https://t.co/uvrp2yBir3
Trump's call to @GaSecofState highlights the intersection of "Trickle Down Pathology", the emasculinization of the rule of law, and a gaslighting technique I describe as "the manipulation of the interaction timeline".
To review: 1)Trump attempted to extort election fraud....1/
Audio: Trump berates Ga. secretary of state, urges him to "find" votes https://t.co/Pibw9gBt1A
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 3, 2021
https://t.co/uvrp2yBir3
Brad Raffensperger told his advisers he did not want the recording or a transcript of the call released unless Trump attacked him or misrepresented the call. Trump tweeted attacking Raffensperger Sunday morning. https://t.co/mxDSeHYeRZ
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 4, 2021
As for the \u201cinteraction timeline\u201d, it comes into play in two ways. First, the narcissist uses it to 1) excuse their own behavior, and 2) to demonize those whose reasonable reaction to the egregious behavior attempts to hold the narcissist accountable, 21/https://t.co/Psb0Dg36mm
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) August 24, 2019
\u2026.. and 3) to simultaneously claim victimhood by characterizing the reaction as an \u201cunfair\u201d, unprovoked attack against the narcissist. 22/ https://t.co/qMBVRT9UNx
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) August 24, 2019
If you look at \u201cunfairness\u201d through the lens of his narcissism, particularly through the lens of grandiosity/superiority/perfection\u2026.there\u2019s an inability/unwillingness to see things objectively. 3/
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) July 23, 2019
There\u2019s also a zero-sum dynamic: If something doesn\u2019t go 100% in Trump\u2019s favor, it\u2019s unfair, b/c he\u2019s pathologically subjective (only see the world through his own limited perspective), and thinks he \u201cdeserves\u201d 100% of the pie (zero-sum). Anything less than 100% is \u201cunfair\u201d. 4/
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) July 23, 2019
As far as \u201ctreatment\u201d, if he doesn\u2019t receive 100% adulation (narcissistic supply), it\u2019s perceived as \u201cunfair\u201d treatment. This is why there\u2019s no acceptance of accountability, why he bristles at criticism, and will go to war & hold grudges with people who criticize him (press). 5/
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) July 23, 2019
He\u2019s also oblivious, in denial, and/or dishonest about when the interaction timeline begins (which usually begins with an egregious action/statement by Trump)\u2026.. Instead pointing to other peoples' reactions to his words/actions as the initial action rather than as a reaction. 6/
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) July 23, 2019
\u2026..which allows him to always (attempt to) claim victimhood because he characterizes the situation as being one where everyone else (press/Democrats/law enforcement) is \u201cattacking\u201d Trump (or someone who sycophantically furthers Trump\u2019s interests) *without* provocation.7/
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) July 23, 2019
This due in part to Trump symptomatically living in an "immortal, eternal now", without any concept of historical significance.....other than to keep score of others who have "wronged" him. 8/ https://t.co/qezbSyOzy0
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) July 23, 2019
But, here's the thing......the problem isn't that Trump's attempt to extort and commit election fraud came to light....
....The problem is that it occurred.....13/
https://t.co/4z4hQLNmfy
The past doesn't matter...
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) September 29, 2020
Words don't matter...
Accountability doesn't matter...
Hypocrisy doesn't matter...
Apparently what matters is questioning and disparaging those who report/expose the egregious behavior.
The problem isn't that this came to light, it's that it happened. https://t.co/0IH5xAyZuL
For decades, the Right has masculinized conservative issues politics....and emasculinzed "principled morality, etc".....14/ https://t.co/JLGVxiOoVt
This is due to decades of (e)masculinization of politics. The Republicans have used the 2nd Amend (guns), Libertarianism, Foreign policy (war), etc, to masculinize conservatism,...while simultaneously emasculating empathy, compassion, principled morality, intellectualism, etc. 1/ https://t.co/aCQ3JxEahf
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) February 6, 2020
A man does not release a private conversation he has with anyone. That\u2019s part of being a man. Democrat, Republican, Trump, anti-Trump, none of that matters.
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) January 4, 2021
You don\u2019t repeat things said to you privately. That\u2019s simple man code. https://t.co/hlRPamglnV
When supporting and defending the behavior of a pathologically disordered leader becomes the top priority, the "defense" (behavior) of the subordinates will invariably become pathologically disordered. This is the essence of \u201cTrickle Down Pathology: 10/ https://t.co/FO0STMN0jO
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) November 13, 2019
When supporting and defending the behavior of a pathologically disordered leader becomes the top priority, the "defense" (behavior) of the subordinates will invariably become pathologically disordered. This is the essence of \u201cTrickle Down Pathology: 10/ https://t.co/FO0STMN0jO
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) November 13, 2019
They're boxed-in to their support of Trump by caricatures of their morality/intelligence. To admit Trump is who/what he is substantiates those caricatures to some degree. It's less psychologically/emotionally distressing to preserve the Trump fallacy, and to continue...1/ https://t.co/WSdFFJTd2h
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) August 24, 2020
More from Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych
Details/competency are boring, and expertise causes people to feel ignorant. So they choose reality TV stars over competent leaders, or actual mental health professionals.
Thank you. This is what happens when the press (all do this) serves some other interest than the public. A self-governing people should not tolerate this, or we get Donald Trump. https://t.co/UKfjcAypYE
— Bandy X Lee, MD, MDiv (@BandyXLee1) December 28, 2020
https://t.co/uMufgDNlaO
There's an interplay between "collective narcissism" & "American Exceptionalism" that creates resistance to learning. Learning requires voluntary intellectual subordination: an admission the "teacher" knows more than you. This triggers our narcissistic sense of exceptionalism..1/ https://t.co/DrmW7AXB6l
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) May 15, 2020
Relevant threads:https://t.co/6at83OnxpK
Yes, in the context of the Right's fetishizing "freedom", "patriot shaming", collective narcissism, cult membership purity tests, emasculinization, dopamine, confirmation bias, religion, gun control, etc. https://t.co/xGdmoSVykZ. I'll attach a few of the threads below: 1/ https://t.co/elQVWBVHXx
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) October 21, 2020
It's a perfect storm of emotional immaturity, arrested development, and the fetishization of "freedom" to the point where the *right to ignorance*....and the "freedom" to put others at risk...... is equated with "liberty".
Relevant
Yes, in the context of the Right's fetishizing "freedom", "patriot shaming", collective narcissism, cult membership purity tests, emasculinization, dopamine, confirmation bias, religion, gun control, etc. https://t.co/xGdmoSVykZ. I'll attach a few of the threads below: 1/ https://t.co/elQVWBVHXx
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) October 21, 2020
https://t.co/W78IMiOAmA
An addiction model may actually explain tribalism, confirmation bias, and even conspiracy theories/Qanon. Let\u2019s unpack\u2026.
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) June 13, 2021
Several years ago I started observing the parallels between addiction and political tribalism as marriages/friendships/families imploded over politics\u2026.1/ https://t.co/jCNGeN42l2
https://t.co/UDgKTmjHOG
This is the game the GOP plays:
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) August 9, 2021
When adults/experts/leaders take action, the Right engages in sabotaging performative obstinance & demonize the actions as government overreach.
If the Right successfully sabotages the actions, the Right claims Biden failed & blame immigrants. 1/ https://t.co/qP1kG2s1b5
\u201cIn one of the only original passages in his Ohio speech, he criticized \u2018woke generals\u2019 and claimed that \u2018our military will be incapable of fighting and incapable of taking orders.\u2019 America\u2019s \u2018military brass have become weak and ineffective leaders.\u2019\u201d https://t.co/IHqNTcgILg
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 27, 2021
....to remember that 53 of the 500 people arrested for the Jan. 6th insurrection were former/current military. The Right knows the military has a potential extremist problem, except that rather than attempt to understand and solve the problem,...2/
Wow. Great speech by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley:
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) June 24, 2021
"I want to understand white rage....I want to understand what caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the constitution of the United States." 1/
pic.twitter.com/lxVpPO9BHE
...Trump, and the Right Wing Media Echo Chamber are attempting to exacerbate and inflame the problem.
The Echo Chamber knows that FOX is on nearly every TV in and around military bases, so when Ted Cruz talks about the military being emasculated....3/
Holy crap.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 20, 2021
Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea.... https://t.co/8aVFMW98NM
......and when Matt Gaetz and J.D. Vance talk about the military losing
With Generals like this it\u2019s no wonder we\u2019ve fought considerably more wars than we\u2019ve won. https://t.co/wt43YAs6cU
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 23, 2021
...5/....https://t.co/23iwQikwgH
I personally would like American generals to read less about \u201cwhite rage\u201d (whatever that is) and more about \u201cnot losing wars.\u201d
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) June 25, 2021
In a recent thread about collective election anxiety/PTSD, I wrote that “one half the country doesn’t believe in evidence, the other half can’t trust it.” 2/
The collective anxiety is the by-product of two unfortunate realities of the Trump era:
— Nick Carmody JD, MS Psych (@Nick_Carmody) October 20, 2020
1)You\u2019ll never go broke if you consistently bet on the ignorance/depravity of 1/3 of this country.
2)One-half of the country doesn\u2019t believe in evidence. The other half can\u2019t trust it.
1/ https://t.co/gY5lzJxNxq
This couldn’t more evident than by the fact that 87 percent of Trump supporters believe he will win re-election, despite the fact that… 3/
…the empirical data that shows Biden *should* win easily. This has resulted in https://t.co/e8JNg5tYmK calculating that Trump has only a 10% chance of winning. To be clear, 10% is a non-zero number, much like the 30% chance that Trump had in 2016. 4/
But the real problem isn’t necessarily about low probabilities, the real problem…..or more accurately, the danger…..lies in the pathologically unrealistic expectations of the cult of Trump: 90% of them have been conned into thinking that a 10% probability is a “sure thing”. 5/
More from Politics
The community’s response? Outrage.
Amazon will divide its second headquarters evenly between New York's Long Island City and Arlington County's Crystal City neighborhoods. Other cities may also receive major sites. https://t.co/c1lKmeQinX
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 13, 2018
Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.
When we talk about bringing jobs to the community, we need to dig deep:
- Has the company promised to hire in the existing community?
- What’s the quality of jobs + how many are promised? Are these jobs low-wage or high wage? Are there benefits? Can people collectively bargain?
Displacement is not community development. Investing in luxury condos is not the same thing as investing in people and families.
Shuffling working class people out of a community does not improve their quality of life.
We need to focus on good healthcare, living wages, affordable rent. Corporations that offer none of those things should be met w/ skepticism.
It’s possible to establish economic partnerships w/ real opportunities for working families, instead of a race-to-the-bottom competition.
Hard pass. So long as Leader Pelosi remains the most progressive candidate for Speaker, she can count on my support.
The strange thing about the fight to displace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House is that no one seems willing to run against her. https://t.co/VhBqf4KJom
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) November 21, 2018
I agree that our party should, and must, evolve our leadership.
But changed leadership should reflect an actual, evolved mission; namely, an increased commitment to the middle + working class electorate that put us here.
Otherwise it’s a just new figure with the same problems.
I hope that we can move swiftly to conclude this discussion about party positions, so that we can spend more time discussing party priorities: voting rights, healthcare, wages, climate change, housing, cannabis legalization, good jobs, etc.