The Real, Terrible Truth About ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

Ever since DJT first won the presidency in 2016 and then ascended to the Oval Office, his MAGA followers have taken great delight in labeling his opponents ‘deranged.’ They love to ‘own the libs,’ and derisively accuse us of suffering from crazed, paranoid ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS). To them, our opposition is just annoying ‘libtard’ interference, as if it’s totally obvious that DJT is a wonderful man and president.

Clearly, to their way of thinking, no one in their right mind would ever object to or protest his leadership and actions.

But there are several crucial things wrong with this scornful belief/label. First and foremost, it’s a bald-faced projection of their own madness and complicity. Second, it is just a concerted (weak) attempt to contradict the in-your-face truth that DJT (hereafter referred to as *Bleep*) is a con man, sexual abuser, grifter, predator, and pathological liar.

Third, in line with right-wing and GOP ‘thinking,’ it’s also a direct way to undermine expertise, knowledge, and psychological understanding and make them seem ridiculous or useless. *Bleep* and MAGA are infamous for their ongoing attacks on science, public health, education, historians, and both scientists and researchers.

But, there’s an even darker and more dangerous side to all this. All these ‘politicized’ trends are based on — and reinforce — proven, effective manipulation techniques that lead to and support fascism. Worse, they quickly become highly contagious.

Fascism and ‘Trumpism’ are pathological ways of being

For almost a decade, liberals and progressives have been flummoxed and endlessly frustrated by the bizarre thinking and beliefs of the MAGA crowd. One of the biggest mistakes ‘lefties’ have made is that we’ve bought the idea that Trumpism and/or fascism are actual political belief systems or ideologies.

However, that’s not accurate. Recently, I heard a powerful interview with Dr. Bandy X. Lee, one of the primary psychiatrists behind the ‘Stop *Bleep*’ movement and the series of books titled “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.” She explained very clearly why fascism and ‘Trumpism’ are NOT political ideologies at all, but instead are forms of contagious — and highly destructive — sociopolitical pathology.

From another interview with Dr. Lee:

“Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung stated in his 1954 book, The Symbolic Life: “It is not famine, not earthquakes, not microbes, not cancer, but man himself who is man’s greatest danger to man, for the simple reason that there is no adequate protection against psychic epidemics, which are infinitely more devastating than the worst of natural catastrophes. The supreme danger which threatens individuals as well as whole nations is a psychic danger.”

Fascism and ‘Trumpism’ pretend to be based on rational political ‘platforms’ and ‘policies,’ but are actually antisocial and revolve around hate, misogyny, racism, selfishness, and violence as ways of being.

This means that the rule of law and democratic ideals inevitably stand in the way of these despicable movements’ momentum. These movements are all about imposing the will of ‘superior’ (White) humans on all ‘inferior’ humans, and oppressing or even killing off these ‘inferiors.’ They are merely new forms of the ancient, awful ‘law of the jungle’ and are completely incompatible with modern democratic (small ‘d’) ideals.

These movements embody the opposite of civilization, and purposely push — no, drive — people into the darkest recesses of their primitive, hateful ‘reptilian’ brains. Why? Because that’s where people have to ‘live,’ within themselves, if fascism or ‘Trumpism’ is to succeed and thrive.

I’m sorry, but in terms of true civilization… both of these movements are utterly disastrous.

The ‘real deal’ about social contagion and pathology

How and why do such antisocial, uncivilized movements grow and spread? Dr. Lee posits that a few persistent and highly pathological individuals — usually men — can exert a powerful and destructive cultural influence and shift the entire direction of their societies (and not in a good way).

This group includes such notable social monstrosities as Hitler, Stalin, Netanyahu, Pol Pot, Putin… and *Bleep.* Scarily, one of their most dangerous characteristics is that their dark psychopathology becomes deeply, catastrophically influential — precisely because it is also highly contagious.

According to Dr. Lee — and I agree with her — that’s the real reason fascism and ‘Trumpism’ were able to grow and spread so fast in the U.S. It’s not about ‘the economy’ or any form of ‘traditional politics.’ Economic deprivation and social conditions can and do provide a suitable environment for such movements to intensify. However, these issues alone do not often lead to overt, full-scale fascist or authoritarian movements.

For that to happen, there needs to be a highly manipulative and pathological human catalyst.

Enter Hitler. Enter Putin. Enter *Bleep.*

TDS has undermined and greatly altered American society

Now, let’s circle back to TDS. Even though *Bleep’s* devoted MAGA followers think TDS occurs in *Bleep’s* opponents, in reality, it very much describes them.

For fascist and authoritarian movements to survive and thrive, ordinary people’s inner morality, ethics, and rational ways of thinking must be undermined and gradually destroyed. Then these healthy, socially indispensable qualities get replaced with amorality, irrationality, and growing acceptance of social violence.

The purpose of Hitler’s, Putin’s, and *Bleep’s* hateful oratory, denigration of minorities, and aggressive public pronouncements is to overwhelm people’s minds and moral qualms, infect them with the leader’s amorality and dark world-view, and ensure the ongoing spread of this foul contagion.

Simply put, all the well-meaning pundits who insist ‘it’s not really that bad’… ‘our system held firm and it will again’… or insist *Bleep* is ‘merely a symptom’ of societal decay — are dead wrong.

Dangerous ‘leaders’ like *Bleep* only arise when social and economic conditions have deteriorated, true. But those conditions alone are not enough to provoke and sustain fascist or authoritarian movements. Usually, there has to be an additional ‘X’ factor: the public face and prominence of a highly pathological and determined leader-to-be who is both ruthless and charismatic.

Unfortunately for the U.S., *Bleep* is exactly this kind of determined, ruthless, and charismatic character. While most liberals and ‘centrists’ may find him objectionable or even repulsive, tens of millions of Americans see him as a wonderful ‘savior’ come to ‘save America.’ Most of *Bleep’s* followers have truly ‘drunk the Kool-Aid’ and succumbed to his wily ploys and endless lies and BS. They have succumbed, deep within themselves, to the amoral, cruel social and mental contagion he generates.

They have become unwitting purveyors of mindless hate, irrationality, and looming violence.

*Bleep* derangement syndrome deeply affects ALL of us

One last point about the real TDS: it’s far more widespread than we think or will admit. Not only are most of the pundits and political analysts wrong about *Bleep* and his potent influence — but they are still wildly underestimating it.

Scarily, they themselves provide a good example of just how intense and widespread the *Bleep* contagion is. The fascism-friendly, authoritarian mindset promoted by *Bleep* and MAGA is SO entrenched now and so influential that even many left-leaning, ‘rational’ folks get caught in its snares.

How does this weird entrapment manifest? It shows up as people doubting — or even ignoring — their own moral compass, minimizing the horrors that *Bleep* and MAGA are inflicting on us, and helping to ‘normalize’ increasing social insanity and violence. It shows up as a compliant press and media who hardly ever directly challenge *Bleep* or other powerful MAGA politicians. (Some media and law firms have even made smarmy ‘deals’ with *Bleep* to avoid his wrath and retribution.)

It shows up as an American public, press, and media who are too scared of *Bleep* and his MAGA hordes to stand up to them. Instead, they kowtow to them. They make excuses for their actions and ‘play nice.’ It shows up as an American public, press, and media who have surrendered their mental autonomy and discernment, partially or wholly succumbed to the (anti)social threat atmosphere, and largely gone silent and become complicit.

That’s the best evidence of all that *Bleep* is both a destructive aberration and the primary source of an ongoing, deep mental and social contagion. ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ is very real — and by now has infected or affected almost all Americans. Its effects are much more far-reaching than we imagine or admit, even after experiencing a full decade of this societal madness.

God help us. We don’t seem able or willing to help ourselves.

—

This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.