Donald Trump is creating his own history

He focuses on fear, hatred and deeply rooted prejudices, writes Dawie Jacobs from Sterrewag.

From time to time we live through historic moments. The current occupant of the White House – Donald Trump – has caused such a moment again.

The mid-term US elections, normally only of real significance in the US, have gained global importance because of the division he is causing, not only in the US, but globally.

Through the centuries, wayward leaders managed to sway the masses through rhetoric, skillfully focussing on fear, hatred and deeply rooted prejudices.

Another common thread is that these kinds of demagogues do not place a high premium on the truth.

In fact, they are very effective in repeating lies so often that they become reality in the minds of those for which the lies are specifically designed.

In the modern era, however, those messages are magnified by the media, written and electronic, and over the last years especially by social networks.

More news is unfortunately not necessarily better news. As someone said about social media: the good thing about social media is that everybody has a public platform and the bad thing about it is that everybody has a public platform.

Not only is there an over-supply of news, often by people with no training or experience in analysing general trends or specialised topics, but the sheer volume provides a fertile field for manipulation and fake news.