Ailing Democracy

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

"It’s an insult to people who have real mental illness to be lumped with Trump. Most people with mental illness are well-meaning, well-mannered and well-behaved. And Trump is none of these. Trump is bad, not mad. And when bad people are labeled mentally ill, it stigmatizes mental illness."

-- W. J. T. Mitchell, "American Psychosis: Trumpism and the Nightmare of History"

#Confederate flag "taken down" during reporter's live shot in Charleston.

Talking about this on @WBTV_News at 11p pic.twitter.com/vYBQDXDzyf

— Molly Grantham WBTV (@MollyGrantham) February 23, 2017

Comments

[fieryphoenix.livejournal.com]

I have a lot of friends and family that deal with mental illness, and I do, myself. What Mitchell says addresses something that has bothered me increasingly since he first declared his candidacy: the throwing of either specific psychological diagnoses at Trump, or just the general label of "mentally ill". It may or may not be true, but it's completely irrelevant. Trump behaves like an asshole purely and simply because he is an asshole.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's why I fancied that quotation, which is essentially saying that you shouldn't consider mental illness as any kind of excuse for the man. He is his own man and power has certainly revealed him.

[johnny9fingers.livejournal.com]

I do agree. Nevertheless, I have called the man deranged after that press conference, because both it and Trump seemed so.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think Trump can well succeed at being both bad and mad.
For that he may have more than a little talent.

[stout-john.livejournal.com]

I hear you. Moreover, Trump is rewarded for acting poorly, whereas people with MI are generally stigmatized.

[hindustar.livejournal.com]

I love that quote. Thank you. I could watch the guy jump through police tape after that flag forever and a day, and it reminds me a bit of the old keystone cops. lol. I can hear that piano music in my head now. lol.