Before reading any further, please read Joseph Epstein’s July 9, 2020 Opinion Commentary here. If you’re tempted to continue without having read Epstein, please reconsider and read that article first. It’s not too long, you can get a few free looks without a wsj subscription, and you need that piece as a backdrop for what follows.
First, let’s confirm that the phrase “So-And-So Derangement Syndrome” goes back almost two decades and was used about “Bush” and “Obama” critics. In early 2017, Trump allies saw his critics inflicted with a much worse case of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) than BDS or ODS had been. Trump himself began using the phrase about his critics in a July 2018 Tweet. Epstein is using it within present circumstances, including the 2020 U.S. Presidential campaign.
Second, the phrase has been used both ways, having been hurled against opponents by POTUS critics and supporters alike. Clearly, Trump, Epstein, and others are accusing critics of irrational, obsessive "Never-Trump" craziness.
Third, Trump critics would do well to conduct an honest self-examination of possibly having contracted so-called TDS, using Epstein's diagnostic stages self-critically to check their own reactions and critiques of Trump’s policies, statements, and actions. It is all too easy to fall into knee-jerk, ad hominem reactions to any polarizing figure and laughingly concur with late-night comics without considering the actual effects of those figures’ actions. Trump’s critics must honestly consider the effects of his decisions, policies, words, and actions - not simply joke about his hairstyle, tie-length, and occasional (and inevitable for any public speaker) speech gaffes.
Fourth, Epstein and other Trump allies, supporters, and defenders would do well to consider the actual, multifaceted, and wide ripple effects of Donald J. Trump the man being President of the United States of America. This man is not an ordinary, healthy human being. While I am not a professional psychiatrist who has done close-up personal tests on Trump, I stick by my (and many others’) claim, made ever since he became POTUS, that DJT is a Narcissistic Personality Disorder of the highest order. I do not have TDS (though Epstein and others may dismiss me by slapping on that label). I do not find funny the degrading jokes made about his appearance or other human characteristics. Rather, having experienced and observed close-up the devastation that NPDs cause, and seeing those same characteristics in DJT the man ever since the 2016 Republican primary campaign, the trauma caused to many women and to black & brown people in this country continues to be devastating. Moreover, nothing the man says can be taken at face-value - nothing. I am not saying that out of an alleged TDS infection, but out of experience and clear-headed observation of him in as unfiltered way as possible (e.g., through his own tweets, through watching some of his presentations in full).
In reflection of his own life, DJT’s vision for the country he leads - be strong, rich, secure - is warped. People need trust, healthy social relationships, aesthetic vibrancy, and many other life treasures beyond money, conformity, and a strong military. Policies can be debated in their own right - personally I disagree with many of those DJT has touted, not because he has pushed them because of the policies themselves - but they do not come apart from who the man is.
Finally, those who continue to defend the current President simply because he has espoused their preferred policies need, in my judgment, to see how they may have been simply co-opted as enablers of a hyper-NPD. (I say that especially to my fellow U.S. Evangelical Christians.) People who are Narcissistic Personality Disorders are masterfully adept at acquiring enablers to advance themselves and get their way. While looking at myself in the mirror as well, I thus warn Mr. Epstein and other Trump supporters and defenders that they very well may need a cure from contracting “Trump Enablement Syndrome.” Be alert.
No comments:
Post a Comment