At least among my Facebook friends, pretty much everyone has applauded the Hamilton crowd and cast for taking a stand against the insensitivity of the future Trump/Pence administration. While I certainly agree with the sentiments offered by Brandon Victor Dixen concerning the importance of protecting the rights of America’s diverse population, I think that the left just fell into a trap. Why? How?
Trump is a master of the media. And as such, he is a master of distraction. The greatest weapon in Donald Trump's arsenal is the creation of diversion. One need only to look back these past few months to see countless examples of how Trump has altered the narrative. For instance, in the Republican primary, whenever his own insufficiencies in terms of policy were thrown into question, he would change the narrative through name calling - e.g. “Low Energy,” “Lying Ted,” “Little Marco,” his attack on Meghan Kelly, etc. - or through taking absurdly far-out policy positions - e.g. Muslim ban, building the wall, etc. Time and again, the public is distracted from the actual issues. No matter how often he uses the same technique, we take his bait and allow him to control the narrative. We are all so focused on what Trump says, that very few of us notice the pattern.
Here is what I think he did with the Hamilton story. In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of bad press concerning his appointment of Stephen Bannon as his Chief Advisor and Jeff Sessions at Attorney General. Then, yesterday, we learned that he is settling the Trump University lawsuit for $25 Million, something which on the campaign trail, he vowed he would never do. So, what does Trump do? He tells Mike Pence to go to Hamilton. Of course Mike Pence going to get booed at the theatre! Duh! Of course cast members are going to make some kind of statement. They are actors! Duh! Trump knew this. In fact, he wanted it to happen. Why? Because it distracts people from real issues, namely, cabinet appointments, accusations of nepotism, the settlement the Trump University lawsuit, etc. This morning, he tweeted twice about the Hamilton incident, asking the cast to apologize for their treatment of Pence. The press, which has really become a kind of state run media for Trump, immediately makes the story even bigger. In doing so, more and more attention gets diverted away from the real issues.
We all need to be smarter about what kind of game Mr. Trump is playing. While it is nice to congratulate ourselves on making statements about protecting the rights of American citizens, did the cast of Hamilton change anyone's mind by their statement? Did the boos directed towards Mike Pence as he sauntered in, change the hearts and minds of the working class voters who voted for the Republican ticket? If anything, this event was detrimental to Hamilton, insofar as it politicized the show. Now Trump just has more ammunition for his Victory Tour, "Look at those nasty urban elites who pay $800 for a night at the theatre and boo the Vice President!"
Lin Manuel has created a beautiful piece of art. The greater the artistic merit of a work, the less one needs to comment on it. As artists, the cast of Hamilton should have trusted their art. In making a statement to Mike Pence after the show, they gave away a beautiful opportunity to show the true power of art. In making a statement (above and beyond the statement that is the show), they have made certain that Trump supporters will be far less likely to buy tickets. But, aren’t these the people who would benefit most? If a play attracts only those audience members who already agree with its message, what's the point?
Again, I agree with the sentients offered by Brandon Victor Dixen and the rest of the cast. I commend their desire to stand for justice and equality. And I also sympathize with the crowd. I too would be tempted to boo Mr. Pence if I saw him walk into the theatre. I'm not sure what they should have done. However, as Obama keeps telling people, “Don’t boo! Vote” Since the voting is over, we could alter this to, “Don’t boo. Get in touch with reality and then, take action.”
If we are going to respond to the divisive rhetoric and absurdity of Donald Trump, we need to get smarter. We need to stop falling for his distracting traps and stay grounded in what's real. Because when we give him our attention, we become pawns in his opportunistic game.
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