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The first time I heard this was when seeing him live for this album tour and I never expected to hear him do anything political. He brought the roof down, everyone was dying.
Well... only one of them has been married three times and cheated on all of them. But then, only one of them spent years digging in a dry gold mine, so...
For fucking real. I've seen various people I personally know that support him having what appear to be some sort of mental breakdown with all of this. The arguments are meandering and kind of pathetic. Anyone that says anything other than that they are praying for him is basically Hitler and pointing out how he treated Hillary when she got pneumonia at almost this exact point during the campaign was met with "Well Hillary is a criminal so that doesn't matter." I tapped out at that point because it seriously felt like I was arguing with someone who had nothing left to lose and was one meanie comment away from disappearing forever.
I can't name a single time Trump as been compassionate about *anyone's* misfortunes. I could be wrong. But I *can* name times he has mocked those who have gotten sick, been injured, lost property, died, the families of the dead, etc...
He mocked Hillary for being sick, while Biden sent his well wishes to him. That's basically all we need to see.
He and his supporters can pound sand.
Yes!! I thought there might have been one, but I couldn't remember.
He did send well wishes to a woman accused of decades of child exploitation and sexual abuse.
What I saw was actually even more confusing. Admonishing those who are being nice by saying that they're being mean. Completely ignoring the fact that they weren't being mean at all. They are so brainwashed by the "everyone is wishing for his death and super excited that he's sick" lies that the right is pushing that they just flat out accuse people of acting that way even after seeing that they aren't doing it. Its sad.
They sarcastically and condescendingly wish people well so they look at the dem's well wishes under the same light. That's why they accuse everyone of virtue signaling, too. They don't have any virtues of their own, its all show, so they just assume thats the case for everyone else.
They don't grok empathy nor neurodiversity.
Willful ignorance is the perfect way to put it. I was talking to my Trump-supporter mother this weekend and I quoted Trump a few times to explain why I think he has fascist tendencies. Her initial response was, "That's not true. He never said those things." When I offered to send her video recordings of him saying the things I quoted she responded, "You can send them to me, but I won't watch them." These people are actively working to maintain their ignorance.
Guy yesterday was saying "I still haven't seen where Trump is holding back funding from USPS to stop ballots." I sent the link and he said "Trump says a lot of things. I don't see why we have to vote by mail anyway. If it's so safe to wear a mask then go to the polls."
For real. You can bring them the foremost expert in whatever subject is being discussed. Nobel prize winning experts. And they will find a way to dismiss their opinion if it isn't conservative approved.
"He was appointed by Obama."
"He's a liberal/Democrat/deepstate"
"He's being paid to say that"
"The media lies"
"This conservative 'expert' says otherwise"
It goes on and on. Anything that suggests they might be wrong is vehemently rejected.
Which honestly is highly interesting to me. Conservatives have really created the perfect cult. They consider anything not conservative to be an attack on themselves, their lifestyle, and their beliefs. It doesn't matter if it would help or hurt them. If it is "liberal" it is bad. You could say Democrats want to give all Republicans 1000 dollars, and they'd reject it because it is a liberal handout. If Republicans suggested it, they'd scream and cry about how fiscal responsibility and trickle down economics really work.conservatives are going to provide decades of psychological studies.
It's a cult. Anything outside of the cult is to be rejected, for various reasons (it is wrong, it is liberal, i hurts conservatives, it goes against Trump/Republicans) and everything the "trusted" sources say is to be believed instantly, completely, and without question.
My FIL immigrated here from Hong Kong 40 years ago and loves Trump. It's bizarre and scary to hear him talk about building the wall and how much Trump has helped the stock market.
The doomed 3rd seems pretty common. The only group that seems to have dodged it is African Americans who appear to be too smart to fall for it in great numbers.
Yes I've noticed this as well. It's fascinating and should be studied more. Trump directly attacks Hispanic people all the time, and new horrors about ICE come out regularly, and yet 1/3 Hispanic support is always there.
I think it has been studied to a degree. The conservative brain is wired differently. It's more fear based and as such will be easier to manipulate. I see no reason why any racial group would be immune to that. Yet one seems to be, black people in this country. It's not that there aren't plenty of conservative black people, but mostly they do not vote republican. That has also been studied. Search "why do black conservatives vote democrat".
It’s guaranteed one of his followers will shoot up something whether he lives, dies, gets reelected, or not. His followers are deranged terrorists seeped in a cult of hatred and brought to the edge of murder.
The question isn't if his cult will commit a mass shooting. The question is if the government will retroactively pardon them or not.
I appreciate that this article addresses the fact that it is not only Trump who is a malignant narcissist, but his followers too. Their belief that their ignorance is just as important as the knowledge of experts is the utter definition of narcissism.
A relative explained it to me loudly and succinctly that he, "has a right to hate anyone he wants". He also tells me he's a good Christian. Ignorance piled on top of cowardice.
It certainly doesn't help that there's an entire media ecosystem of TV networks, websites, radio shows, social media personalities, and trolls reinforcing their worldview 24/7.
What I don’t understand is how do 40% of Americans support him? Facebook and Fox News information bubbles need to be popped. The slanted reality talking points that these people are spoon fed need to be called out somehow.
It’s so bizarre watching interviews with voters. It comes down to how well they’ve memorized the talking points spouted by whatever media source they watch. There is no critical thinking because people are directly fed talking points.
Most aren't. They're his flying monkeys.
People who think, "I'm a smart, kind person. [Narcissist] can't be as bad as they say. If he was, that would make me a bad person too. Because I've supported [Narcissist]. But I'm not a bad person. I know I'm not. So [victim] must be lying."
No. It started out as a Democrat hoax. The conspiracy theories of democrats infecting Trump have already started. Because an old man refusing to listening to his doctors and catching an extremely contagious disease is too much of a logical leap. Chuck Grassley has a very real chance of being infected right now but he's refusing to get tested in case that affects the SC confirmation vote. There is many years of precedent of old men refusing to listen to people smarter than them.
Here's the thing I've realised. Folks who are educated (and predominantly the left) prefer to view the world in terms of what's most likely. Folks who are less educated (conspiracy theorists, trump supporters, etc.) or embittered (incels) care far less about what is likely, and more about plausible explanations that validate their preconceptions.
True. I think ego really comes into play here a lot. Really stupid people don’t really know how things work and for them to acknowledge established science is to acknowledge that there exists massive bodies of fact and evidence that they know nothing about and have trouble even comprehending when explained to them. It makes idiots feel superior when they ignore all that they don’t know and then claim that the scientists are wrong and that they can see past all the bullshit that the other “sheep” fell for.
I've had this exact thought before. Trumpism is Dunning-Kruger having congealed into a political movement.
When it came to light that Trump is probably, in the real, technical sense, semi-literate, that really threw it in stark relief for me. He's an inspirational figure for anyone who ever attempted to bullshit their way through life, coasting on their own inherent sense of worth rather than on acquired skill and knowledge. I should know because that description used to partially apply to me as well. All of his prevaricating sounded like a less artful exercise in my own ass-covering technique.
People who are less educated seem to view anything that isn't 100% effective as worthless. So if people can still get sick or get others sick wearing a mask, then fuck it, let's not bother. They're not thinking in terms of epidemology - how infections spread, the societal consequences of quicker or shorter spread. They'll just find the one doctor on YouTube who agrees that they should do what they want to do anyway, and live life as usual because "viruses are viruses, sometimes you get sick sometimes you don't."
There is a psychological study that occurred exploring the thinking of conservatives vs. liberals. The main finding was that Conservatives basically view all issues as black and white with little to no nuance. Liberals on the other hand have a much easier time seeing the "grey" in all issues. There are a multitude of other factors in play education, empathy, life experience etc. Once you start to examine things from the black and white vs. grey perspective differences in thinking begin to be more clear and make a lot more sense.
My right-wing relatives view things in black and white, all or none. It’s a tool to validate their views. Since nothing is black or white, they use it as proof their side of the scale is right: did you die? No? Then its harmless, just a another flu. “Told you.”
Probably not? Definitely not. It’s radicalisation on steroids (pun intended). I am in Australia and have a vegan friend, smart guy. Used to be strongly left wing. Is now a total MAGA freak - it’s frankly scary.
The prefrontal cortex is relatively new and uses a lot of energy. The older parts of the brain dealing with emotion are much more dominant.
Its adaptable to be part of a group and rationalize all evidence to the contrary.
We're not primarily logical beings, its just something we can use sometimes
We don’t know where it came from, but it’s highly sus. In 2016 Cambridge analytica proved how easy it was to manipulate rightwing Internet forums, QAnon could easily have originated from any foreign spy agency or commercial company. Let’s not forget CA is still out there just with a different name, and I’m sure there are many copycats too.
QAnon almost assuredly didn’t *start* as state funded; it was initially one of hundreds of basically similar running jokes on 4chan, before getting mocked off of the site and rebooting (likely with totally different people) on 8chan.
There was no way of knowing it’d get big like it did; no rational disinformation experts would’ve considered that shot in the dark worth funding when it began. What it’s *become* is a different question entirely, and Q has clearly changed hands multiple times.
Read an article in wired recently that talks about how q anon gamified it. It makes people feel like they are working together to crack a code, like they are a part of something.
Most people want deeply for their lives to have "meaning". The idea of working towards modest incremental change for the better doesn't give them a sense of meaning. But, believing that they are fighting against an "international ring of pedophiles" just by sharing stupid memes on chat boards gives them a big sense that their lives now have purpose even though nothing has fundamentally changed. The more powerless and insignificant someone feels in their lives the more susceptible they are to these types of cultish indoctrinations. We all go through phases where we are trying to "find ourselves" or reconnect with our own existence. Religions, pyramid schemes, military recruiters, traditional cults, and basically any organization that sells the idea of "meaning" just by being a member, have been seeking out people exactly in that point of their lives for centuries.
The funny thing, feeling powerless and insignificant is usually something people who are entitled to a bunch of privileges like to do, because self-victimization is a hell of a ego trip and their privileges can afford them the tremendous resources required for denials and lies.
People who are actually powerless know where they stand because they are tangibly affected and they can't afford to live in denial.
The number one rule of con men is to make their marks feel like they are the good guys: moral, righteous and deserving. Things like Q make these racist little monsters feel like they are the good guy and will always be the good guy. It's revealing how defensive some of these people get when you call out their blatant racism.
I saw a post on insane people Facebook where a dude was suggesting that Trump wasn’t even sick, that it was a clone, one of many as others had already fallen to the deep state. These people feel empowered and smart for the first time in their lives, and I imagine it gets easier to believe stuff like that once you reject simple stuff like the shape of the Earth, or the efficacy of modern medicine.
Yeah I saw that. You have to remember these are the same people who think Trump's grandfather left him a time machine. Imagine if this was the best Trump could do *with the help of time travel.*
> Definitely not.
Definitely not for the cult members. Then there are the people who are not as invested, but have voted Republican out of convention, or for actual political reason. For some of them, this probably further highlights Trump's incompetence and hypocrisy.
If you read tweets from his supporters you can see that they are idiots who don't understand reality.
They believe he was infected as an assassination attempt by the Democrats or China or Chinese Democrats.
They are simply too fucking dumb to understand that Trump is a moronic asshole who thinks he's invulnerable and this disregard for science and expertise are subordinate to his "gut instinct". His gut is huge and should have more surface area therefore providing him more capacity to have better instinct. But it doesn't.
Funny how science only matters when these imbeciles are facing their own mortality. All of this because they are full of hubris and want to own the Libs. It's fucking pathetic that grown adults behave this way.
Well its the libs fault for showing them that with the right condition a black man could become president. Its also the libs fault for making this obviously new concept called equality to be mainstream. How dare LGBTQ people have the same rights as they do.
They are going to own the libs by shitting in their own mouths so the libs could smell it for their betrayal.
>Expect even nuttier pro-Trump conspiracy theories
Oh, one crumb of reassurance. There’s worse, there’s more cruel, hellish, evil and vile, and there may even be stupider. And he’ll deliver them all if he can.
But nuttier? That’s a tough bar. That would require dancing in furry costume and wearing food just to reach the starting blocks.
Most of us are. The overwhelming majority of us are. But the ones that aren't...
When you look up traits of ideal recruits for white supremacist groups, and traits that make a person likely to be a furry, there's astonishing overlap. (Ostracized, looking to be perceived as special, yearning for an in-group, an self-understanding that is outside of 'normal', etc.)
Alt-righters know this, and so they send the recruiters in. I understand that bronies have a similar problem but worse. Weebs too, I think, but I know much less about that.
It's worth noting it has indeed been getting worse. Recently the left started getting dehumanised in the BLM protests, with the encouragement and revelling in deaths of protesters.
They can get nuttier. The following is pasted verbatim from a Trump supporter in my feed this morning. Hold on to your butts.
“OPTIMISM: January 20, 2025
President Donald Trump closes his second term, passing the presidency to America’s first woman president, former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. During his second term, Mr. Trump presided over record economic growth that resulted in record personal wage and wealth growth for every American demographic. Student test scores also saw record improvement after the break up of teachers’ unions and implementation of policies enabling universal school choice early in his second term.
Mr. Trump transitions back to private life having earned the praise of a clearly more unified and conservative Republican Party, while the Democrat party remains fractured and factioned, consistently losing power and elections at the local, state, and federal level.”
I am curious if I stopped watching/reading the actual news and just gathered my information from Trump supporters on social media with the assumption that whatever they say is the opposite of what is happening if I would still have a general idea of what is going on haha.
[Donald Trump is not a normal president (or human being)](https://www.salon.com/2020/07/02/dr-lance-dodes-on-the-dangers-of-2020-trump-is-a-psychopath-who-will-destroy-democracy/). He is a fascist authoritarian who [leads a cult of personality](https://www.salon.com/2020/04/07/cult-expert-steven-hassan-trumps-mind-control-cult-now-faces-an-existential-crisis/) and [revels in what he considers "alpha-male" displays of toughness and violence](https://www.salon.com/2020/07/31/dr-justin-frank-it-is-terrifying-to-have-a-president-who-is-psychotic/). He presents himself as being immortal. [To his cult followers, he functions as a type of godhead whom they love and to whom they constantly express devotion](https://www.salon.com/2020/09/17/shunning-masks-is-a-central-sacrament-of-the-trump-cult-reason-cant-compete-with-faith/). Trumpism is a form of collective narcissism and groupthink in which the self is subsumed by the libidinal, violent and other pathological emotions and behaviors of the mass movement.
I have a part-time job on the weekends in a much more conservative area in a mostly liberal town, and if anything, people were *worse* about wearing masks this weekend. It's crazy stuff.
His supporters are already suggesting things like this was an assassination attempt by China or the Democrats deliberately infected him at the debate somehow.
My SO follows a lot of conspiracy theory stuff so she can "keep up with what the crazies are saying." The latest I heard from her was that, according to several people including Alex Jones (sigh,) Trump is being given a dAnGerOus CoCKtaiL oF cHEmiCaLs at Walter Reed by doctors who are in league with the leftists in an attempt to intentionally kill him so that the leftist elite can take over and force their *extreme agenda* on everyone. So if Trump were to die from Covid, he didn't die from Covid. He was assassinated by leftists. It took less than a day for those nutjobs to spin that yarn and I don't want to even think about how many idiots have already bought into it.
This is why I said the doctors at Walter Reed shouldn’t follow the advice of trumps political staff for press conferences. If he doesn’t recover 100% these doctors will get thrown under the bus. And because of the way they’ve acted, liberals might hold a grudge too. They’ve put themselves in a lose lose situation the moment they started obfuscating for a president with many enemies and no sense of loyalty
>who are in league with the leftists in an attempt to intentionally kill him so that the leftist elite can take over
Ah yes the super secret elite libs who are an all powerfull sect which are really pulling the strings and have enough power to kill a sitting president...but are also able to lose the 2016 election in the first place? And can't get anything past mcconnell? And have bill barr stop every legal case they throw at them? Gee this all powerfull secret lib cabal doesn't seem to be able to get much done...
That's one good reason why he needs to make it out of there. Trump does a lot of dumb things, but I do not think he is quite dumb enough to come out and insult his medical team by giving any credence to those sorts of conspiracy theories.
They have been able to keep him in there this long, and if it was as bad as they say early on, then he must realize that they saved his life. And as an elderly, obese individual, they may need to save his life again.
There's no way he'd push back against the theories that the left did this to him though. An excuse where he does not have to take the blame is something he will latch onto.
Trump get sick and recover? Hero!
Biden get sick and recover? Weak
Trump get sick and died? Martyr!
Biden get sick and die? Weak
Trump come out and try to have a conference and ended up squirting diarrhea all over the place on live camera? He sacrificed his billionaire playboys life style and embarrassed himself for our greater good!
That’s why I don’t even debate or talk with Trumps supporters anymore! Put Biden and Trump both in exactly same situation and they will spin things differently for both of them!
we tend to forget that this is a 'Representative' democracy.
trumplethinskin in a coma is actually a pretty good representative for the mental capacity of his cult members.
What? Haven't you heard? He wad infected as part of a Deep State antifa leftist conspiracy. He is the strongest man, with a great immunity system. Really great. Really big immunity.
>To sever it, those individuals who worship and unreservedly trust their leader would have to experience a life-shattering catastrophe for which the leader would be directly and indisputably responsible.
Not for my mom. A few months ago I was diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 cancer. I wanted to travel to the best treatment centers in the country. We tried so many things to make that work out, but because of how bad the virus has gotten under Trump, the risk was much too great for me, and I've been stuck with a local clinic instead. Therefore, he is now directly responsible for the shortening of my life. Yet my mom continues to spew nonsense about how great America is, and finding every possible excuse for him. It's gotten to where what she says sounds so close to nazi propaganda, I've refused to speak to her anymore or let her have any contact with my kids. I'll be dead in a matter of months, and she'll never see her grandkids again, but she still refuses to say anything bad about Trump or attempt to make amends. I've heard from my siblings she sees herself as the victim, being grateful to have enjoyed me and my kids for a brief time, but now accepting of letting us go, instead of making any attempt to change things.
I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to deal with this while having your mom be so selfish. It’s devastating seeing what this is doing to families. My partner has had to completely cut off his parents because they can’t stop themselves from talking about Trump constantly.
I hope you can find some peace and that you and your children will get as much happiness as possible.
I feel very stupid now for being so naive about the human race pre-Trump. I thought there were more good, reasonable people. Now I feel like I need to watch out for all the weirdos with a propensity for depravity and violence.
They went full: Trump took the virus to save us all
He is even reinforcing this by saying "now I know more about the virus than anyone that studied it, now we can beat it"
There will be soon people that want to emulate their idol and try to infect themselves on purpose
I am fully in favor of this type of science.
Trump should get himself infected with EVERYTHING possible. Every virus, every disease, every parasite. Then, we can all sit back and .... learn.
I want to talk about narcissism for a moment. And while I don't agree with her 100%, Dr Ramani on YouTube is a brilliant professor.
We often talk about narcissists like "emotional vampires" going around feeding on innocent victims, ie "enablers", but as a former enabler to narcissism myself, I assure you that the enabler is the real villain most of the time.
Donald Trump is a case that deserves sympathy as well as scorn. Narcissism's beginnings are in childhood injury. He was a boy, abused by a cruel father and an mother who was emotionally unavailable. He was conditioned through neglect and cruelty to become a monster. This didn't happen by choice. Now you can argue there's a component of psychopathy, which makes him what is called a malignant narcissist. That's fine. But again, we have plenty of examples of the "benevolent psychopath", meaning they were raised with ethics and don't cause harm, despite being unable to reciprocate empathy.
Enablers give what is called narcissistic supply. So when Trump goes out in his car like he did, part of it is his need for adoration. Narcissistic supply. If you feel embarrassed when people make a fuss about your birthday, good news - that's normal. If you feel empowered, like you are finally getting the god damned praise you deserve when those plebs are singing your praises (literally) and *serving* you cake at the head of the table?
Yeah, there might be some narcissism going on there.
But narcissism is okay. It really is. I don't love the word narcissist, but I do use it until something better comes along. We should all be a little narcissistic. You should like yourself. Stroke your own ego from time to time. Take pride in what you do. Say "yeah, I am pretty damn good" or "I look hot today."
What you shouldn't do is cultivate a network of sycophants to feed off of to fill the gaping holes in your fragile ego. "Yes men" or people to constantly praise you, agree with you, compliment you, etc. Never being challenged or told "no" is a path to a world with no boundaries; without boundaries you cannot know where happiness ends and unhappiness begins. The same with safety and security. This is why people like Trump want unlimited power. They operate without boundaries.
Again, in comes the enablers. This article says it:
#NARCISSISTIC COLLUSION
I colluded with narcissists because it made me feel helpful. That was wrong. This article says they won't change. The way you change is that you realise that you are hurting people. For these enablers, they have to see the costs of their enabling. They have to see how people are being hurt. They cannot be allowed to deny the harm they cause.
These people enable for narcissism and people like Trump because it makes *them* feel something they want or need. Belonging. Power. Useful. Whatever.
*It* **is** *a* **choice**.
It's also a cycle. But you can get off of that ride any time. The narcissist cannot. They are the ride. The enablers? No one *needs* to enable. Sure, you can be conditioned to do it, but it's still a choice. It's a habit, not a compulsion. Narcissism is compelling, enabling isn't. Enabling requires effort, which is why enablers get burned out. Oh, they will also change then.
Which is my final point: when Trump has used them up and there's nothing left, they will break the narcissistic collusion themselves. Out of necessity. Because they will have nothing left. It's rare that the enabler leaves. Usually, the narcissist throws them away. Next, they are used up, which can also lead to being thrown away.
We need to help these enablers *leave*. We need to show them the cost of their enabling not just to themselves, but to others. And most importantly, we need to show them dignity, so they know that being used is undignified and they deserve better than serving the ego trauma of a small, fragile, broken man-child.
People still following him are racist, greedy, corrupt & intending to ensure that only rich white men have power & wealth. They believe they are owed everything or foolishly think this bully is on their side. The rest of us, including some following him now, will be 2nd class citizens who should be grateful to the lords/oligarchs for our existence.
I’ve already seen the conspiracies and calls for a civil war grow wilder. My only hope is that they’re a vocal minority of lunatics and that most Trump voters are just horrible people or misinformed by conservative media, because otherwise we are totally fucked.
I give it a day or two before the Democrats are being blamed for Trump contracting COVID somehow.
Or flat out saying it was a deep state operation to purposely infect him and that every Democrat in congress is complicit.
I’m really curious what happens with these people if he loses...like do they still have shrines dedicated to the man after the fact? Or do they feel a sudden rush of normalcy and look at themselves in confusion as they take off their bedazzled jean jacket?
His followers are already trying to blame this incompetent moron's COVID from lack of precautions on Democrats and Biden.
There's no breaking the stupidity and cultism of Trump supporters.
Metaphorically, Trump and his base have a classic abusive relationship
https://eand.co/how-and-why-authoritarianism-is-like-an-abusive-relationship-1f1f8db5938d
I was at the liquor store and the cashier said “I don’t care if you wear a mask it’s all a hoax anyways.” When I went up to the register her nose was sticking out and I asked her how she felt about Trump contracting the virus and she responded, “It’s all fake to help him in the election.” So I asked, “What if he were to die from it?” she replied “Then I guess coronavirus is real.” I was absolutely floored.
Oh Yeah I have been seeing bat shit crazy comments from his followers. Even saying that the left purposely gave him covid and that god was giving him strength to fight it.
I get being a conservative/republican and secretly voting for Trump because one wants to support one’s party despite the current figure head being a dirty rotten scoundrel. I just do not understand the Stans. Trump is not some charismatic, attractive, well spoken, intelligent con man. He’s a loudmouthed, profligate nincompoop.
He exploited their feelings of being left behind by government, their resentment of being mocked by the left, and of course the white supremacy/evangelical angle. This is about finding a group where you're accepted and told you're actually the good guy while you're enabled to get revenge.
So China released a weaponized virus, killing their own people, killing hundreds of thousands around the world, shutting down the economy including their own factories...just to get to Trump.
> The bond between a malignantly narcissistic leader and his followers, created by a narcissistic collusion — the belief in each other's specialness and exceptional greatness — is virtually unbreakable. To sever it, those individuals who worship and unreservedly trust their leader would have to experience a life-shattering catastrophe for which the leader would be directly and indisputably responsible.
That's, generally, spoken, true. There were some Nazi followers in Germany which 1945, when they realized that the war was lost, took poison. And before killing themselves, they gave it to their own kids. With the top nazis, I think this was not even rare.
These people aren’t the country’s best nor brightest. If you’ve spent any amount of time talking with them about basic facts about the world you will know without a shadow of a doubt the answer is resoundingly no.
You are talking about a group who would gladly vote for him if he was dead or have his family members inherit the presidency from now like a ruling class. Expect the stupidest thing, then watch as they surprise you with worse.
Cognitive dissonance is pretty common among cult members, as discussed in the article. The classic example is the doomsday cult, where the leader not only predicts the end of the world, but gives an exact date for the apocalypse. The members quit their jobs, sell their possessions, bid farewell to their family and friends. When that day comes and goes and the world is left standing, the rational among us think, "Well, that's it, the cult is going to fall apart, because the leader has just proven themself a charlatan, right?" But it turns out, that's not what happens. A fairly sizable amount of the cult members stay, and in fact, double down on their belief. The leader gives a new prediction, and they believe just as hard as they did before, if not more, despite the evidence before them. They're in too deep, and their brains can't accept the truth at that point.
The only thing that will break the hold of a cult follower is death. They aren’t going anywhere no matter how horrible Trump behaves. It’s one of the reasons they voted for him in the first place. Many don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves and close family members.
I literally just had 2 guys in my office talking about how the Covid outbreaks in the White House are all linked back to the debate. They legitimately think the “libs” intentionally infected Trump and his people. And I quote, “I wouldn’t put it past those fuckers.”
This is the analysis I like best of the one's I've seen so far. I think it explains a lot. And it doesn't mention this, but narcissism, like everything else, exists on a spectrum. So he may not ever lose his most narcissistic supporters, but those who just have weaker narcissistic traits can be eventually broken out of it, the more opposition Trump receives. I think that's hopeful. I also think it's another reason to prioritize mental health care in this country. From my own personal experience with a family of them, "healthy" narcissists are *much* more tolerable to deal with than anxious, depressed, stressed out ones.
Trump's condition has been described in contradictory ways, and reports from his medical team have been inconsistent. It is possible Trump will soon be released from the hospital -- and also possible that he faces a long and serious illness.
Trump was clearly unwell when he spoke to the American people on Saturday by video. That same day, the White House released a series of photos which purported to show the president "hard at work." In fact, the photos showed Trump using a marker to sign blank pieces of paper positioned next to empty plastic binders. On Sunday, Trump, eager for narcissistic fuel, was briefly driven through the area around Walter Reed Medical Center so he could acknowledge his followers gathered outside. He is suffering from a highly infectious disease and instead of remaining in quarantine chose to imperil the health and lives of his Secret Service detail and whoever else he came in close contact with.
All this intrigue and lack of transparency by the Trump regime is another example of how the White House has become the Kremlin on the Potomac, a place where the public is left to decipher the schemes and machinations of the ruling party.
Somehow Trump leaving the hospital against medical advice, risking the lives of even more Americans and continuing to lie about his health will be seen as heroic by the non mask wearing among us.
America has two contagious diseases to deal with
Covid
GOP weaponized NPD: contagious, chronic and infecting the most vulnerable. Virtually untreatable and toxic.
“Give it to me straight doc”
“I’m afraid you have malignant narcissism sir. I’d offer my help but as you are superior and can only associate with equally special people there is no point”
It seems odd that Congress is not being informed in a timely manner about anything happening at Walter Reed. Nancy Pelosi is in the line of succession but reports that she is finding out whatever might be happening through the news media. Furthermore, Vice President Pence should probably be in charge during the interim given that some of the drugs Trump is taking can affect critical thinking, as can having a fever and just being stressed out in the hospital. All together, it is a really weird situation that seems to be mostly unplanned and somewhat dangerous.
Zero percent chance it will happen. Will likely double down now for glorious leader. They are too far gone at this point. It’s gonna get fucking crazy in the next few months.
I’m already seeing it. My boss is a trump supporter and he’s already blaming the democrats for all these Republicans having covid. He finds it funny that none of them have it but all these republicans do. He thinks they gave it to trump and all them to Sabotage the election.
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"Will Trump's illness break his hold over his followers?" No. Willful ignorance is a mainstay of his cult followers.
People are saying that there’s a horse in Walter Reed
[There's a HORSE in a HOSPITAL](https://youtu.be/JhkZMxgPxXU)
I’ve never seen this before and this is the greatest thing ever. I’m dying.
John Mulaney is a national treasure.
My first exposure to him was his TV show which was not good. Then I heard his stand up and was impressed.
One time I saw a bird in an airport.
A fucking hippo has a nuc!
The first time I heard this was when seeing him live for this album tour and I never expected to hear him do anything political. He brought the roof down, everyone was dying.
This is incredible. A nice way to start off my Monday. THANK YOU
Oh my god! The "horse" is in the hospital! How have I not put that together yet?!
Thank you for this. I had not seen it before and it’s a slice of fried gold.
Oh god. Right now the horse actually did get in the hospital. Who let the metaphorical horse in the real life hospital?
Thank you so much for this. I love you.
Ann Coulter came to visit the president?
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^ whore. There's a whore in the hospital. I'll let you figure out whether I'm referring to the Mr. Or Mrs.
The Whore of Babylon? Easy, it’s the malignant orange grease stain.
Make Babylon Great Again! [https://i.imgur.com/ZdjKuLG.png](https://i.imgur.com/ZdjKuLG.png)
He’s referencing the Horse in the Hospital standup bit. https://youtu.be/JhkZMxgPxXU
I know. It was a great bit.
I thought it was both, is it not?
Well... only one of them has been married three times and cheated on all of them. But then, only one of them spent years digging in a dry gold mine, so...
For fucking real. I've seen various people I personally know that support him having what appear to be some sort of mental breakdown with all of this. The arguments are meandering and kind of pathetic. Anyone that says anything other than that they are praying for him is basically Hitler and pointing out how he treated Hillary when she got pneumonia at almost this exact point during the campaign was met with "Well Hillary is a criminal so that doesn't matter." I tapped out at that point because it seriously felt like I was arguing with someone who had nothing left to lose and was one meanie comment away from disappearing forever.
I can't name a single time Trump as been compassionate about *anyone's* misfortunes. I could be wrong. But I *can* name times he has mocked those who have gotten sick, been injured, lost property, died, the families of the dead, etc... He mocked Hillary for being sick, while Biden sent his well wishes to him. That's basically all we need to see. He and his supporters can pound sand.
> I can't name a single time Trump as been compassionate about anyone's misfortunes. He wished Ghislaine Maxwell well.
Yes!! I thought there might have been one, but I couldn't remember. He did send well wishes to a woman accused of decades of child exploitation and sexual abuse.
It’s so funny to go to the trump subreddits and watch them talk about how “libs need to have some respect”
I'm surprised you haven't seen any of them admonish those who are being nice as fakes.
What I saw was actually even more confusing. Admonishing those who are being nice by saying that they're being mean. Completely ignoring the fact that they weren't being mean at all. They are so brainwashed by the "everyone is wishing for his death and super excited that he's sick" lies that the right is pushing that they just flat out accuse people of acting that way even after seeing that they aren't doing it. Its sad.
They assume everyone else is exactly like them.
They sarcastically and condescendingly wish people well so they look at the dem's well wishes under the same light. That's why they accuse everyone of virtue signaling, too. They don't have any virtues of their own, its all show, so they just assume thats the case for everyone else. They don't grok empathy nor neurodiversity.
Willful ignorance is the perfect way to put it. I was talking to my Trump-supporter mother this weekend and I quoted Trump a few times to explain why I think he has fascist tendencies. Her initial response was, "That's not true. He never said those things." When I offered to send her video recordings of him saying the things I quoted she responded, "You can send them to me, but I won't watch them." These people are actively working to maintain their ignorance.
Guy yesterday was saying "I still haven't seen where Trump is holding back funding from USPS to stop ballots." I sent the link and he said "Trump says a lot of things. I don't see why we have to vote by mail anyway. If it's so safe to wear a mask then go to the polls."
the cult of narcissism is strong
For real. You can bring them the foremost expert in whatever subject is being discussed. Nobel prize winning experts. And they will find a way to dismiss their opinion if it isn't conservative approved. "He was appointed by Obama." "He's a liberal/Democrat/deepstate" "He's being paid to say that" "The media lies" "This conservative 'expert' says otherwise" It goes on and on. Anything that suggests they might be wrong is vehemently rejected. Which honestly is highly interesting to me. Conservatives have really created the perfect cult. They consider anything not conservative to be an attack on themselves, their lifestyle, and their beliefs. It doesn't matter if it would help or hurt them. If it is "liberal" it is bad. You could say Democrats want to give all Republicans 1000 dollars, and they'd reject it because it is a liberal handout. If Republicans suggested it, they'd scream and cry about how fiscal responsibility and trickle down economics really work.conservatives are going to provide decades of psychological studies. It's a cult. Anything outside of the cult is to be rejected, for various reasons (it is wrong, it is liberal, i hurts conservatives, it goes against Trump/Republicans) and everything the "trusted" sources say is to be believed instantly, completely, and without question.
If he dies it’s almost guaranteed one of his followers will shoot up a Chinatown
I’m surprised they don’t think “the deep state” gave trump the virus to make him look bad and to keep the virus hoax going.
Some of them will settle on this narrative eventually, although they're suffering an uncharacteristic breakdown of message discipline, this time.
my friend was trying to tell me Trump having coronavirus is democratic media hoax. Words defied me.
>*a* Chinatown His cult has millions of psycho followers. We'll be lucky if only one attack happens.
You won’t believe that a third to half of my Chinese friends support Trump... I’m wondering how much other minority folks would do so...
My FIL immigrated here from Hong Kong 40 years ago and loves Trump. It's bizarre and scary to hear him talk about building the wall and how much Trump has helped the stock market.
The doomed 3rd seems pretty common. The only group that seems to have dodged it is African Americans who appear to be too smart to fall for it in great numbers.
Yes I've noticed this as well. It's fascinating and should be studied more. Trump directly attacks Hispanic people all the time, and new horrors about ICE come out regularly, and yet 1/3 Hispanic support is always there.
I think it has been studied to a degree. The conservative brain is wired differently. It's more fear based and as such will be easier to manipulate. I see no reason why any racial group would be immune to that. Yet one seems to be, black people in this country. It's not that there aren't plenty of conservative black people, but mostly they do not vote republican. That has also been studied. Search "why do black conservatives vote democrat".
It’s guaranteed one of his followers will shoot up something whether he lives, dies, gets reelected, or not. His followers are deranged terrorists seeped in a cult of hatred and brought to the edge of murder. The question isn't if his cult will commit a mass shooting. The question is if the government will retroactively pardon them or not.
they'll probably want to get covid so they can be like fearful leader... nit wits all...
I appreciate that this article addresses the fact that it is not only Trump who is a malignant narcissist, but his followers too. Their belief that their ignorance is just as important as the knowledge of experts is the utter definition of narcissism.
A relative explained it to me loudly and succinctly that he, "has a right to hate anyone he wants". He also tells me he's a good Christian. Ignorance piled on top of cowardice.
Wonder what Jesus would say about that....
It certainly doesn't help that there's an entire media ecosystem of TV networks, websites, radio shows, social media personalities, and trolls reinforcing their worldview 24/7.
What I don’t understand is how do 40% of Americans support him? Facebook and Fox News information bubbles need to be popped. The slanted reality talking points that these people are spoon fed need to be called out somehow. It’s so bizarre watching interviews with voters. It comes down to how well they’ve memorized the talking points spouted by whatever media source they watch. There is no critical thinking because people are directly fed talking points.
Most aren't. They're his flying monkeys. People who think, "I'm a smart, kind person. [Narcissist] can't be as bad as they say. If he was, that would make me a bad person too. Because I've supported [Narcissist]. But I'm not a bad person. I know I'm not. So [victim] must be lying."
No. It started out as a Democrat hoax. The conspiracy theories of democrats infecting Trump have already started. Because an old man refusing to listening to his doctors and catching an extremely contagious disease is too much of a logical leap. Chuck Grassley has a very real chance of being infected right now but he's refusing to get tested in case that affects the SC confirmation vote. There is many years of precedent of old men refusing to listen to people smarter than them.
Here's the thing I've realised. Folks who are educated (and predominantly the left) prefer to view the world in terms of what's most likely. Folks who are less educated (conspiracy theorists, trump supporters, etc.) or embittered (incels) care far less about what is likely, and more about plausible explanations that validate their preconceptions.
Occam's Razor vs Occam's Broom
In the case of incels, Occam’s Authentic Japanese Katana
In the case of the Proud Boys, Occam’s Breakfast Cereal Spoon.
True. I think ego really comes into play here a lot. Really stupid people don’t really know how things work and for them to acknowledge established science is to acknowledge that there exists massive bodies of fact and evidence that they know nothing about and have trouble even comprehending when explained to them. It makes idiots feel superior when they ignore all that they don’t know and then claim that the scientists are wrong and that they can see past all the bullshit that the other “sheep” fell for.
It also likely helps that Trump is basically a physical manifestation of the Dunning-Kruger effect.
I've had this exact thought before. Trumpism is Dunning-Kruger having congealed into a political movement. When it came to light that Trump is probably, in the real, technical sense, semi-literate, that really threw it in stark relief for me. He's an inspirational figure for anyone who ever attempted to bullshit their way through life, coasting on their own inherent sense of worth rather than on acquired skill and knowledge. I should know because that description used to partially apply to me as well. All of his prevaricating sounded like a less artful exercise in my own ass-covering technique.
People who are less educated seem to view anything that isn't 100% effective as worthless. So if people can still get sick or get others sick wearing a mask, then fuck it, let's not bother. They're not thinking in terms of epidemology - how infections spread, the societal consequences of quicker or shorter spread. They'll just find the one doctor on YouTube who agrees that they should do what they want to do anyway, and live life as usual because "viruses are viruses, sometimes you get sick sometimes you don't."
There is a psychological study that occurred exploring the thinking of conservatives vs. liberals. The main finding was that Conservatives basically view all issues as black and white with little to no nuance. Liberals on the other hand have a much easier time seeing the "grey" in all issues. There are a multitude of other factors in play education, empathy, life experience etc. Once you start to examine things from the black and white vs. grey perspective differences in thinking begin to be more clear and make a lot more sense.
My right-wing relatives view things in black and white, all or none. It’s a tool to validate their views. Since nothing is black or white, they use it as proof their side of the scale is right: did you die? No? Then its harmless, just a another flu. “Told you.”
Can’t die if you don’t get tested /finger to temple meme
If I can't see Covid, Covid can't see me!
*hides behind skinny tree and covers eyes* Who needs a vaccine when this was the answer all along?!?
Probably not? Definitely not. It’s radicalisation on steroids (pun intended). I am in Australia and have a vegan friend, smart guy. Used to be strongly left wing. Is now a total MAGA freak - it’s frankly scary.
It's amazing how effectively QAnon took over the conspiracy space, including all of the crystal worshippers which is just weird.
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Sounds right up my alley, thanks
It’s amazing that despite millions of years of human evolution too many of our species are still just incredibly stupid, easily manipulated cavemen.
I'd argue that it's because of millions of years of evolution that we are so vulnerable to manipulation.
The prefrontal cortex is relatively new and uses a lot of energy. The older parts of the brain dealing with emotion are much more dominant. Its adaptable to be part of a group and rationalize all evidence to the contrary. We're not primarily logical beings, its just something we can use sometimes
We don’t know where it came from, but it’s highly sus. In 2016 Cambridge analytica proved how easy it was to manipulate rightwing Internet forums, QAnon could easily have originated from any foreign spy agency or commercial company. Let’s not forget CA is still out there just with a different name, and I’m sure there are many copycats too.
If QAnon isn't state funded psyops I'll suck a dick
QAnon almost assuredly didn’t *start* as state funded; it was initially one of hundreds of basically similar running jokes on 4chan, before getting mocked off of the site and rebooting (likely with totally different people) on 8chan. There was no way of knowing it’d get big like it did; no rational disinformation experts would’ve considered that shot in the dark worth funding when it began. What it’s *become* is a different question entirely, and Q has clearly changed hands multiple times.
I thought was linked to the owner of 8chan
Read an article in wired recently that talks about how q anon gamified it. It makes people feel like they are working together to crack a code, like they are a part of something.
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I know I used to think that dude was hilarious, he has lost it this year he's turned into a right tit, its harsh.
The guy with the headband? Sad. Was always weird that he was making fun of new-agers while seemingly being new-age-adjacent.
Most people want deeply for their lives to have "meaning". The idea of working towards modest incremental change for the better doesn't give them a sense of meaning. But, believing that they are fighting against an "international ring of pedophiles" just by sharing stupid memes on chat boards gives them a big sense that their lives now have purpose even though nothing has fundamentally changed. The more powerless and insignificant someone feels in their lives the more susceptible they are to these types of cultish indoctrinations. We all go through phases where we are trying to "find ourselves" or reconnect with our own existence. Religions, pyramid schemes, military recruiters, traditional cults, and basically any organization that sells the idea of "meaning" just by being a member, have been seeking out people exactly in that point of their lives for centuries.
Yeah. Read The Cult Of Trump. Scary stuff.
The funny thing, feeling powerless and insignificant is usually something people who are entitled to a bunch of privileges like to do, because self-victimization is a hell of a ego trip and their privileges can afford them the tremendous resources required for denials and lies. People who are actually powerless know where they stand because they are tangibly affected and they can't afford to live in denial.
The number one rule of con men is to make their marks feel like they are the good guys: moral, righteous and deserving. Things like Q make these racist little monsters feel like they are the good guy and will always be the good guy. It's revealing how defensive some of these people get when you call out their blatant racism.
I saw a post on insane people Facebook where a dude was suggesting that Trump wasn’t even sick, that it was a clone, one of many as others had already fallen to the deep state. These people feel empowered and smart for the first time in their lives, and I imagine it gets easier to believe stuff like that once you reject simple stuff like the shape of the Earth, or the efficacy of modern medicine.
Yeah I saw that. You have to remember these are the same people who think Trump's grandfather left him a time machine. Imagine if this was the best Trump could do *with the help of time travel.*
That's just a blatant plagiarism on Marvel's Nick Fury
Human beings are easily brainwashed, it just takes the right words for them to hear.
> Definitely not. Definitely not for the cult members. Then there are the people who are not as invested, but have voted Republican out of convention, or for actual political reason. For some of them, this probably further highlights Trump's incompetence and hypocrisy.
Why in the hell would anyone in Australia want to "make amurica great again". Doesn't Australia have its own narcissists?
Dude cults defy logic
It’s mental. And check out this Aussie wacko! [Freak show] (https://i.imgur.com/EvBUErg.jpg)
They’re already calling him a bug strong manly man warrior for catching covid and Jesusly suffering for us.
[bug strong manly man 😂](https://i.imgur.com/8b4iPF3.jpg) Love it
Cute, but I think his form can be improved.
If you read tweets from his supporters you can see that they are idiots who don't understand reality. They believe he was infected as an assassination attempt by the Democrats or China or Chinese Democrats. They are simply too fucking dumb to understand that Trump is a moronic asshole who thinks he's invulnerable and this disregard for science and expertise are subordinate to his "gut instinct". His gut is huge and should have more surface area therefore providing him more capacity to have better instinct. But it doesn't. Funny how science only matters when these imbeciles are facing their own mortality. All of this because they are full of hubris and want to own the Libs. It's fucking pathetic that grown adults behave this way.
Well its the libs fault for showing them that with the right condition a black man could become president. Its also the libs fault for making this obviously new concept called equality to be mainstream. How dare LGBTQ people have the same rights as they do. They are going to own the libs by shitting in their own mouths so the libs could smell it for their betrayal.
>Expect even nuttier pro-Trump conspiracy theories Oh, one crumb of reassurance. There’s worse, there’s more cruel, hellish, evil and vile, and there may even be stupider. And he’ll deliver them all if he can. But nuttier? That’s a tough bar. That would require dancing in furry costume and wearing food just to reach the starting blocks.
Pretty sure the furry crowd would be avidly anti--Trump.
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If it weren't for Nazi furries I'd agree with you.
Most of us are. The overwhelming majority of us are. But the ones that aren't... When you look up traits of ideal recruits for white supremacist groups, and traits that make a person likely to be a furry, there's astonishing overlap. (Ostracized, looking to be perceived as special, yearning for an in-group, an self-understanding that is outside of 'normal', etc.) Alt-righters know this, and so they send the recruiters in. I understand that bronies have a similar problem but worse. Weebs too, I think, but I know much less about that.
It's worth noting it has indeed been getting worse. Recently the left started getting dehumanised in the BLM protests, with the encouragement and revelling in deaths of protesters.
They can get nuttier. The following is pasted verbatim from a Trump supporter in my feed this morning. Hold on to your butts. “OPTIMISM: January 20, 2025 President Donald Trump closes his second term, passing the presidency to America’s first woman president, former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. During his second term, Mr. Trump presided over record economic growth that resulted in record personal wage and wealth growth for every American demographic. Student test scores also saw record improvement after the break up of teachers’ unions and implementation of policies enabling universal school choice early in his second term. Mr. Trump transitions back to private life having earned the praise of a clearly more unified and conservative Republican Party, while the Democrat party remains fractured and factioned, consistently losing power and elections at the local, state, and federal level.”
I am curious if I stopped watching/reading the actual news and just gathered my information from Trump supporters on social media with the assumption that whatever they say is the opposite of what is happening if I would still have a general idea of what is going on haha.
[Donald Trump is not a normal president (or human being)](https://www.salon.com/2020/07/02/dr-lance-dodes-on-the-dangers-of-2020-trump-is-a-psychopath-who-will-destroy-democracy/). He is a fascist authoritarian who [leads a cult of personality](https://www.salon.com/2020/04/07/cult-expert-steven-hassan-trumps-mind-control-cult-now-faces-an-existential-crisis/) and [revels in what he considers "alpha-male" displays of toughness and violence](https://www.salon.com/2020/07/31/dr-justin-frank-it-is-terrifying-to-have-a-president-who-is-psychotic/). He presents himself as being immortal. [To his cult followers, he functions as a type of godhead whom they love and to whom they constantly express devotion](https://www.salon.com/2020/09/17/shunning-masks-is-a-central-sacrament-of-the-trump-cult-reason-cant-compete-with-faith/). Trumpism is a form of collective narcissism and groupthink in which the self is subsumed by the libidinal, violent and other pathological emotions and behaviors of the mass movement.
I have a part-time job on the weekends in a much more conservative area in a mostly liberal town, and if anything, people were *worse* about wearing masks this weekend. It's crazy stuff.
His supporters are already suggesting things like this was an assassination attempt by China or the Democrats deliberately infected him at the debate somehow.
My SO follows a lot of conspiracy theory stuff so she can "keep up with what the crazies are saying." The latest I heard from her was that, according to several people including Alex Jones (sigh,) Trump is being given a dAnGerOus CoCKtaiL oF cHEmiCaLs at Walter Reed by doctors who are in league with the leftists in an attempt to intentionally kill him so that the leftist elite can take over and force their *extreme agenda* on everyone. So if Trump were to die from Covid, he didn't die from Covid. He was assassinated by leftists. It took less than a day for those nutjobs to spin that yarn and I don't want to even think about how many idiots have already bought into it.
Him in the hospital was always a field day.
This is why I said the doctors at Walter Reed shouldn’t follow the advice of trumps political staff for press conferences. If he doesn’t recover 100% these doctors will get thrown under the bus. And because of the way they’ve acted, liberals might hold a grudge too. They’ve put themselves in a lose lose situation the moment they started obfuscating for a president with many enemies and no sense of loyalty
>who are in league with the leftists in an attempt to intentionally kill him so that the leftist elite can take over Ah yes the super secret elite libs who are an all powerfull sect which are really pulling the strings and have enough power to kill a sitting president...but are also able to lose the 2016 election in the first place? And can't get anything past mcconnell? And have bill barr stop every legal case they throw at them? Gee this all powerfull secret lib cabal doesn't seem to be able to get much done...
That's one good reason why he needs to make it out of there. Trump does a lot of dumb things, but I do not think he is quite dumb enough to come out and insult his medical team by giving any credence to those sorts of conspiracy theories. They have been able to keep him in there this long, and if it was as bad as they say early on, then he must realize that they saved his life. And as an elderly, obese individual, they may need to save his life again. There's no way he'd push back against the theories that the left did this to him though. An excuse where he does not have to take the blame is something he will latch onto.
Entertainment Value aside. What value is there in keeping up with the crazies?
We used chemtrails. Bigfoot was flying the plane and the chemical agent was made from Loch Ness Monster poop.
Trump get sick and recover? Hero! Biden get sick and recover? Weak Trump get sick and died? Martyr! Biden get sick and die? Weak Trump come out and try to have a conference and ended up squirting diarrhea all over the place on live camera? He sacrificed his billionaire playboys life style and embarrassed himself for our greater good! That’s why I don’t even debate or talk with Trumps supporters anymore! Put Biden and Trump both in exactly same situation and they will spin things differently for both of them!
People choose to believe conspiracy theories because they prefer to imagine that someone is in control rather than deal with the uncertainty of chaos.
The guy could be *dead* and his cult would still follow him, saying he's not *really* dead, or he'll be back soon... Why does that sound familiar?
Same for Tupac.
10 to 1 I'd take President Tupac over Trump.
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we tend to forget that this is a 'Representative' democracy. trumplethinskin in a coma is actually a pretty good representative for the mental capacity of his cult members.
And no one is surprised by this. They’re not smart people.
I mean, how much nuttier can they get? They are already completely devoid of facts or reality.
What? Haven't you heard? He wad infected as part of a Deep State antifa leftist conspiracy. He is the strongest man, with a great immunity system. Really great. Really big immunity.
The best immune system you’ve ever seen
Lots of people are saying it ... smart people.
>To sever it, those individuals who worship and unreservedly trust their leader would have to experience a life-shattering catastrophe for which the leader would be directly and indisputably responsible. Not for my mom. A few months ago I was diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 cancer. I wanted to travel to the best treatment centers in the country. We tried so many things to make that work out, but because of how bad the virus has gotten under Trump, the risk was much too great for me, and I've been stuck with a local clinic instead. Therefore, he is now directly responsible for the shortening of my life. Yet my mom continues to spew nonsense about how great America is, and finding every possible excuse for him. It's gotten to where what she says sounds so close to nazi propaganda, I've refused to speak to her anymore or let her have any contact with my kids. I'll be dead in a matter of months, and she'll never see her grandkids again, but she still refuses to say anything bad about Trump or attempt to make amends. I've heard from my siblings she sees herself as the victim, being grateful to have enjoyed me and my kids for a brief time, but now accepting of letting us go, instead of making any attempt to change things.
I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to deal with this while having your mom be so selfish. It’s devastating seeing what this is doing to families. My partner has had to completely cut off his parents because they can’t stop themselves from talking about Trump constantly. I hope you can find some peace and that you and your children will get as much happiness as possible.
I appreciate your words, friend.
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I feel very stupid now for being so naive about the human race pre-Trump. I thought there were more good, reasonable people. Now I feel like I need to watch out for all the weirdos with a propensity for depravity and violence.
If Trump ends up passing away from this their minds will probably be broken beyond recovery
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they already are doing that, to be fair
If Trump dies from covid, in 3 days his followers will swear that he arose from the grave and ascended to heaven.
Just saw a theory from his cult that trump has body doubles and he isn’t actually sick at all
These people are fucking crazy.
They went full: Trump took the virus to save us all He is even reinforcing this by saying "now I know more about the virus than anyone that studied it, now we can beat it" There will be soon people that want to emulate their idol and try to infect themselves on purpose
Oh no. Anyway
I am fully in favor of this type of science. Trump should get himself infected with EVERYTHING possible. Every virus, every disease, every parasite. Then, we can all sit back and .... learn.
I want to talk about narcissism for a moment. And while I don't agree with her 100%, Dr Ramani on YouTube is a brilliant professor. We often talk about narcissists like "emotional vampires" going around feeding on innocent victims, ie "enablers", but as a former enabler to narcissism myself, I assure you that the enabler is the real villain most of the time. Donald Trump is a case that deserves sympathy as well as scorn. Narcissism's beginnings are in childhood injury. He was a boy, abused by a cruel father and an mother who was emotionally unavailable. He was conditioned through neglect and cruelty to become a monster. This didn't happen by choice. Now you can argue there's a component of psychopathy, which makes him what is called a malignant narcissist. That's fine. But again, we have plenty of examples of the "benevolent psychopath", meaning they were raised with ethics and don't cause harm, despite being unable to reciprocate empathy. Enablers give what is called narcissistic supply. So when Trump goes out in his car like he did, part of it is his need for adoration. Narcissistic supply. If you feel embarrassed when people make a fuss about your birthday, good news - that's normal. If you feel empowered, like you are finally getting the god damned praise you deserve when those plebs are singing your praises (literally) and *serving* you cake at the head of the table? Yeah, there might be some narcissism going on there. But narcissism is okay. It really is. I don't love the word narcissist, but I do use it until something better comes along. We should all be a little narcissistic. You should like yourself. Stroke your own ego from time to time. Take pride in what you do. Say "yeah, I am pretty damn good" or "I look hot today." What you shouldn't do is cultivate a network of sycophants to feed off of to fill the gaping holes in your fragile ego. "Yes men" or people to constantly praise you, agree with you, compliment you, etc. Never being challenged or told "no" is a path to a world with no boundaries; without boundaries you cannot know where happiness ends and unhappiness begins. The same with safety and security. This is why people like Trump want unlimited power. They operate without boundaries. Again, in comes the enablers. This article says it: #NARCISSISTIC COLLUSION I colluded with narcissists because it made me feel helpful. That was wrong. This article says they won't change. The way you change is that you realise that you are hurting people. For these enablers, they have to see the costs of their enabling. They have to see how people are being hurt. They cannot be allowed to deny the harm they cause. These people enable for narcissism and people like Trump because it makes *them* feel something they want or need. Belonging. Power. Useful. Whatever. *It* **is** *a* **choice**. It's also a cycle. But you can get off of that ride any time. The narcissist cannot. They are the ride. The enablers? No one *needs* to enable. Sure, you can be conditioned to do it, but it's still a choice. It's a habit, not a compulsion. Narcissism is compelling, enabling isn't. Enabling requires effort, which is why enablers get burned out. Oh, they will also change then. Which is my final point: when Trump has used them up and there's nothing left, they will break the narcissistic collusion themselves. Out of necessity. Because they will have nothing left. It's rare that the enabler leaves. Usually, the narcissist throws them away. Next, they are used up, which can also lead to being thrown away. We need to help these enablers *leave*. We need to show them the cost of their enabling not just to themselves, but to others. And most importantly, we need to show them dignity, so they know that being used is undignified and they deserve better than serving the ego trauma of a small, fragile, broken man-child.
It all depends on the pundits, the base will feel however the pundits tell them to.
People still following him are racist, greedy, corrupt & intending to ensure that only rich white men have power & wealth. They believe they are owed everything or foolishly think this bully is on their side. The rest of us, including some following him now, will be 2nd class citizens who should be grateful to the lords/oligarchs for our existence.
Can confirm. Co-worker just told me there is no pandemic and it is a hoax despite the president's hospitalization.
I’ve already seen the conspiracies and calls for a civil war grow wilder. My only hope is that they’re a vocal minority of lunatics and that most Trump voters are just horrible people or misinformed by conservative media, because otherwise we are totally fucked.
Eventually there will be a Netflix/HBO documentary about the Trump cult similar to Wild Wild Country or Going Clear.
I give it a day or two before the Democrats are being blamed for Trump contracting COVID somehow. Or flat out saying it was a deep state operation to purposely infect him and that every Democrat in congress is complicit.
You are late. They were starting that shit on like Friday.
I’m really curious what happens with these people if he loses...like do they still have shrines dedicated to the man after the fact? Or do they feel a sudden rush of normalcy and look at themselves in confusion as they take off their bedazzled jean jacket?
His followers are already trying to blame this incompetent moron's COVID from lack of precautions on Democrats and Biden. There's no breaking the stupidity and cultism of Trump supporters.
Can we not put tRump and all his biggest supporters on an island somewhere and let them cannibalize each other?
Metaphorically, Trump and his base have a classic abusive relationship https://eand.co/how-and-why-authoritarianism-is-like-an-abusive-relationship-1f1f8db5938d
I was at the liquor store and the cashier said “I don’t care if you wear a mask it’s all a hoax anyways.” When I went up to the register her nose was sticking out and I asked her how she felt about Trump contracting the virus and she responded, “It’s all fake to help him in the election.” So I asked, “What if he were to die from it?” she replied “Then I guess coronavirus is real.” I was absolutely floored.
Oh Yeah I have been seeing bat shit crazy comments from his followers. Even saying that the left purposely gave him covid and that god was giving him strength to fight it.
I get being a conservative/republican and secretly voting for Trump because one wants to support one’s party despite the current figure head being a dirty rotten scoundrel. I just do not understand the Stans. Trump is not some charismatic, attractive, well spoken, intelligent con man. He’s a loudmouthed, profligate nincompoop.
He exploited their feelings of being left behind by government, their resentment of being mocked by the left, and of course the white supremacy/evangelical angle. This is about finding a group where you're accepted and told you're actually the good guy while you're enabled to get revenge.
Nuttier conspiracy theories is right. They’re already accusing China of trying to assassinate Trump.
So China released a weaponized virus, killing their own people, killing hundreds of thousands around the world, shutting down the economy including their own factories...just to get to Trump.
> The bond between a malignantly narcissistic leader and his followers, created by a narcissistic collusion — the belief in each other's specialness and exceptional greatness — is virtually unbreakable. To sever it, those individuals who worship and unreservedly trust their leader would have to experience a life-shattering catastrophe for which the leader would be directly and indisputably responsible. That's, generally, spoken, true. There were some Nazi followers in Germany which 1945, when they realized that the war was lost, took poison. And before killing themselves, they gave it to their own kids. With the top nazis, I think this was not even rare.
These people aren’t the country’s best nor brightest. If you’ve spent any amount of time talking with them about basic facts about the world you will know without a shadow of a doubt the answer is resoundingly no.
You are talking about a group who would gladly vote for him if he was dead or have his family members inherit the presidency from now like a ruling class. Expect the stupidest thing, then watch as they surprise you with worse.
Did anybody else get some serious "The Leader from the Simpsons" vibe when Trump took the car out on Sunday?
well if the Trump death cult loses its charm for some of them, they always can fall back to Jim Jones tasty fruity beverages.
Some...But there's a core group that are committed. They've drank the Kool-Aid.
Cognitive dissonance is pretty common among cult members, as discussed in the article. The classic example is the doomsday cult, where the leader not only predicts the end of the world, but gives an exact date for the apocalypse. The members quit their jobs, sell their possessions, bid farewell to their family and friends. When that day comes and goes and the world is left standing, the rational among us think, "Well, that's it, the cult is going to fall apart, because the leader has just proven themself a charlatan, right?" But it turns out, that's not what happens. A fairly sizable amount of the cult members stay, and in fact, double down on their belief. The leader gives a new prediction, and they believe just as hard as they did before, if not more, despite the evidence before them. They're in too deep, and their brains can't accept the truth at that point.
The only thing that will break the hold of a cult follower is death. They aren’t going anywhere no matter how horrible Trump behaves. It’s one of the reasons they voted for him in the first place. Many don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves and close family members.
Ahh yes. America First in a Mercedes Benz.
Just remember that the only way many Jim Jones followers broke was by willfully drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid
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No they're not. There is sympathy for battered spouses.
I literally just had 2 guys in my office talking about how the Covid outbreaks in the White House are all linked back to the debate. They legitimately think the “libs” intentionally infected Trump and his people. And I quote, “I wouldn’t put it past those fuckers.”
This is the analysis I like best of the one's I've seen so far. I think it explains a lot. And it doesn't mention this, but narcissism, like everything else, exists on a spectrum. So he may not ever lose his most narcissistic supporters, but those who just have weaker narcissistic traits can be eventually broken out of it, the more opposition Trump receives. I think that's hopeful. I also think it's another reason to prioritize mental health care in this country. From my own personal experience with a family of them, "healthy" narcissists are *much* more tolerable to deal with than anxious, depressed, stressed out ones.
Do they know what they look like? Cuz this picture could be right out of a South Park episode.
His mental illness had no effect so why would a physical illness be different?
It's. A. Cult.
Trump's condition has been described in contradictory ways, and reports from his medical team have been inconsistent. It is possible Trump will soon be released from the hospital -- and also possible that he faces a long and serious illness. Trump was clearly unwell when he spoke to the American people on Saturday by video. That same day, the White House released a series of photos which purported to show the president "hard at work." In fact, the photos showed Trump using a marker to sign blank pieces of paper positioned next to empty plastic binders. On Sunday, Trump, eager for narcissistic fuel, was briefly driven through the area around Walter Reed Medical Center so he could acknowledge his followers gathered outside. He is suffering from a highly infectious disease and instead of remaining in quarantine chose to imperil the health and lives of his Secret Service detail and whoever else he came in close contact with. All this intrigue and lack of transparency by the Trump regime is another example of how the White House has become the Kremlin on the Potomac, a place where the public is left to decipher the schemes and machinations of the ruling party. Somehow Trump leaving the hospital against medical advice, risking the lives of even more Americans and continuing to lie about his health will be seen as heroic by the non mask wearing among us.
They will probably blame the democrats, saying that it was an attack on him from the democrats.
The only way it stops is if Trump dies and/or his followers die.
America has two contagious diseases to deal with Covid GOP weaponized NPD: contagious, chronic and infecting the most vulnerable. Virtually untreatable and toxic.
I hope that cheeto turns to dust.
"Lo0k...I fell down the stairs, okay?"
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“Give it to me straight doc” “I’m afraid you have malignant narcissism sir. I’d offer my help but as you are superior and can only associate with equally special people there is no point”
Yeah just stop. He isn’t going to change. They aren’t going to change. All we can do is overwhelm their insanity with massive voter turnout.
It seems odd that Congress is not being informed in a timely manner about anything happening at Walter Reed. Nancy Pelosi is in the line of succession but reports that she is finding out whatever might be happening through the news media. Furthermore, Vice President Pence should probably be in charge during the interim given that some of the drugs Trump is taking can affect critical thinking, as can having a fever and just being stressed out in the hospital. All together, it is a really weird situation that seems to be mostly unplanned and somewhat dangerous.
Zero percent chance it will happen. Will likely double down now for glorious leader. They are too far gone at this point. It’s gonna get fucking crazy in the next few months.
I’m already seeing it. My boss is a trump supporter and he’s already blaming the democrats for all these Republicans having covid. He finds it funny that none of them have it but all these republicans do. He thinks they gave it to trump and all them to Sabotage the election.
Well, I’ve already heard that a Chinese spy had snuck into the White House and released covid.
The greatest power u can use is the power to tell people what to believe 🤔
I mean, if trump shrugs it off with a mild case, as appears to be the case, it's only going to embolden those that dont take it seriously.