Since it was decided that Trump would become the next president of the United States, media in Japan and other countries have been sending out criticisms backed by anxiety. The main reason for this is probably his trademark “unpredictability,” but if you think about it carefully, is there anything predictable in this chaotic world? There was a lot of talk about the first Trump administration, but looking back, it wasn’t that messy. If it was that messy, he certainly wouldn’t be able to come back. It is still unclear how Trump will act in his second administration, but I think he will do various things within a realistic line, just like in his first administration.

What is more worrisome is the decisive gap between public opinion and the major media. This presidential election has once again highlighted the fact that the current media is hardly listening to public opinion. As far as I know, not a single media outlet has argued that Trump will win by a landslide.

Many major media outlets consider themselves liberal. However, if liberalism becomes excessive, it can become imperialistic. If we try to unify everything solely through the rule of law based on the individual, we will end up neglecting the foundations of a nation, such as culture, tradition, and history. However, many people, whether Japanese or American, live their lives on the culture and traditions of their country. It is easy to see that people who felt that the foundations of their nation were shaking turned their backs on imperialistic liberalism and cast their vote for Trump.

Whether it is liberalism or whatever, once it becomes imperialistic it will inevitably fall into dogma. It is something that brandishes self-centered virtues with a straight face. The major media today are falling into dogma. Are they only reporting on people who think like them and treating those who don’t as heretics? As things stand, the media is nothing but noise. The first step is to discard dogma. If we can do that, we will be able to see a path to leveling out excessive liberalism. (Kitajima Kei)

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI