There’s an interesting development in the subconscious of the United States at the moment.
And if you watch the media as closely as I do, then it’s fascinating to witness the stories changing and the shift happening.
Over the years, America had done an awesome job of making the world believe it was the coolest place on earth.
And they did that with their music, movies and TV shows, which we devoured without realising how we were being indoctrinated.
In those shows, somehow, the American Dream always prevailed.
We all knew of the so-called hillbillies in the South, but they were always portrayed as harmless racists, poorly-educated folk, who were the butt of many jokes and definitely in the minority.
That’s until those salt-of-the-earth Rednecks got Donald Trump into the White House, proving that they are not really as minority as we had all been led to believe.
And that’s when the entire, carefully constructed, decades of movie publicity came crashing down.
While the ugly underbelly of the US is now exposed for all the world to see, it has finally shaken some of the country’s most beloved institutions out of their daze of disappointment and confusion.
You see, there are four American institutions that the Southerners love with all their hearts: Nascar, the NFL, the US Military and Fox News.
Well, over the past month or so, these institutions have all started showing some colours that have disturbed Trump and his followers.
Last week, Nascar agreed to ban the controversial Confederate flag at its races.
A few days earlier, the US military announced that it would consider re-christening some of its bases that had been named after Confederate leaders.
Both wanted to correct an insensitivity
highlighted by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests across the US.
But Trump and his supporters would have none of it.
The NFL has also had a change of heart, with its boss coming out in support of BLM.
And Trump’s mouthpiece from the beginning - Fox News - has been courting the president’s anger with their occasional criticism of him these days.
All of this is a very marked difference from just a few short months ago, when none of these traditionally conservative structures wanted to openly oppose Trump and what he stands for.
In fact, many NFL teams actually funded Trump’s presidential campaign, while the US Military has a history of never saying anything that can be seen as political - except now!
So I’m going to end off by paraphrasing one of my favourite YouTubers - Beau of the Fifth Column, addressing this issue.
Some Trump supporters think by staying the same as they have always been is “consistency”.
It is not. It is in fact a lack of growth.
And in order for the community and the human race to grow and progress, individuals need to grow.
So maybe this is some time for a bit of self-reflection.
Because if all your idols and the organisations you love are turning against you, then it’s because you didn’t keep up with the times.