The Federal Communications Chair, Brendan Carr, is targeting ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and NPR (notably, Fox, which owns Fox News Channel, is conspicuously absent – Hmmm, I wonder why?). He claims that the former FCC Chairs who criticized him (one from a Republican administration) suffer from TDS – Trump Derangement Syndrome – because they oppose his use of the FCC at the demand of the King, I mean President.
He stated that the media has been “unfair to Donald Trump” in the past. Yet, you can’t launch an investigation for being “unfair” to your boss, so he fabricates other red herring issues in each case to bully, intimidate, and silence criticism, reminiscent of Stalin, Putin, Xi, etc.
He then responded with an LOL and a GIF. TDS is often used to deflect criticisms and paint anyone with an opposing view as “the problem” rather than acknowledging the criticism itself.
This tactic comes straight from the Authoritarian Handbook. For instance, Putin uses this when he accuses Ukraine’s leadership of being “drug addicts and pimps” or when Elon Musk called the Thai rescue spelunker a “pedo” (as in pedophile), all without any evidence, of course.
However, as it turns out, most accusations are confessions (please don’t sue me or have me killed, Mr. Musk!).
Carr reveals his hand by responding with a “LOL” and GIF emoji as if he were a 13-year-old boy rather than a grown man in a very serious position. Unfortunately, this reflects extreme ideological bias and a clear inability to think critically, both of which hinder his capability as an adequate or competent FCC Chair. He should not be anywhere near the halls of power in a normal world, but of course, these are not normal times.
If you encounter someone who accuses you or anyone else of having TDS, then you can be sure they have run out of arguments and critical thinking skills. They can only express themselves through memes, GIFs, and emojis, having lost touch with facts, issues, or even original thoughts, resorting instead to what they’ve heard from others. A zinger they spotted on Twitter or heard on Fox News Channel (like “woke”), and they just repeat it.
Of course, this is typical of daily social media interactions nowadays. But witnessing it from someone as powerful as the FCC Chair is genuinely chilling.
The media must resist this effort to undermine its oversight of our most valued constitutional protection: the Free Press, or soon, I fear, there will be a surge of people “falling out of windows,” much like in Russia.
Sadly, I know some very lost souls who would welcome that approach, and each uses terms like TDS and responds to serious arguments with memes, GIFs, emojis, and the latest zingers.
