On the cause of "Trump Derangement Syndrome"

(Mar 30, 2026 02:48 AM)Magical Realist Wrote: IOW you got nothin. Just as I thought.

Well, Yaz decided to waste his time. Let's see how well you respond. @_@

(Mar 30, 2026 03:56 AM)Syne Wrote:

(Mar 30, 2026 02:48 AM)Magical Realist Wrote: IOW you got nothin. Just as I thought.

Well, Yaz decided to waste his time. Let's see how well you respond. @_@

He basically just confirmed it is all political--that the only reason he supports him is because of his political views. That doesn't say a lot about the man himself. I doubt anybody would have anything to do with him if he wasn't in politics. His abundant record of sleazy cons and narcissism and juvenile behavior and just plain lying for no reason at all speaks loudly for itself. The poster made that point quite clear. MAGA gives him a free pass just to get their policies enacted, except for his pedophilia associations. They seem to draw a line in the sand there.

Yet Trump was very popular, culturally, before anyone knew he had right-leaning views.
But it's telling how you won't bother to address any of Yaz's specific points. Just brushing it aside, as I knew you would.

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Sorry you wasted your time, Yaz. It was quite eloquent.

Quote:Yet Trump was very popular, culturally, before anyone knew he had right-leaning views.

He started the whole racist birther movement on Obama in 2011, exposing himself as the petty little man he is. MAGA had no problem with it since they are all racists anyway. That was before he ever ran for president.

Quote:Sorry you wasted your time, Yaz. It was quite eloquent.

LOL @ the cowering little Syne hiding behind Yazata's skirts.

Sociopathic demagogue's tend to incite people to either absolutely detest them completely (For seeing them immoral and/or shallow) or people are drawn to them like a moth to flames (Perhaps Manson family members?).

The point is that there isn't really any such thing as "TDS", just opposites to whether people are drawn in or repelled by a sociopath. No Left, No Right, not even Democrats or Republicans, just pure maleficent manipulation.

(Mar 30, 2026 04:14 AM)Magical Realist Wrote:

Quote:Yet Trump was very popular, culturally, before anyone knew he had right-leaning views.

He started the whole racist birther movement on Obama in 2011, exposing himself as the petty little man he is. MAGA had no problem with it since they are all racists anyway. That was before he ever ran for president.

For decades prior to that he was very popular. In movies, rap songs, etc.. Everyone knew his name.

Quote:

Quote:Sorry you wasted your time, Yaz. It was quite eloquent.

LOL @ the cowering little Syne hiding behind Yazata's skirts.

You think that's what's happening, huh?

Couldn't possibly be that you proved me right to not waste my time. 9_9

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(Mar 30, 2026 04:41 AM)stryder Wrote: Sociopathic demagogue's tend to incite people to either absolutely detest them completely (For seeing them immoral and/or shallow) or people are drawn to them like a moth to flames (Perhaps Manson family members?).

The point is that there isn't really any such thing as "TDS", just opposites to whether people are drawn in or repelled by a sociopath.  No Left, No Right, not even Democrats or Republicans,  just pure maleficent manipulation.

I'm sure that's a very comforting justification for you.

Quote:For decades prior to that he was very popular. In movies, rap songs, etc.. Everyone knew his name.

He was a star on some cheesy-assed reality TV show. Nobody knew his real personality until later..when he started speaking for himself instead of reciting scripts in front of cameras. Happens quite often with celebrities. Like Chevy Chase, who everybody loved for his SNL skits and movies, but eventually became widely despised for the asshole he is. Same with Rosanne Barr, a very popular comedian until she spoke her own mind in public.

(Mar 30, 2026 03:56 AM)Syne Wrote: Well, Yaz decided to waste his time. Let's see how well you respond. @_@

I don't think that it was a waste of time. I wasn't trying to change MR's mind about Trump or about me. I'm not convinced that I or anyone else can. MR has to change his own mind, a little at a time. I was just trying to provide intelligent answers to the questions that he asked.

What is TDS? - An extreme irrational hatred for President Trump and often for his supporters. Yes I think that it's very real.

What causes it? - The almost universal sense of alienation, anger and grievance on the left. That sense of victimhood probably attracts individuals with other preexisting psychological problems and give those problems a socially acceptable outlet, while perhaps making them worse.

What can be done about TDS? - Psychiatry probably won't be of much help. I'd say emphasizing things that we all share in common, not the grievances that set us apart. That's the fundamental requirement for community and belonging is arguably the best cure for alienation.

How can MAGA supporters support such a terrible man? - Well, we don't really perceive him as being terrible. Flawed certainly, but that's the human condition. Not unlike JFK, LBJ or Bill Clinton in that regard. All of whom had their failings personally, some more than others, but history will record that they were generally speaking good Presidents.

Future historians may decide that Trump was the greatest of that group (with the possible exception of JFK, whose first term was cut short so we don't know). Trump is trying to work a world-historical change in the downward trajectory of Western civilization. If he succeeds, he could become the greatest US President in American history.

(Mar 30, 2026 05:34 AM)Yazata Wrote:

(Mar 30, 2026 03:56 AM)Syne Wrote: Well, Yaz decided to waste his time. Let's see how well you respond. @_@

I don't think that it was a waste of time. I wasn't trying to change MR's mind about Trump or about me. I'm not convinced that I or anyone else can. MR has to change his own mind, a little at a time. I was just trying to provide intelligent answers to the questions that he asked.

Oh, I knew you weren't trying to change his mind. Just like I knew he'd flippantly blow off your answers.
I always hope for a more thoughtful and thorough response from MR, but alas.

Quote:What is TDS? - An extreme irrational hatred for President Trump and often for his supporters. Yes I think that it's very real.

Yes, the irrationality seems most obvious in how hatred for one man can make these people hate more than half the country. But it's also apparent in the bipartisan policies that they reject in a knee-jerk reaction to Trump being at all involved. When the hatred of one man poisons so much more, it can't be rational.

Quote:What causes it? - The almost universal sense of alienation, anger and grievance on the left. That sense of victimhood probably attracts individuals with other preexisting psychological problems and give those problems a socially acceptable outlet, while perhaps making them worse.

That's a pretty good analysis. It's also the same reason such people hate the Jews. They are successful.

Quote:What can be done about TDS? - Psychiatry probably won't be of much help. I'd say emphasizing things that we all share in common, not the grievances that set us apart. That's the fundamental requirement for community and belonging is arguably the best cure for alienation.

Yeah, psychiatry is in the business of keeping patients coming back. One problem with mental illness is that an aspect of it is the desire to keep it, as the only game in town. And people whose identity is built upon grievance and victimhood are not likely to find common ground or shared values. That would ultimately deprive them of their grievance.

I think it has to be something more fundamental to helping them see their own identity in a new light. The removal of welfare and a focus on training marketable skills might help them feel more valuable, both to society and themselves. Might help their sense of agency.

Quote:Future historians may decide that Trump was the greatest of that group (with the possible exception of JFK, whose first term was cut short so we don't know). Trump is trying to work a world-historical change in the downward trajectory of Western civilization. If he succeeds, he could become the greatest US President in American history.

It looks possible, but nothing is certain.

It started with Bush derangement syndrome. If Krauthammer had coined the term in the 1980s, there would have been Reagan derangement syndrome, too. Ever since the Reagan administration the mainstream media and entertainment celebrities have been righteously obsessed with castigating Republican candidates and presidents.[1] From the early 1990s onward the GOP gradually responded by implementing its own political network from radio shows to FOX News to finally YouTube channels and social media. So there have been accusations of rival monomania about Democrat prospects and officeholders, too, albeit the DS expression itself doesn't seem to stick as well when those are plugged into it by their patrons.

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[1] One could arguably go back to Watergate era Nixon, too, but afterwards Ford was largely caricaturized as a clumsy, harmless buffoon. And thus sort of broke the chain for retrospective ascription of intense political OCD going back that far.