As if the current US Presidency isn’t already enough of a joke, the U.K. retailer Topshop decided to profit a little off of America’s despair. They debuted some fake news jeans that are about as fake as Trump’s orange spray tan. Meaning they’re real, they’re very real.
The MOTO ‘Fake News’ Slogan Straight Leg Jeans, which obviously sold out immediately, were selling for $90 each, a real deal for fake jeans. One can only assume that President Trump himself will probably take credit for the massive success of these jeans, saying something along the lines of “My friends at Topshop love me, they love me, I gave them so much success, I made them huge.”
Me: This is utter bullsh…
*matching covfefe bra and knicker sets go on sale*
Me: I’ll take two. https://t.co/nvvq90n25j— Esyllt Sears (@EsylltMair) January 8, 2018
In all seriousness, normalizing the disaster of the current presidency by turning it into comedy is an effective self defense mechanism, but it can also undermine the threat of censored journalism. Trump has made it no secret that he doesn’t like hearing bad things about himself, but the extent to which that he wants to repress negative coverage about himself is what we should be worrying about. Turning attention away from the real news by focusing on the ridiculous stuff that Trump says or tweets could unintentionally benefit him. We’re all familiar with Trump’s infamous covfefe tweet, but what actually happened in the world that day? Trump decided to pull out of the Paris Agreement. But it’s more likely you were focused on a confusing midnight tweet than an actual current event.
While it’s OK to poke fun at the state of today’s political environment, don’t forget the real threats that lurk behind phrases like “fake news.”