Please stop saying you speak for Americans in general, you only speak for your segment of America.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before:

· Americans won’t stand for Congress, establishment Republicans or the Democrats standing against the Trump agenda!

· The American people are angry about Russia interference in our election and demand answers!

· American citizens just wants jobs and lower taxes & that’s why they support Donald Trump!

· Americans are disgusted with the bully tactics displayed by this man, Americans don’t support attacking Gold Star families!

· The American public wants tax reform and is excited to get a $4,000 raise & $1,200 tax cut.

· The American people rejected Donald Trump & Trumpism in the 2017 General elections.

Depending on if you are watching Regular Traditional Mainstream Media (TMSM), Conservative Mainstream Media (CMSM), Liberal Mainstream Media (LMSM) or Right-Wing Mainstream Media (RWMSM), you hear a consistent refrain from the baseline commentators & reports and the opposing viewpoints offered on their channels — The American Public is on the side I’m advocating for. To hear it from the different branches of media, the commentators and persons with a different spin on the same issue, you would believe that the American people are in an complex game of Twister. Each side, through talking points, editorial perspective & journalistic rationality, attribute their reporting or analysis to what the American people want, think or believe. It’s abusive generalization at its worst.

If this was the case, them as a member of the American people, I would believe that NASA has child slave colonies on Mars (RWMSM), that Hillary Clinton personally gave Uranium to build Russian nuclear weapons (CMSM), that Donald Trump is mentally unhinged racist who actively colluded with the Russians to destroy our democratic process (LMSM) and that the Republican tax plan will only benefit the richest income brackets in America (TMSM) all while believing that Hillary Clinton personally has killed people, Donald Trump is a drug addict and Vladimir Putin is either our best friend or worst enemy. With the various “experts” speaking on how the American people, including me feel, think or want, it’s no wonder I deal with self-confidence issues, I didn’t know my beliefs and feelings were so all over the place?

Actually, we are mostly ok as a people, because the various voices on our media streams do not speak for America. They speak for market segments within the American population but not for America or Americans as a whole. The phraseology is the issue. In marketing and suggestive language communication, using terms like the statements listed above condition the listener to a limited number of outcomes:

1. Yes, I do believe that and all others I know think the way that I do, those other people who don’t are the problem.

2. No, I’ve never thought like that, this person espoused viewpoints I hate, they are the problem.

3. I’m confused, they didn’t ask me my opinion, why are they saying all people or Americans think. I don’t agree with either side.

Now the hope is that you can use the suggestive generalization language enough that more people will pick your side of the issue, therefore joining your tribe. Here’s a few examples:

· The American Health Care Act is terrible for consumers — especially for kids, older adults, people with disabilities and low- and middle-income families.

· “I’m saying that everybody is going to have to do something, and the one key to this whole thing is trying to make sure we keep in mind who we are are here for,” Obama said at the White House. “We’re not here for ourselves. This is a loss for the American people. And, again, if we step back and just remind ourselves what it is we’re supposed to be doing here, then hopefully common sense will be in the end.”

· Saving American families from the disaster of Obamacare.

· “What Senator [Charles] Schumer wants to try to ignore is the fact that Obamacare has failed the American people. Millions of people have already lost their health care.” — House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), remarks to reporters, Jan. 9, 2017

· “For the tens of millions of Americans who will lose their health care if the ACA is repealed, I vote no. #MakeAmericaSickAgain” — Schumer (D-N.Y.), in a tweet, Jan. 11

· The American people have said loud and clear they want to end the rigged system in Washington. — Have they?

So after these sides have finished their generalized positioning and suggestive persuasion, it’s easy to fall into one of these camps. My issue with all of this is that it’s not reflective of the American people as a whole. To borrow a paraphrased line from Sean Spicer, “Let me be clear, no one person, group, organization or elected official speaks for all of America, Period!!!” We have to push back on the suggestive generalizations of “what Americans want, feel, believe or are looking for”. No singularity speaks for the population as a whole. Donald Trump won the Presidency (I feel sick even saying that) but only 63+ million voted for him & 74+ million Americans voted for other candidates, so he doesn’t represent all Americans. There isn’t a unanimous consent after an election. Those who didn’t vote for you don’t magically become your supporters or would even vote for you in future elections. Fox News, MSNBC and CNN only speak for the audiences that consistently watch them, not persons who watch the other other networks. When one of our Democratic or Republican Congressional members says what the American public won’t allow or wants, please push back and clarify, you speak for your side only. No one else.