How to be “Godi media”? Learn from American ‘liberals’

US President Joe Biden (image courtesy: apnews.com)

They built back better. From the moment that President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at the reflecting pool beside the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday night to the final note of the virtual concert that capped the inaugural rites and celebrations, it was clear that they, and those around them, were going to use every tool at their disposal to underscore their message of fresh starts and racial justice, help and healing.

We Indians generally wish America well. It is good to know that America is building back better and so rapidly. So what exactly did President Biden build back? I can’t wait to find out what the author is talking about. Did he get a grip on Covid, put the American economy back on track, settle big issues of trade or diplomacy with China?

Would you believe they are talking about President Biden wearing a Ralph Lauren suit to his inauguration? Check it out, because this for real. It’s the New York freaking Times fawning over how Biden built back America (and better!) by wearing a designer suit. How is that an achievement? Don’t worry. Just be happy.

In fact, the top anchor on MSNBC said she cried so many tears of joy while watching the inauguration that she finished an entire box of tissues.

In recent years, Indian liberals have come to use the expression “Godi media,” a pejorative for what they see as Indian media promoting a personality cult around PM Modi. First of all, seriously? Second, do these liberals ever look in the mirror? How could they? For they are all but prostrated on the ground before five generations of a political dynasty. All their opinions lie somewhere on the spectrum between Rahul coming of age and Priyanka having her grandmother’s nose.

If you want to see “Godi media” done right, look at American liberals right now. I already told you about MSNBC and the New York Times. Here is something from a CNN vice-president:

I mean those lights that are just shooting out of the Lincoln Memorial along the Reflecting Pool, it’s like almost extensions of Joe Biden’s arms embracing America.”

Have you ever wondered why liberals take all those “dear leader” jibes at PM Modi? Have you wondered why they call BJP supporters as “bhakts”? I have seen trenchant criticism of PM Modi from BJP supporters. Would Congress supporters dare to criticize Rahul Gandhi?

Now you know. It’s a classic case of projection. Liberals see their opponents as they themselves are. Fawning over their leaders in a way that would rival North Korean state television.

What good news did President Biden have for real Americans? As it turns out, very little. Instead, the President had this to say to his country:

A lot of America is hurting. The virus is surging. We’re 400,000 dead expected to reach well over 600,000.

What? So 200,000 more people are going to die? Is there any hope? Don’t count on it, because the president went on to also say:

…there’s nothing we can do to change the trajectory of the pandemic in the next several months.”

Imagine the grim reality of being an ordinary American right now. Your government has given up on you. They say there is nothing they can do and 200,000 more people are set to die. You open the New York Times, the so called ‘newspaper of record.’ Or you turn on CNN, the biggest global name in news. The headlines are about the achievement of wearing a Ralph Lauren suit.

That’s liberalism. Common people don’t matter. Instead the New York Times questions the ‘morality’ of Melania Trump leaving the White House in Chanel suit, Dolce & Gabbana dress, Hermès bag!

You didn’t catch the problem there, did you? It turns out that Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Hermès are European brands. That makes Trump immoral while Biden is moral in his very American Ralph Lauren suit. If you are an American, you must be thrilled about this. The New York Times expects no less of you.

Okay, what about Biden’s brand new Rolex watch, which he bought specially for the inauguration? Isn’t Rolex a Swiss company? Never mind. Anyway, I know about this new Rolex watch because a number of equally reputable liberal outlets were fawning about it as well.

When Joe Biden put his hand on the Bible, he was wearing a Rolex …. Biden thus joins a bipartisan tradition of presidents wearing Rolex. Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, and Ronald Reagan all had one.

See? It’s a tradition for American presidents to wear American suits. And also a tradition to wear European watches. Anything Biden does is a glorious tradition.

When media and power come together in a tight embrace such as this, the common citizen becomes invisible. And nobody does this better than liberal elites. That’s why common citizens should be scared of rule by the liberal elite. Whether in India or in the United States.

In 2008, when Barack Obama was running for President, Chris Hayes, one of the biggest faces on MSNBC, had announced that he was so excited that he could feel a thrill going up his leg. Yes, he really said it on air. And nobody thought that was odd. That’s big media in embrace of big government. That’s when common people should feel a shiver down their spine.

Abhishek Banerjee: Abhishek Banerjee is a columnist and author.