Nothing new with the North Korea summit coverage

Just a brief note.  My boys noticed how the press was covering Trump's meeting with North Korea Kim Jong Un.  I told them this is nothing new.  In 1980, I became interested in politics when our mainstream culture assured me we had just elected a bumbling fool war monger who was going to nuke the world.  I wondered how this great country could do such a thing.  I knew my parents had departed from their Democratic ways because they felt Jimmy Carter was a weak and ineffectual president, sparking much discussion with my extended family who remained loyal Democrats.  But how could they, and America, make such a stunning and foolish mistake as to doom the world?

So I became interested in politics.  By 1984, noticing that Reagan hadn't nuked the world and the economy was, in fact, improving, I began to wonder how so many important people who were smarter than me could be so wrong.  Plus, I had the single greatest teacher in my life, our American Government teacher, inspiring me to become even more invested in political life.  Technically he told me I might be a good lawyer after a stint with the old Mock Trial, but I preferred the strange world of politics.

In 1985, my freshman year of college, I was very invested in following as much of the political news as I could.   I followed the news that Reagan would be meeting with Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, with much interest.  I can say the coverage then was the same as the coverage of Trump now. 

Reagan was a buffoon, a moron, a B-Movie dolt; he was a warmonger; he would screw up the hope that Gorbachev heralded; he would set progress back a generation; he would embarrass America (that was repeated many times); he would compromise America's position in the world.  All of these were the predictions made by pundits and the best and brightest in our media.

We all know the history.  We all know what actually happened in Geneva all those years ago, and the resounding success that even former Soviets attribute to Reagan. The point is, I told my boys the idea that the press suddenly has become this or that is false.  The press has been this for some time.  With some minor adjustments, you could overlay the way the press and pop culture dealt with Reagan and how they now deal with Trump without missing a beat, despite what they say today.

When did it happen?  I don't know.  When did the media culture become what it is?  Somewhere following WWII, the press joined Hollywood in aligning with the emergent Left, and encouraging hostile attitudes toward America, its heritage, and those who are not progressives.  By now, it's not new.  In fact, as President Trump meets with Kim Jong Un, it's becoming one of the things as ancient as Korea's own civilization.