I'm sorry to be glib, but I can't help it.
Within 2 minutes of the attempt on Donald Trump's life this past weekend, the president was whisked away by the secret service. I watched the video at least 20 times.
The most interested part, to me? As Trump is being loaded into his vehicle, one of Trump's supporters had the wherewithal to find a camera and scream "Fuck You" into it.
Within 10 seconds, a few other rally-goers noticed the same camera and did the same thing, they yelled "Fuck You" at the cameraman.
Think of this in context-
The President has been shot and there are no police doing crowd control. Do you see any local cops in that picture? I did not hear any announcements over the PA, such as "the shooter has been neutralized" or "please remain in your seats." In that moment, it is organized chaos.
Now me? I hear the gunshots, I see the president being surrounded by a half dozen secret service agents, my first instinct is 'Exit, Stage Left!'
But everyone is built differently, I remember seeing a local fireman being interviewed after 9-11. In describing the fireman's mindset, he said that there are fundamentally 2 types of people, people who run towards fires and people who run away from fires.
The fireman elaborated that professionals, like firemen, run toward emergencies to help people and get them to safety. Most citizens use their basic survival instincts to flee an emergency.
The Fuck You Guy? I think he's part of a group that describes a third type of person. He's not helping his fellow Trump Supporters to safety, yet he's not fleeing for his own safety.
It's like he's loitering and looking for a camera.
Don't forget, he knows shots have been fired. He has no idea where, or who, the gunman is. Or if there are multiple gunmen. Because there is an element of the unknown, for all that guy knows, it's the first rounds from the incoming Communist Hordes.
If you watch the long form of the video, the crowd just seems to dissipate as opposed to being ushered out once Trump is gone.
But in the moment, what makes you scream obscenities at a camera as opposed to helping or fleeing? Maybe it's the adrenaline rush of knowing you, and your candidate, both escaped death. Maybe there's a certain guttural reaction to fight. Can't fight the gunman. Can't fight fellow Trump Supporters. 'Hey look, there's CNN, let's break some obscenity laws.'
According to Axios, only 11% of Republicans trust the mass media. If you see the media as the enemy, that's fine, that's your prerogative, but the basic premise still remains, is it more important to be on camera than it is to be concerned about your own safety?
Your argument is that I just described a whole generation of TikTokers?
<sigh>
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