they want, about anyone or anything, with no consequences. People who would never confront anyone face-to-face get on a keyboard and type all kinds of nasty things with no remorse.

Gone are the days of civil, face-to-face conversations. Gone are the days of listening to the other side and trying to come up with a solution. Instead we have become a petty, thin-skinned, polarized people that can’t get along to solve the easiest of problems, let alone the complex problems that are currently plaguing the country.

Yes, all of us are to blame for the happenings of last week. Whether it is who we voted for in the last election, the way we behave on social media or even what we have let become acceptable behavior by our leaders or even friends and family, we all share responsibility in what our country has become.

The question is, can we overcome all the pettiness, nastiness and learn to communicate and compromise like our ancestors did? That is what made our country the envy of others across the globe. An envy that has now turned to laughter.

We must all take stock in the role we’ve played in getting us to this place. Because if we don’t start communicating and making compromising for a better tomorrow, events like last week will become more and more common. Until one day the USA we all loved and cherished will be no more.