News headlines aren't just introductions to news stories. They're a short-hand story-board that can reveal who we are and where we're headed.
Headlines over the last year that cover US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are a case in point. They suggest that these two men are dangerous. They will, we are to infer, lead us to doom and destruction.
Like prophets of old, recent news headlines prophecy a world-wide Armageddon (here). Will these headlines really prove prophetic?
The language news headlines use to describe this coming doom-and-destruction aren't just about Trump and Netanyahu. They're also about how the future will treat them: both men will be politically and personally humiliated. They will fail at our expense. They won't serve out their elected terms. They'll bring us all down.
Read the headlines. Follow the story-line they create.
Here's that story-line. The headlines that damn us to doom seem to fall into six categories. Each category ratchets up the doom we face, until we get to the final category where the 'doom' is fully articulated. Here are those six categories:
First, there are headlines that proclaim Netanyahu's approaching failure:
-"Eulogizing Bibi, Once Again" (October 2018, here)
-"Israel Will Not Survive Netanyahu. And That's a Good Thing" (April 2018, here)
-"The four corruption scandals circling Benjamin Netanyahu", (March 2018, here)
-"The Final Days of Benjamin Netanyahu's Rule", (February 2018 here)
-"Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption scandal keeps getting worse — but he's still coming to Washington to meet with Trump" (February 2018 from jerusalempost, here)
-Bethan McKernan, "Israel corruption scandal: Benjamin Netanyahu defiant over growing calls for him to step down", independent, February 14, 2018
-"Can Netanyahu survive?" (February 2018, here)
-"Scandal after scandal: Netanyahu questioned over corruption charges for fifth time" (November 2017, here);
-"A corruption investigation could bring down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu" (August, 2017, here)
-"The Scandals that Could Topple Netanyahu" (February 2017 here)
-"An Israeli Scandal With Political Consequences" (September 2017, here)
Second, there are headlines that prophecy for Trump, 'this is the beginning of the end; or, 'the end is near'' (that's the language of prophecy, isn't it?). Here's a brief video summary of how headline language has depicted Trump. It comes from here:
Third,there are headlines about the damning link between these two 'incompetent failures':
-"Israel and the U.S. Are Triggering a Risky, Unnecessary War of Choice in the Middle East" (May 2018, here)
-Trump and Netanyahu are really one-and-the-same person, Trumpenyahu (March 2018, here):
-"The striking similarities between Trump and Netanyahu" ( ibid);
-"Trump and Netanyahu are playing the same game" (January 2018 here)
-"Donald Trump's New World Order" (June 2018, here)
-"Trump and Netanyahu, the Con Artists Cooking Up Cataclysmic Conflict With Iran" (May 2018, here)
-"Meet Donald Trump’s twin: Benjamin Netanyahu" (March 2018, here)
-"Trump, Netanyahu rage, rage against realities of immigration" (April, 2018, here)
Fourth, there are headlines that declare how these two unfit leaders will undo all we cherish:
-"Israel’s Nation State bill could destroy the peace process once and for all" (July 2018 here)
-"A proxy war between Israel and Iran is looming — and it could become the Middle East's 'worst war' in decades" (April 2018 here)
-"Donald Trump Is Driving Us on a Road to Hell in the Middle East" (May 2018, here)
"To Save His Own Skin, Netanyahu Will Destroy [Israel's democratic legal] System" (February 2018 here)
-"Israel Nudges Trump Towards War With Iran" (May 2018 here)
"Unholy alliance: Palestinians trampled as Trump targets Iran and pulls Arab states into alliance with Israel" (October 2018 here)
"Trump tries to destroy the West" (June 2018 here)
"Will the fervor to impeach Donald Trump start a Democratic civil war?" (May 2018 here)
-"Netanyahu to Make It Official: Fascism Is What We Are" (July 2018 here)
-"World War 3: Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will 'DESTROY SYRIA' if Iran does not withdraw (June 2018, here)
"Trump Wants to Destroy the World Order. So What?" (July 2018, here)
"Trump, Netanyahu, et al: all the ways democracy is crashing and burning" (September 2018, here)
Fifth, headlines tell us how our end will begin:
-"Trump warns evangelicals of 'violence' if GOP loses in the midterms" (August 2018, here)
-"Actor James Cromwell warns of 'revolution': 'There will be blood in the streets' if Democrats lose" (October 2018, here)
-"TRUMP SAYS GOP ELECTION LOSS WILL MEAN BIG STOCK MARKET LOSSES" (October 2018, here)
Sixth, headlines repeat the main anti-'Trumpenyahu' message: in a world where Leftists (supposedly) demand peace, these men are warmongers:
-"Netanyahu openly boasts of Israel’s war on Africans" (January 2017, here)
-"Will Netanyahu Regime Wage More War on Gaza?" (October 2018, here)
-"Will Trump start a nuclear war with North Korea?" (December 2017, here)
-"Is Trump’s Iran Policy Meant to Start a War?" (October 2018, here)
-"Are we on the brink of World War 3?" (September 2018, here)
-"HOW TRUMP COULD TRIGGER ARMAGEDDON WITH A TWEET" (September 2018, here)
-"On the possibility of Donald Trump starting World War III" (September 2018, here)
-"Why Is Trump Trying to Start a War He Cannot Win?" (July 2018, here)
-"Could Donald Trump start a nuclear war?" (March 2018, here)
-"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Leads US President Trump to War with Iran" (October 2017, here)
-"Israeli MPs give Netanyahu power to wage war without cabinet vote" (May 2018, here)
-"Egypt academic: Netanyahu pushing US to start war against Iran" (September 2018, here)
-"Netanyahu Says Israel Preparing for War With Gaza" (October 2018, here)
-"Pat Buchanan: Bibi Netanyahu wants the US to fight a war with Iran on behalf of Israel" (April 2018, here)
-"NYT fails to report that Netanyahu started air war over Syria as corruption probes close in on him" (February 2018, here).
Finally, there is one headline that sums up the entire doom-and-disaster story-line: "Trump and Netanyahu drive towards war" (May 2018, here).
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Headlines aren't just window dressing for news items. They tell a larger story. They tell us where we are most likely headed.
The headlines above sell doom and destruction. They try to convince you that US President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are as close to evil as leaders can get. These headlines shout, Trump and Netanyahu are destined to fail--and they'll take us with them!!
Words have meaning. Words influence people. Words take us to our future.
It's November, 2018. Do you know where your words will take you?
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