7 Characteristics of the Modern Psychopath.

Posted on March 29, 2019 by luckyotter

hannibal

Below is a link to a really good and informative article from Psychology Today about sociopaths and psychopaths,* and the devastation and misery they leave in their wake, both in personal or familial relationships, and on a much larger, societal level.

This article explains how to detect them. While only 4 percent of the population suffers from Antisocial Personality Disorder (sociopathy and psychopathy) , a larger portion (up to 15%) are situational sociopaths or psychopaths. This is explained in more depth in the article.

A malignant narcissist is a person with both Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder. This combination of personality disorders is especially devastating because of the already conscienceless person’s insatiable need for adulation and approval. When narcissistic supply is abundant, instead of satiating the person and making them act more pleasant, as you might think, they become “drunk” on the ego “fuel.” This phenomenon is evident in Donald Trump, who, feeling victorious and vindicated after the Barr’s summary of the Mueller Report stated he did not collude with Russia to win the election, became “drunk on power” and his cruelty, gaslighting, lies, and unreasonable demands actually got worse.

7 Characteristics of the Modern Psychopath

*A small percentage of psychopaths (not sociopaths) choose to be prosocial instead of antisocial. Psychopathy, unlike sociopathy, is a condition a person is born with, in which the parts of the brain concerned with conscience are missing. Psychopaths can cognitively learn the difference between right and wrong, so they can choose to do the right thing (even if the motive for making that choice is always self serving). It’s not second nature to them but they may make that choice if they have learned it benefits them the most. In contrast, sociopathy is an acquired condition associated with malignant narcissism or antisocial personality disorder, and such a person will never choose prosocial behavior and in fact aren’t capable of doing so.

Trump’s strange behavior at G20 summit is a window into his current state of mind.

Posted on December 1, 2018 by luckyotter

An example of narcissistic projection. Blame others for what you are guilty of, even when there’s no proof.

Some of you may remember Trump’s overconfident, even arrogant and obnoxious alpha- male behavior at last year’s G20 summit in Germany and other events where he had to mingle with world leaders: arrogantly pushing aside Montenegro’s president so he could get to the front of the group, the childish refusal to shake Angela Merkel’s hand, his standoffishness, and other gestures and comments indicating his contempt and disregard for the the leaders of western democracies. I could go on with examples but that would take too long and it’s not my point in this post anyway.

Trump is under enormous stress right now, due to recent events that don’t bode well for his future in politics or even his freedom: Mueller and his team are beginning to move closer to Trump’s inner circle, his longtime “fixer” Michael Cohen has turned against him and admitted he lied under oath (and telling Mueller everything he knows). Perhaps most ominously, in just over a month, the new Democratic Congress, headed by the very competent and confident Nancy Pelosi, takes over, bringing much needed checks and balances back into government. These Democrats can and will hold Trump accountable for his crimes and unethical and cruel policies, and Trump knows it. The party’s almost over.

For perhaps the first time in his 72 years, this overgrown spoiled brat who has always gotten his own way and never been held accountable for anything in his life, will finally be made to answer for his illegal and immoral mob boss ways, and Trump isn’t pleased. In fact, right now he’s feeling pretty shaky and insecure. He’s not even able, at the moment, to mask his insecurity with his usual false arrogance and bluster. He’s emotionally deflated and terrified of what his future holds, and his mental state shows in his odd behavior at this year’s G20 summit. He seems more like a frightened little boy about to be sent to his room and denied his favorite TV show than the fearsome dictator he aspires to be (or thinks he already is).

I had noticed on several occasions that Trump only looked truly happy when he was hobnobbing with vicious dictators like Putin, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, or North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. I’ve never seen him smile like he is in the picture below (either Putin or MBS was approaching, though I can’t recall which one) with any leaders of western democracies. (In fact, he always seems downright uncomfortable with them and is very critical of them). This is one of the only genuine looking smiles I’ve ever seen from Trump.

Here’s another of him in the private (closed off to the press) meeting that took place in the Oval Office last year with Russian oligarchs. He looks genuinely happy.

So, it doesn’t help Trump’s fragile ego that his despotic buddies (and objects of his childlike hero worship) Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) appear to be shunning Trump like a couple of catty middle school girls at the G20 summit this year.

Watch this incredible video of Putin and MBS sharing a moment of laughter and high fiving each other as Trump comes lumbering into the room from behind. Trump must be painfully aware that these two despots have never smiled or laughed with Trump the way they do here with each other. Deep down, Trump must know that he is not as well regarded or well liked by these two as they like and regard each other. But as they are very likely pure psychopaths rather than mere malignant narcissists like Trump, they would naturally have more in common with each other, both of them being free of that pesky emotional fragility and hypersensitivity to criticism that people with NPD are always saddled with. As pure psychopaths, they don’t care what other people think of them: they just do what they want. Although Trump shares their lack of conscience and empathy, he also cares very much what people think of him, especially those who (like Putin and MBS) are useful to him.

Trump definitely sees them, and his jealousy of their bond is as obvious as his orange tinted spray tan. Here’s a closeup screenshot someone took of Trump’s face during the exchange. If looks could kill!

Although I’m not a mental health professional and can’t make a diagnosis, most mental health professionals agree that Trump almost certainly has all 9 DSM criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (and fits most of the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder). When a person has both NPD and ASPD (sociopathy), they are considered to be malignant narcissists. Malignant narcissism, a term first coined by psychologist Erich Fromm back in the 1960s, isn’t a clinically accepted medical term, but it’s well known in the narcissistic abuse community (and now, due to Trump, is becoming known outside of that community and is practically a household word, much like the term gaslighting has recently become a term most “lay” people know the meaning of, because Trump and his followers do it so constantly).

NPD causes a profound lack of empathy that often manifests as social awkwardness. This causes even some professionals to initially mistake people with NPD as being on the autism spectrum. Some narcissists can fake empathy, but Trump isn’t one of them. While his inability to fake empathy may actually be a saving grace for the country and the world (Trump’s poor acting ability makes his disorder more obvious and therefore he is less dangerous than someone who can hide behind a mask of fake compassion and kindness).

As a result, Trump often shuns social events that require him to show empathy, or camaraderie with others. Like all narcissists, he is terrified of appearing awkward or socially incompetent in public, and because he doesn’t possess the acting ability to fake social competence or empathy, when he is forced to attend such events, he usually is off by himself, physically not present, or behaving in ways that deviate from what the others are doing and appear strange, inappropriate, and awkward. Notice how out of touch he seems in both these photos. Due to his lack of empathy, he cannot read social cues that others can read with ease.

This is why Trump has refused to attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, in which one of the traditions is to “roast” the current president and other high profile politicians. Trump has never forgiven Obama for roasting him about insisting he produce his birth certificate at the WHCD in 2012. Obama’s joke at Trump’s expense got uproarious laughter from the audience. Narcissists cannot stand to be laughed at, even as a good natured part of a tradition. They can’t roll with the punches because they take themselves very, very seriously. A joke at their expense becomes a severe narcissistic injury. (The White House Correspondents’ Dinner discontinued its comedic roasts this year, possibly due to not wanting to risk any more “hurt feelings.”)

Here’s a photo of Trump at last year’s G20 summit in Germany, and you can see how isolated he is. Keep in mind that at that summit, he was among highly intelligent people who are leaders of world democracies and cognizant of world affairs. Trump, having little in common with them (and painfully aware his intelligence and knowledge of world affairs could never match theirs) sits, nearly pouting, by himself.

It’s even worse this year for him, and Trump, not possessing acting abilities, doesn’t even seem to be able to fake a smile (or arrogantly push aside the president of another country, as he did with Montenegro’s president Milo Đukanović). He appears unusually isolated, morose, angry, and unhappy. He is suffering severe narcissistic injury due to what he knows is coming (even though he continues to deny any wrongdoing). The apparent rejection of his heroes Putin and MBS at the summit are like salt in an already festering wound.

At his rallies back at home, he’s surrounded by people less educated and more ignorant than even he is (and is fawned over, adulated, and even worshipped as if he is God, and this infuses him with the narcissistic fuel he needs to function), so it’s easy for him to snap back into his alpha male show of bravado and false confidence, but at a foreign summit full of intellectually superior world leaders, he cannot and his emotional vulnerability is on display for the world to see.

Trump is a man who knows the walls of justice are closing in on him, and even his foreign despotic allies seem to be losing respect for him. He may even be a liability to them at this point. I almost want to feel sorry for Trump, but because of his two year reign of terror and the immeasurable trauma he has caused to Americans and the entire world, I have no pity for him. He deserves whatever is coming.

In the next few weeks, until the Democratic House convenes on January 3, Trump is going to double down and his aggressive behavior and lies here at home (where he’s back in his element) will become much worse. We need to hang on and be courageous as his narcissistic rage will be nearly out of control. But take heart: it’s almost over, and he knows it. That’s why he’s lashing out at anyone who isn’t on his side: journalists, Democrats, women, liberals, and anyone who criticizes him. But it’s temporary. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, he has been doused with water, and he’s melting. He will scream and flail and put up a mighty fight, but he will not be able to destroy democracy. We are stronger and more powerful than any flailing, screaming, decompensating narcissist because there are more of us and we have truth on our side.

Don’t be surprised if he resigns. While resignation is an act of defeat that seems out of character for someone as narcissistic as Trump, if he can no longer hold up the facade of invincibility, in order to save face resignation may be his only option.

Sociopaths rule America — but there’s an easy way to identify them.

Posted on April 7, 2018 by luckyotter

<> on January 7, 2016 in Washington, DC.
The above photo, taken at a beer party celebrating “Trumpcare” passing the House last May, drove home to me exactly how cruel and sadistic Trump’s people really are. It hit me like a ton of bricks. They are literally laughing over millions of people losing their healthcare.

Since the very beginning of his term, Trump has surrounded himself with people who seem to lack empathy, conscience, or any sense of morality or scruples. The good people left this administration early on, or were fired. Later, those people who weren’t so good, but who still had some semblance of a conscience or morals lost their jobs or resigned.

By a process of attrition, Trump’s cabinet is now almost 100% sociopathic. Trump doesn’t seem to care if the people who work for him care about We the People or have any sense of right from wrong or duty to the country. In fact, it’s better for Trump if they don’t. All Trump cares about is their loyalty to him. Never do you see a shred of empathy from any of these people. Human suffering doesn’t seem to bother them. In fact, they seem to delight in causing it. They never apologize or admit wrongdoing. In fact, they’re very likely to project their own wrongdoings onto others, smearing and gaslighting innocent people and groups. Their greed, sense of entitlement, arrogance, and selfishness is bottomless. We have grifters like Scott Pruitt, whose outrageous and illegal fleecing of the taxpayers for his own self-benefit and entertainment may rival or even surpass Trump’s own. As if it’s not already bad enough he’s ruining the environment and destroying the EPA from within (which is entirely intentional). And yet he keeps his job. In fact, Pruitt may be the one who gets to fire Bob Mueller should Trump fire Jeff Sessions.

All of the people working for Trump, based on their actions and words, seem to have one of the Cluster B personality disorders, most likely NPD, Antisocial PD (sociopathy), or psychopathy. Many of these people are likely malignant narcissists, like Trump himself. They serve as his flying monkeys and yes-men.

There may be one or two non-disordered people left in the administration, who have severe problems with codependency and therefore have some pathological need to be pleasing to Trump, but I think even most of those people have been fired. People with normal levels of empathy, who don’t feel entitled to cheat and steal, who care about the rule of law, and who have any integrity at all are nonexistent in this administration, and that is scary.

Their one saving grace is it’s fairly easy to identify them.

You can see it in their faces.

One thing I’ve noticed about Trump’s cabinet members, his most fervent sycophants and enablers, his three elder children, and many Republicans who support this president is the deadness in their eyes. Their eyes are cold, hard, and flat. Sometimes they appear black, as if they are lacking irises. When they smile, the smile doesn’t reach their eyes, making the smile appear mocking or threatening, or at the least insincere.

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NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch showing those cold, dead, black eyes. Her expression is constantly angry and hate filled. I strongly suspect malignant narcissism. Coupled with those eyes that look like miniature black holes, her overall appearance is extremely intimidating — and that may be the point of using her in their ads.

Jared-Kushner-Getty
Jared Kushner has possibly the deadest looking eyes I’ve ever seen on a living person. He literally looks like he’s dead. He sold his soul a long, long time ago. Trump’s three oldest children also have the same dead look, though not as pronounced as Kushner.

A few of these people, rather than having those dead reptilian eyes, have eyes that sparkle with psychopathic glee, and they often wear a smirk, especially when they know their policies are hurting others (I’m looking at you, Paul Ryan).

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When is Paul Ryan ever not smirking? Sometimes I think it’s his only facial expression.

Trump himself has eyes that are so scary I really can’t look at them. I can’t even look at his face anymore, because I feel evil emanating from the image itself. I feel like something in my soul is being eaten every time I have to look at him. Malignant narcissists like Trump get worse over time, especially if they are given access to a great deal of power and influence. Narcissistic supply is like a drug that increases the malignant narcissist’s need for even more adulation and worship. As they try to consolidate even more power, their malevolence increases, and this can be chillingly seen in Trump’s facial expressions over time. He never laughs. When he smiles, which is rare, his smile is fake and never reaches his eyes. Most of his recent photos are like this one, showing a combination of malevolence and childish petulance. Others show him looking as enraged as a rabid dog, especially the ones taken at his hate-rallies.

President Trump Holds Joint Press Conference With Japanese PM Shinzo Abe
Trump’s default expression (besides abject rage) is childish petulance mixed with malevolence and festering hate.

Jack Brown, MD, is a physician who is an expert in reading body language and facial expressions. He said there is a particular expression that sociopaths and malignant narcissists use much more frequently than normal people: what he calls the Elevated Central Forehead Contraction with a Partial (Insincere) Mouth Smile. It’s a closed mouth, fake smile with the eyebrows drawn together as if the person is frowning. It’s similar to a smirk, but not quite. The overall effect is mocking condescension and cruel contempt. Brown says this expression is used often by serial killers, mass murderers, hardened criminals, and by everyday bullies and other people who lack empathy.

Here’s a very obvious example of this expression on hedge fund manager and convicted felon Martin Shkreli (the guy who became infamous for jacking up drug prices to ridiculous rates, making them unaffordable for most people). He used it continuously while on trial during questioning.

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Martin Shkreli on trial, displaying Dr. Brown’s Elevated Central Forehead Contraction with Partial Mouth Smile, a dead giveaway of a disordered personality.

Here is the same expression, on Trump (who seems to use it quite frequently):
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Brown says the ECFCWPMS is a default expression for Vladimir Putin (it’s a lot more subtle on him but is ever-present). Putin appears to be a pure psychopath, rather than a malignant narcissist (which is why Trump looks up to him and tries to curry his favor). Pure psychopaths are “stronger” than “mere” narcissists, who have that pesky neediness and emotional vulnerability that bring them so much shame.

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Stephen Miller (below) combines a cruel smirk with the reptilian dead eyes. I think of him as the Joseph Goebbels of the Trump administration. Trump naturally adores this guy and will probably never fire him.

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Identifying human predators.

If you are face to face with a sociopathic personality, you may feel as if their eyes are boring into your soul. This is because they are human predators — they are sizing you up as potential prey and victims. On a date or with a new person, you may feel as if the predatory stare indicates sexual or romantic interest. Failing to make the distinction between the predatory stare and sexual/romantic interest leads many a woman (and man) into dangerous and abusive relationships with people who live only to use other people because they don’t see them as fully human.

Beauty tip: Constant lying may ruin your appearance!

Another thing I’ve noticed is several of the women in the Trump administration, especially those whose job requires them to lie constantly to the public, attain a facial asymmetry that gets worse over time. It also seems to age them faster than normal. I don’t know if there’s anything scientific behind this phenomenon, but I have come to believe that constant lying will do this to your facial features. If you want to retain your physical beauty, then, tell the truth! Lying is, apparently, bad for both your soul and your physical appearance!

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Huckabee Sanders looks like this whenever she’s lying. Her eyes literally focus in two different directions and is very unsettling. She’s only 35 years old but looks like she’s in her 50’s. She has aged visibly since she took this post.

Can you trust a face that looks like this? Constant lying has apparently done this to Kellyanne Conway’s face. She used to be a fairly attractive woman until she took her job in the Trump administration.

The other day I read an article that said there is a new bill the GOP is trying to pass that will require a photo of Trump (and Pence) to be hung in every Post Office. That’s something dictators do, not leaders of democracies. Isn’t it bad enough we are daily inundated with sound bites and constant images of this president? We can’t get away from him. No other president has dominated the media, our conversations, our thoughts, and our very lives the way he has done.
What’s next — requiring that every American household hang a photo of Dear Leader in a conspicuous place, like they do in North Korea?

The old saying about “birds of a feather” are true. Sociopaths and malignant narcissists like Trump attract other sociopaths and malignant narcissists, and they seek them out. That’s because they know anyone with a conscience or empathy for others will refuse to work for them. That’s where we’re at now. We’re a country run by sociopaths.

For the sake of our own souls, our nation, and the world, learn to identify them.

Narcissism, politicians, and Trump.

Posted on December 26, 2017 by luckyotter

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Most successful politicians are narcissists, or at least have more than average narcissistic traits. Narcissism is almost a requirement to be a successful politician, since it takes a high level of self confidence and an affinity for self-promotion. One must be competitive and like being in the public eye. People with high levels of narcissism are attracted to professions that put them in the public eye or give them power and influence over others.

If one looks at past presidents (pre-Trump), it’s fair to say that almost all of them have been narcissistic to varying degrees. Bill Clinton is one of the most obvious examples, given his actions with Monica Lewinski in the Oval Office and his subsequent lying about it. Nixon was also a narcissist, and in many ways his actions during Watergate and the hearings that followed mirrored Trump’s, but even he had his limits and eventually resigned, apologizing to the American people — which proves even Nixon still had a conscience. Nixon also accomplished good things during his presidency — he created the EPA and expanded Medicare and Social Security. He tried to pass a bill that promised a guaranteed universal income. The only president in my living memory who may not have had an excess of narcissism was Jimmy Carter. He may not have had enough narcissism to be very successful. Carter’s humility may have been one of the reasons why he didn’t get a second term. Humility is what made Carter an exceptionally good man, but not really fit for the presidency.

While most politicians are narcissists or at least have an excess of narcissistic traits, most probably fall short of full-blown NPD and are not sociopaths. Past presidents had narcissism of the healthy variety. There were limits to their narcissism, and they were not devoid of a conscience or empathy. Trump’s narcissism is an entirely different animal from other presidents.’ He is a narcissistic sociopath — a malignant narcissist — which means that he shows all the signs of someone with NPD as well as those of Antisocial Personality Disorder. It’s extremely dangerous for any nation when it elects a leader with this particular combination of Cluster B disorders.

Dictators and despots throughout history have had the same dangerous pathology as Trump. Devoid of a conscience or any sense of accountability to their country or their people, they believe themselves to be above the law and their actions are thoroughly corrupt and cruel. They lie more easily than you or I breathe. In fact, they lie even when it’s not necessary to lie, because they literally can’t see the truth. All they see is their own reality, an extension of their narrative of invincible greatness, and woe be to anyone who dares challenge their greatness or who tries to uncover the truth about them or hold them accountable for their immoral actions. To a narcissistic sociopathic leader, who sees everything in black and white, there is only “us” and “them.” If you are not with them, if you do not kiss the ground they walk on, you are the enemy. That’s why Trump can’t work with Democrats or liberals and why he regularly demeans and insults them, something no other Republican president has ever done.

Trump holds his rallies to garner narcissistic supply for himself, all the while telling his rabid supporters grand lies about all the great things he’s accomplished, the size of his inauguration crowd (which he’s still obsessed with after a whole year), how many jobs he’s brought back, how his tax bill will help middle class people (it will only help the rich), how much he is loved, and how leaders of other countries admire and revere him. He emboldens his crowds by suggesting it’s okay to physically attack journalists or protesters. He demeans the free press, even tweeting offensive memes in which he’s stepping on the CNN logo like a bug. There’s an odd timing to his rallies — he holds them whenever the press has been especially critical of him.

Trump, like all narcissistic sociopaths, attracts people much like himself who serve as his sycophants and flying monkeys. It’s astounding how sociopathic everyone in the Trump administration seems. Has any one of them ever apologized for anything, or shown any sense of accountability or empathy for the people Trump’s policies are hurting? These people lie for him, back up his lies, and attack those who challenge those lies. People with any conscience have already left the administration or been fired. Trump cannot afford to have anyone with a conscience or who is critical of him in his cabinet, so if they don’t leave on their own, he gets rid of them.

No other president has so egregiously attacked past presidents (Obama), political rivals (Hillary Clinton), politicians belonging to the opposing party (Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, Democrats in general), people and organizations trying to uncover the truth about his connections to Putin and Russia (Bob Mueller, James Comey, the FBI), or anyone else who challenges him, tries to hold him accountable, or doesn’t treat him like he’s God.

No other president has held meetings in which his cabinet members are required to shower praise on him, as if he’s some two-bit dictator in a banana republic. Like his rallies, these meetings give him the adulation he craves in order to function, especially when he’s feeling too vulnerable because his malignancy and cruelty is exposed or called out.

No other president has been so unempathetic and self-congratulating when a national tragedy strikes. His insensitive, tasteless tossing of a roll of paper towels at the people in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island said everything we need to know about how he feels about the Puerto Rican people. He made fun of the Mayor of San Juan and said the people weren’t helping themselves enough (even though under the circumstances, they had no way of doing so without outside help). After two of the recent hurricanes, he told people who had lost their homes to “have a good time.” What president with an ounce of empathy says that? Nor has he ever apologized for anything he’s said and done, no matter how insensitive or wrong, because Trump’s malignant narcissism will not allow him to. People do not exist to Donald Trump. People are objects to him; they are either useful to him or they are enemies. There is no middle ground.

No other president has banned words, the way Trump has done with his list of seven words the CDC is no longer allowed to use, knowing full well this will hinder their ability to do their job properly. The fact the words “vulnerable,” “transgender,” “entitlement,” and “diversity” are in this list of banned words tells us everything we need to know about how he feels toward vulnerable people, including those needing social services (“entitlements”), transgender people, and minority populations. Trump’s contempt for science and scientific research is evident in his banning of the phrases “science-based” and “evidence-based.” The banned word “fetus” is obviously a dog whistle to his evangelical donors and supporters. Banning words and otherwise undermining our First Amendment rights is very Orwellian and dangerous to a functioning democracy. It’s a slippery slope that leads to totalitarianism.

No other president has mocked the disabled (the way he mocked a disabled reporter) and bragged about grabbing women by their private parts — and then lying and insisting he never said it, even though it’s on tape that he did.

No other president has openly admired authoritarians and dictators like Russia’s Putin, Turkey’s Erdogan, and the Phillippines’ Duterte, while dismissing or insulting democratic leaders of the developed western world such as Germany’s Angela Merkel or Australia’s Malcolm Turnbull.

Every day this malignant narcissist gaslights the nation. He insists lies are truth and truth are lies. Anything critical of him becomes “fake news.” This has resulted in many Americans feeling extremely stressed because he makes them question their own reality and sense of what is true. I’ve read articles where mental health professionals say Trump is all their patients talk about. They are feeling traumatized, under enormous stress, and off balance because of this president. He’s having the same effect on an entire country that a malignant narcissist parent has on their children. And just like a family headed by a malignant narcissist, he has scapegoats (Democrats, the free press, his rivals and critics, vulnerable populations, and anyone who speaks the truth), golden children (his sycophants in the White House and others who support him, and of course, his daughter Ivanka), and his enablers and flying monkeys (white supremacist and neo-Nazi hate groups, far right evangelicals, and his base of deplorables who attend his rallies).

No other president has had such a toxic effect on this country. Trump, unlike other presidents who may have been narcissistic, has done nothing beneficial or good for the people while in office, but he’s certainly created chaos and destruction. He has not fulfilled any of his promises, but he has broken many. Rather than making America great again, he and his administration are deliberately and systematically destroying everything that made America great and transforming it into a dystopian nightmare.

The Danger of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ in Society

Gallery

Posted on December 23, 2017 by luckyotter

This gallery contains 4 photos.

How ironic is it that it’s the same extremists who deny science and Darwinian evolution that are all for Social Darwinism, a dark, nihilistic philosophy that holds that higher values like empathy and altruism are weaknesses to be eradicated. Only … Continue reading →

Trump hates anything beautiful, truthful, or good.

Posted on September 17, 2017 by luckyotter

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“Destruction” by Binouse49/Deviantart

In the 1987 Cohn Brothers movie “Raising Arizona,” there was a mysterious character ironically named Leonard Smalls, a/k/a “Lone Biker of the Apocalypse. ” Smalls was a bounty hunter hired to look for a kidnapped baby, but he seemed like the worst possible choice to be put in charge of returning a child to its rightful parents: he was hardened, violent, silent, and sadistic, and probably psychopathic. In keeping with that, he despised anything small or vulnerable. Throughout the film, the lead character (played by Nicholas Cage) narrates several semi-prophetic dreams — including one in which Smalls tears through the desert on his Harley, shooting at rabbits, small lizards, and even struggling flowers growing along the lonely highway with grenades and huge assault weapons.

While the Smalls character was played up for humor (the movie was uproariously funny), there are actually people like him in the world. People without a conscience, without empathy, sadistic people who will gleefully and deliberately hurt and destroy “the small, vulnerable things,” as Cage put it in the film. There are people who live to destroy, and love every minute of it.

At first, like many people, I wanted to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt. I wanted him to prove himself to be a good guy after all, or at least have a few redeeming qualities. Like many, in the beginning of his presidency, I kept telling myself to give him a chance. But knowing about his malignant narcissism and probable psychopathy, I knew in my bones that his heart, if he had one, was as black as coal. He is an abuser and destroyer.

In the eight months since Trump became president, he has done nothing but destroy. As I put in an earlier post, he brings out the worst in everyone, including his own staff and supporters. He’s a toxic presence who smears his predecessor, his opponents, and even his own staff. He tells lies about people that are intended to undermine them, destroy them, or ruin their careers.

Not only is he toxic to individuals, he is toxic to the nation and even the world. Not one thing he has said or done has been life-affirming, empathetic, positive, encouraging, diplomatic, gentle, intelligent, or inspiring. The people who still support him tend to be people who are much like he is — authoritarians, racists and other haters without empathy — or fearful and ignorant people who feel most comfortable with a strongman dictator who tells them exactly what to do. He admires and encourages the most base and vile qualities of humanity and openly praises and curries the favor of cruel dictators. He makes fun of the most vulnerable: a disabled reporter, women, productive and ambitious young immigrants who came here as children, Muslims, Mexicans, the poor, and people who show any empathy or vulnerability. He threatens and bullies reporters, politicians, and entertainers who tell the truth about him.

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He passes bills that threaten to take things away from people that make their lives better. He has gutted any funding for climate science or research and grows angry at any discussion about climate change, even after two devastating hurricanes and wildfires spreading through the western states. He seems to like to pillage and plunder our environment, supporting fracking and selling off our public lands to huge corporations for oil drilling. He has plans to blast off the tops of mountains for coal mining, an industry which the rest of the civilized world knows is unsustainable and practically obsolete. He has removed laws that protect our water, air and food.

Trump cares nothing about wildlife or beauty. In fact, it seems that he wants to destroy our national treasures and replace them with the base and the ugly. On one of the revamped government websites having to do with environmental issues, former photographs of beautiful natural vistas have been replaced with pictures showing heavy mining equipment, people fracking, and oil rigs.

Trump’s budget cuts funding for anything that help people live better or contribute to the greater good, including organizations that combat hatred and domestic terror, while he has increased funding for for the military, the Mexican border wall, ICE agents that arrest and detain undocumented immigrants without probable cause and for indefinite periods of time and that separate children from their parents, and anything else that potentially oppresses and makes our country more dangerous, scary, or ugly.

Now he is militarizing police departments, allowing them to purchase military equipment, and removing laws that prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons. He tacitly encourages police brutality by pardoning a sheriff known to use torture to keep prisoners in line and even referred to one of his prisons as a concentration camp.

Trump is a warmonger, and seems to be chomping at the bit to start nuclear war with North Korea. Rather than making us safer, he has made us more vulnerable to attack from both without and within. His rallies are hate fests in which he emboldens white supremacists, Nazis, and hatred in general. He has turned Americans against each other.

He has hired people who are dead set on destroying from within the departments they were hired to oversee: education, the EPA, the Justice Department, and health and welfare. Obamacare, which has helped many vulnerable people get health insurance for the first time, is now back on the chopping block. Yes, again. Trump and the more hardline members of the GOP are relentless in their cruelty and seem to like tormenting people with the constant threat of taking away their access to healthcare, not caring one iota how traumatizing the threat is.

After he was criticized for his cold response to the victims of Harvey, telling the people of Texas “Good luck,” he made a lame attempt to show a little more fake empathy than usual after Irma. He was probably ordered to do so, because it was obvious his “empathy” was forced. Maddeningly, the mainstream media ate this up, speculating and theorizing that perhaps Trump was changing and he was capable of empathy after all.

But they are wrong. Trump is not capable of empathy. I wish the mainstream media would stop making excuses for him, because it’s a form of enabling. Those of us who are familiar with his form of narcissism know that the more he is enabled, the worse he will become. Trump is a malignant narcissist, and not only can’t he change, he will only grow worse over time. The only remedy is for him (and the equally toxic people he has appointed) is to be removed as soon as possible. What he has destroyed in eight months will take years to recover, if we can ever recover it. Our beautiful country is already beginning to resemble a third world country or a dystopian nightmare. Soon, people will begin to die of preventable diseases caused by contaminants that those pesky and “oppressive” regulations have helped keep at bay — and that’s just for starters.

Perhaps most heartbreaking of all, Trump has destroyed our unity as a country and our trust in each other. That’s his intention, because a people who have been divided can be more easily conquered. This is standard practice in all authoritarian regimes and dictatorships.

Donald Trump only knows how to do one thing well, and that is to destroy. He despises anything beautiful, truthful, or good.

PTSD & the Blindness of the Just Man

Posted on July 29, 2017 by luckyotter

A friend wrote this thought provoking post (closely related to the one I posted earlier today). Comments are disabled; please leave comments on the original post.

Unraveled and the Birth of Joy

blog image Yoda Love will find a way where wolves fear to thread.
– Lord Byron

Recently I took part in a research study regarding OIF and OEF veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, that was designed to examine how a vet’s PTSD affects present and past relationship partners. Psychiatrists are discovering that the failure by our government to provide effective deprogramming to combat vets, and their resulting emotional suppression, disregulation, and too often infantile personality syndrome, is now resulting in widespread PTSD in “dependents” (wives, husbands, and children) and their romantic partners as well.

Seems incorrectly treated (or untreated) PTSD in combat vets is contagious.

The shameful truth is, this country keeps its soldiers ready for deployment – by medical suppression of symptoms and emotions (utilizing anti-depressants, anti-anxieties, and stigma propaganda) but largely does not make us of trigger normalization and cognitive therapy, known world-wide to help heal PTSD, and necessary for a…

View original post 1,318 more words

The modern GOP is incapable of empathy.

Posted on July 22, 2017 by luckyotter

– robberbarons

Today, The Huffington Post published this article imploring the GOP to show as much sympathy and compassion for its constituents as it does for its wealthy donors and to each other.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment, I take issue with this article because of its unrealistic assumption that the modern GOP is capable of compassion or sympathy.

In fact, they are not. Maybe back in the old days (B.T — Before Trump), and among some moderate Republicans, that may be true. But moderate Republicans are in the minority these days and hold almost no power anymore. All three branches of government are hamstrung by far right Freedom Caucus or alt-right fascist types who want to take us back not to 1953 — remember, we had a lot more “socialism” during the ’50s, a decade that the far right seems to otherwise love — but to 1900! They want a Dickensian dystopia: a new Gilded Age, complete with robber barons, people dying from preventable illnesses (for lack of healthcare); hordes of uneducated, illiterate citizens; children begging in the streets or stealing so their families could eat (and providing a handy reason to send them to work at an early age); harsh punishments for minor victimless crimes, workhouses for the poor, rampant sexism and racism, voting rights only for property owners, women treated as second class citizens, and no civil rights at all. The early 1900s cartoon above this post could just as well apply to today.

The type of regime the modern GOP wants to install would be hell for all but the very wealthy. It’s the type of oppressive regime you find all the time in the third world, but not in any civilized country. It’s interesting to me that Trump admires and acts respectful to fascistic, authoritarian rulers, but insults and is rude to leaders of western democracies.

I’m speculating here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if repealing child labor laws is part of their eventual plan to destroy democracy and any chance of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for those who aren’t white, Christian, able-bodied, or unable for various reasons beyond their control to attain great wealth and power. These ruthless monsters are waging war on the most vulnerable among us and I truly believe their intention is a modern day version of eugenics. Denying healthcare to millions, attempting to dismantle public education, and removing laws that protect our air, water and food — while building underground bunkers for themselves so they stay safe when the air is unbreathable, the landscape looks like a war zone, and desperate hordes of impoverished are forced to steal and kill just to survive — is a sneakier, more underhanded version of the gas chambers of Nazi Germany. Dark Triad people like Mitch McConnell want to thin the herd — but let “natural law” do the job instead of poison gas and concentration camps. I’m enraged and terrified because I and most of the people I love are among those these conscienceless rulers want to eliminate, and that’s why I’m so passionate about this scourge on our nation.

malcolmx

I decided to comment on the HuffPo article:

Sympathy and compassion are traits of a democracy. America is no longer a democracy. It’s an oligarchy. The modern GOP is a criminal, sociopathic organization whose members lack any empathy or conscience. They are all about greed and power, and they gaslight and demean and lie to anyone who cares about the “least of us.” They call us weak, snowflakes, un-American, elitist. This organized crime ring of grifters, pathological liars, Ayn Rand acolytes, greedy sociopaths, their spineless enablers, and the fake “Christians” who have twisted Christianity into something more closely resembling Satanism never will. They can’t because it’s alien to their dark natures. They are modern day Pharisees.

“By their fruits you shall know them.”

They bear rotten fruit.

“We have met the enemy and it is us.”

We have become the Evil Empire the rest of the world hates and fears.

Fake Christianity.

Posted on May 6, 2017 by luckyotter

I have a problem. I’m ashamed to admit I’m a Christian. That’s because these days, open-minded, compassionate, tolerant people with a conscience give you side-eye if you tell them you’re a Christian. They assume you embrace the far right values that many (if not most) churches today are teaching — values that embrace hatred, fear, paranoia, intolerance, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, racism, authoritarianism, nationalism (as opposed to true patriotism) and — incredibly — greed (according to many Calvinist teachings, God rewards those who “live good lives” — the select He has already chosen — financially and materially). According to many fundamentalist and charismatic churches (especially of the Dominionist or prosperity-gospel type), if you’re poor or sick or aren’t “blessed” in this life, then you are not favored by God and will suffer eternal torment in Hell after living a life of hell. It’s unbelievable they can worship a God who is that cruel.

I’ve doubted for a long time that the far right “Christians” who run the nation are actually Christian at all, because their values seem to be in direct opposition to anything Jesus taught. They follow Ayn Rand’s teachings more closely than those of Christ. The reality is that it’s simply not possible to embrace Ayn Rand’s philosophy of selfishness and also be a Christian. They are diametrically opposed.

Last night my doubts turned to certainty, after I watched in horrified astonishment as the GOP held a party at the White House’s Rose Garden to celebrate their “victory” — a victory that, if it passes Senate — will destroy the lives or bankrupt tens of millions of average Americans and kill many, including innocent children and people with pre-existing conditions. I don’t have to go into everything that is wrong with this bill, because it would fill an entire page. That information is readily available elsewhere. But the spectacle of watching these rich white thugs drinking beer and partying after such a devastating bill passed the House, convinced me once and for all that these monsters are not only not Christian, they are absolutely, unapologetically evil. They may quote from the Bible and go to church and bloviate on about abortion and homosexuality, but they worship the god of Mammon. They have sold out the American people they are supposed to serve in exchange for even more tax breaks for themselves and those just like them. They are relentless in their cruelty and their greed is never satiated. No matter how wealthy they become, they want more and more and more. Last night I sat, horrified, watching these — beings (I hesitate to call them human) — toast each other and laugh about how they had stuck it to the rest of us who don’t have a prayer of ever having their kind of power and material wealth. They were celebrating the fact that they were placing real lives at risk. I turned off the TV, sickened and enraged and terrified by what I had seen.

No matter what they say, these are not good people or Christian people. They walk on the side of darkness and their hearts are black and empty. You can see it in their cold, dead eyes and their cruel, twisted smiles. They use Christianity as a way to cloak how dark their souls really are — and as a way to get even more power. Over a period of several decades starting in the 1970s, they have systematically co-opted Christianity as a means to win gullible and less-educated people (mostly in red states) over to their side. They have persuaded them their way is the only moral way, the only American way, the only Christian way. But it’s all lies. Using Christianity as a selling point is a brilliant tactic to gain even more money and power because it works like a charm. Using Christianity this way, these conscienceless criminals and power brokers have been able to hijack a nation and now have complete control of every branch of government. But still, it’s not enough. They want more, and more, and more.

Now their real work begins: dismantling everything good this nation ever stood for — discouraging and suppressing and ultimately destroying our freedoms and our opportunities and our rights and our safety nets. Their real goal is to create misery, chaos, despair, hopelessness, illness and suffering (both mental and physical — with no means to alleviate it), ignorance, poverty, strife, cruelty, slavery, and death. Lots and lots of death. It’s become increasingly obvious to me that their real agenda is to thin the herd. They used to try to hide this ugly reality, but they don’t even try very hard anymore. It’s all but out in the open for anyone who opens their eyes and ears. Their excuses for the horrible things they do are transparent to all but the most obtuse (or brainwashed) person. With every decision they have made, every executive order signed, every bill rammed through without ever asking once how the people feel about it, every lie they tell, they show their contempt for humanity, especially those who tell the truth or who are vulnerable and defenseless.

But it’s much more than just a show of contempt. They really are trying to kill off or silence the most vulnerable Americans — the poor (this includes the middle class and so their decimation will take a bit longer), the sick, the unwanted, the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill (mental illness won’t be covered under this new bill but now the mentally ill can go out and buy guns — hmm, I wonder what message they are being sent?), immigrants, women, children, the unconventional, the artists, the dreamers, the truth-tellers, the whistle-blowers, and all the people who believe in justice and fairness and kindness and compassion and inclusion and opportunity and clean air and water and safe and healthy food. They want us all gone, and as soon as possible. Their “healthcare” bill is nothing less than slow mass genocide of those who aren’t useful to them. They have even said so much. If you protest against this mistreatment and yes, abuse — they scream about socialism and how the “liberal media” is destroying America. Again, lies. Under our new president, the lying and gaslighting has become so bad that lies are now facts, and facts are ‘fake news.’ Twisting the language and spinning lies into some kind of alternate reality is the way dictators gain their power — and it’s evil. There’s nothing remotely Christian about what they do.

I saw this comment today under an article about the the cruel GOP healthcare bill that explains the fake “Christianity” behind such a move:

God sent Joshua to kill every man, woman, and child to take the land of the Canaanites. The Bible is clear that sometimes God requires His people to commit genocide.

That’s the mentality we’re up against. No mention of how Jesus healed the sick (without demanding payment or refusing due to inability to pay), was friends with the downtrodden, loved the poor and the disabled and the old and the ill, and warned about greed and what happens to those who worship money and power. No, because all those things are “socialism” and to them, socialism is the greatest evil. To them, socialism is “theft” from those who “earned” their riches — often through no effort of their own.

It wasn’t always this way. There was once a time when Christianity leaned more to the left. This used to be called the “social gospel,” something you rarely hear about anymore, though very recently there’s been a resurgence of left wing Christianity among those who can see through the false Christianity that’s pushed down our throats by the far right. Peaceful Christian groups like the Quakers and Sojourners ministered to the poor, sick and others in need — expecting nothing in return. Mainstream Christian churches such as the Methodist or Episcopalian church held similar values. Sure, things like abortion, homosexuality, and sex outside marriage were frowned upon or even forbidden, but the overall message of Christianity was one of love, compassion, and caring for those less fortunate. Some Christians — and some (mostly mainstream) churches – still embrace this message, but the ones that were able to influence our current leaders are those that do not — and instead preach the prosperity gospel and a theology of exclusion (you’re going to hell if you are not “predestined” or chosen by God), fear (of hell and punishment on earth) and hatred (of anyone whose beliefs differ).

Starting in the late 1970s, a group called the Moral Majority began to change the political landscape, which until that time worked for the most part. They funneled money to the GOP and the GOP knew a good deal when they saw it. They realized they had to use Christianity to win over more supporters and soon, politicians were spouting Bible verses and talking about how schools should stop teaching evolution (or any science at all) and railing about abortion, and later, blaming those afflicted by poverty or disease for their “bad choices” or immoral behavior that led to their problems. They preached about America being a Christian nation — when it was becoming anything but. At the same time, the churches that had influenced the GOP were now telling their members that if they didn’t vote for so-and-so GOP politician, they were going to hell. I have no doubt that fear of eternal damnation being constantly drummed into their minds and hearts by their pastors had a lot to do with why so many religious red staters switched from Democrat to Republican, since most would never benefit from the policies they were voting for.

Make no mistake — although they may talk endlessly about their Christianity and be able to spout Bible verses, these compassionless rulers aren’t pro-life and they don’t care about family values. Railing on about how horrible abortion is, but denying healthcare to low and middle income pregnant women (by making pregnancy a pre-existing condition and putting pregnant women in a “high risk pool” where premiums will be astronomical) is going to make it financially impossible for many women to afford prenatal care. For many of these women, abortion (which is far less expensive than prenatal care and labor and delivery) may seem like their only choice, so the number of abortions will skyrocket. For those who courageously opt to have their child without the benefit of healthcare, they will run the risk of themselves or their babies dying in childbirth — it might as well be 1917, not 2017.

Their anti-life stance goes way beyond the abortion issue. Many of the newly uninsured will include families with children. Last week, Jimmy Kimmel gave an emotional speech about his newborn son who had a serious heart problem. In his moving plea, he talked about the fact that, while he is wealthy enough to have afforded healthcare for his son, even under the GOP plan, taking away healthcare from average and poor families will cause many children and babies who are sick to die. Any bill that will force a parent of average or low income to have to face their own child’s preventable death just because they can no longer afford healthcare is both cruel and evil.

Pro-life isn’t just about babies and children. Pro-life means preserving and enhancing lives no matter what your age or income. Forcing older people, the unemployed, the disabled, the poor, and the sick off healthcare is sentencing them to possible preventable illness, pain, and death. The powerful “Christians” in charge of things now think nothing about bombing other countries regardless of whether innocent civilians — including women and children — are killed or maimed. Free public education, organizations like the EPA that protect our air and water, arts and humanities programs, federal grant programs that help kids afford college, access to scientific information about our climate and environment, organizations that help families and children thrive, and numerous other organizations that preserve and promote quality of life are all being threatened. Their deliberate destruction is nothing short of abuse, as is the suppression of freedom of speech and truth in reporting. To be pro-life, you must care about all human life. To care only about the unborn and then callously offer no support or help to the already born — or rip away what support systems they have — isn’t pro-life, it’s pro-birth and anti-life. Unfortunately, many people who are less educated or lack critical thinking skills are one-issue voters, and always vote for the anti-abortion candidate no matter what their stance on other issues — even though the pro-choice candidate may actually be the more pro-life one when you step back and view the big picture.

We live in dark times, and whistleblowers and truth tellers are increasingly in danger because they threaten to expose the real agenda of the sociopaths and abusers who have hijacked our country and hold it hostage. Lying is their specialty. Why would they make an exception and tell the truth about Christianity? Look at their actions, not their words. These are fake Christians who only worship money and power. If it’s the Enemy who’s behind far right “Christianity,” then he’s giving it a very bad reputation, and that’s precisely his intention — and to create shame in the act of calling yourself a Christian, which is what I’m struggling with these days.

***

I want to share this article someone just shared with me. It was written by a therapist who has many patients traumatized by this president. She uses DBT principles to help them cope. I think people may find this article as helpful as I did.

How to Stay Sane if Trump is Driving You Insane.