CommentsONE MAN’S OPINION--Trumpy is a problem, but he is not The Problem.
At the core of Trump’s Histrionic Personality Disorder is his need to always be the center of attention. People who say Trumpy should act presidential have no comprehension of the mental disability or are playing to the peanut gallery of Ignorant. In addition to his being a Histrionic, Trump also suffers from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder whose most marked feature is a grandiose sense of self-entitlement. The more dangerous of the two mental disorders is the Histrionic as it comes with marked intellectual impairment evidenced by his inability to speak in full sentences. Because he cannot comprehend complex ideas, he cannot form coherent ideas and express them in sentences as well as a fifth grader. Thus, if he dislikes something, it is “fake,” and if it is fake, there is no need to consider it.
Trump Is Not the Cause of Our Problems but the Result
Like an opera singer, Histrionics have a great talent. They can be as dumb as a hedgehog but like a pig rooting for truffles, they have a sixth sense to find and express the frustrations of others. When the disenfranchised and cheated see someone stand up for them, they cheer. A histrionic must have cheers more than an addict needs heroin. The cheering places Trump at the center of the universe. That is the reason he is willing to risk his life to have maskless rallies.
The Foundation for Trumpism
The post Crash of 2008 was like the Vietnam War protest era when college grads discovered that they were headed to the swamps of Vietnam. The graduating students had been promised ceaseless prosperity which began after WW II, only to discover that the military-industrial complex thought the jungles of Southeast Asia were a better idea. Whoever stood up and screamed in protest became a leader.
With the deionization of the blue collar worker and the massive transfer of wealth from those who produced the wealth to those who had purchased political power, blue collar working class Whites faced a slowly decreasing standard of living. Because the American dream was slipping away, it was hard to perceive, until the Crash of 2008 and its aftermath slapped blue collar Whites in the face. Especially hard hit was the Rust Belt, where Big Pharma had moved in and brought with it the Opioid Epidemic. Also, their jobs were shipped overseas, deunionization stripped them of their health care, and they lost their homes. While 90% of the productivity gains during Obama years went to the top 1%, the Rust Belt was mocked as gun totting yahoos.
While LumpyTrumpy saw himself as the center of the universe, he too had been marginalized. By the mid 2000's, he had been mostly relegated to seeking financial salvation in Russia and the former soviet republics. He got into the GOP race in order to raise the market value of his TV shows and to be the center of attention. It turned out that Trump’s mental illness was a perfect fit for the rage of the disenfranchised Whites, whom the Dems had betrayed. At one time, Unions and Dems were indistinguishable, but Obama had given $15 Trillions to US and European banks while sending Whites off to foreclosure and the bankruptcy courts.
Despite the decline of the fortunes of White America, Queen Hillary was making plans for her coronation. She slipped up just before the election when she called a huge segment of her subjects “Deplorables.” While they had been economically disenfranchised, they had a habit and custom of voting. Enough of them were incensed at being called Deplorables that they raced to the polling places, tipping the Electoral College to Trump.
Since then, Trump has remained a one trick pony – public temper tantrums. Even when he managed to have some coherent advisers, Trump is too mentally debilitated to utilize their insights. Trump is psychologically incapable of doing anything where he is not 100% the center of attention but he lacks the mental capacity to formulate any coherent plans. Trump complains that people like Dr. Fauci but not him. Trump’s analytical ability is so deficient that he thinks that he merits the praise which Fauci has earned by decades of public service.
If obese Trump should get Covid-19 and pass from the scene, the Rust Belt Whites will still be poor and cops will still be murdering Blacks. Corruptionism and racism will still be systemic and no one other than Black Lives Matter has even attempted to address our systemic substructure.
Corruptionism Is Inherently Predatory
If one were to be glib about it, the different between Trumpy and the 1% is that he’s a narcissistic histrionic and they tend to be greedy psychopaths. The danger of psychopaths (Anti-social Personality Disorder) is that they are often smart and analytical, while Trumpy is impulsively hyperbolic and myopic. Thus, they can carry out long range plans and even have annual conferences in Davos.
A Predatory Society Exploits and Oppresses Others
The Declaration of Independence was predicated on the reality that men are predatory creatures who exploit and oppress others unless the citizens create a government which reigns in the predatory instinct. Each person’s inalienable rights including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness were seen as axiomatic. It is the right of the people to alter or to abolish a government which fails to secure these rights. As Howard Beale shouted in Network, “I am mad as Hell and I’m not going to take it any more.”
Let’s remember that Boston Tea Party was December 16, 1773, the Revolutionary War began in 1775, Declaration was signed in 1776, and the Constitution was ratified December 15, 1791. That’s almost two decades.
Trump is the Rage of the Id
Trump’s demise will not reduce White rage nor will it address the demands of Black Lives Matter. The 1% do not want people to recognize that The Rage of the Rust Belt and Black Lives Matter both attack the same predatory system.
(Richard Lee Abrams is an attorney and lives in Los Angeles.)
-cw
