The Home Box Office of hysterical paranoia

Trump is literally Hitler.

Trump supporters are Nazis.

America was never great.

The United States of America is evil.

These idiotic slogans have been tossed around so often that they fail to stir up hackles anymore. A day hardly goes by without someone, somewhere, making these outlandish comments. What is distressing, however, is how this false narrative continues to influence everything around us. The most recent and blatant example of this is HBO’s The Plot Against America, a TV adaption of Philip Roth’s novel that envisions a United States of America led by President Charles Lindbergh in which the country falls under the sway of totalitarianism and fascism. While the novel was penned in 2004, the creators of the TV show picked up this fictional narrative in an attempt to draw linkages between President Lindbergh and President Trump. And believe me, the TV show is not subtle about it.

The masses in this alternative reality swoon over President’s Lindbergh’s ‘America First’ stance. People refuse to see him for the monster that he is, even though a select few sound the alarm. Soon discrimination spreads like wildfire, and the Jews of the United States find themselves under the boot of an American born fascist regime. Horribly depressing, isn’t it?

While alternative historical narratives are fascinating to examine, the use of this particular story at this moment in time is slanderous and inappropriate. The hysterical overreaction to President Trump’s victory in 2016 has been nonstop for the last three years. Endlessly paranoid fearmongering has left many of us exhausted. President Trump’s opponents warned us that he would exterminate the LGBT community, ethnically cleanse the country, and transform the  United States into a totalitarian ethno-state. Despite being in office for three years, nothing remotely like these nightmarish prophecies have come to pass. Nor will they, since President Trump is not a fascistic dictator. He has not seized control of the country, he has not abolished the branches of government, and he hasn’t exterminated his opponents. And yet many in the cultural arena are still hell bent on crying wolf, continuously prattling on about a Nazi apocalypse that will not materialize. It is time to put an end to this false narrative and move on from the 2016 election.

Some may say that I am reading too much into this, and that the show is simply a narrative musing about alternative historical timelines. But David Simon, the showrunner, has openly stated that Trump’s America played a role in the making of this show. It is worth remembering that the series follows a Jewish family as they navigate through President Lindbergh’s nightmarish America. It is curious that Simon chose to use this narrative for his Trump bashing, as President Trump has proven himself time and again to be a friend of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. It is also odd that Simon chose to use anti-Semitism as a means to bash President Trump since most of the loudest voices of intolerance towards Jews in America today come from the Far Left. But Simon doesn’t insert jabs at Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Linda Sarsour et all in his art. But then again he simply wants to use his platform for ideological purposes as opposed to actually confronting the complexities and multifaceted nature of intolerance and anti-Semitism.  This use of artistic propaganda is quite dangerous as it tries to subtly reinforce the nonsensical opinion that the United States is currently falling under the banner of fascism, extremism and bigotry.

This vehement hatred for President Trump needs to cease. Being critical of policy is encouraged and appropriate, but overexaggerating and acting like the sky is falling every single day is tedious and ridiculous. And this continued attempt to portray President Trump as being the next Fuhrer is deeply insulting to those that actually suffered under the boots of the Third Reich.

Enough is enough.