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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe best analysis of Trump's character I have ever read.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/14/1812821/-Trump-is-finally-revealing-himself-as-the-sick-incompetent-joke-we-all-knew-he-was?utm_campaign=trendingDonald Trump has not one iota of civic involvement in his entire life. He has never pursued any activity that was not geared, directly or indirectly, for his own benefit. The concept of public service is a wholly alien concept to him. So, when called upon to perform a simple human gesture, such as standing in a memorial to fallen soldiers at Belleau Wood, or laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, he balks. He shakes his head in puzzlement. He doesnt get it. There is no sense of obligation on his part, because there is no sense of shared humanity. He simply doesn't care.
But his actions in Europe and at home this week are just symptomatic of a deeper problemthe same dearth of feeling and empathy he brings to issues involving human contact render him wholly unfit to the tasks associated with the U.S. presidency. Someone with no real sense of obligation to his fellow countrymen cannot pretend to have any real policy goals.
The policiessuch as they arethat Trump has followed have been spoon-fed to him by the far right wing of the Republican Party, which understood that he would swallow whatever they plated before himas long as it satisfied his one real, wholly narcissistic goal, which was to be perceived as powerful.
...
So what does he do? He has no idea. Its all self-defense and self-preservation at this point. Hes looking on helplessly, lashing out indiscriminately, as his people jump ship. They see what's going to happen, but theres nothing he can do about it. He's never had an agenda, beyond preserving his own entitlement to power. Remember, this is a President who barely works" two hours a day. He spends the bulk of his time watching TV or playing on Twitter. Its not that hes abandoning his day jobhe never worked the job to begin with.
...
But further down in the article is the really telling example. Instead of attending himself, Trump sent Mike Pence to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
This summit, and the agreements that are reached there, have major implicationshuge implicationsfor our countrys economic future and its place in the world. And while Trump ignores it, Putin is there for Russia, Moon is there for South Korea, Modi is there for India and Xi Jinping is there for China, attending meetings across the region looking to broaden their countrys influence in the South China Sea and expand multilateral trade agreements." Meanwhile, Trump is in his bedroom. He doesnt do "policy" not just because it's too hard to understand, but because hes never really cared about it.
livetohike
(22,084 posts)people surrounding him are incompetent. No one knows what to do with him and he may just sulk himself to death.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)Danascot
(4,664 posts)and didn't. They could stop him today but instead they are willing captives of their .1% owners and their nutjob base. Eventually it will go badly for them but in the meantime they're doing incalculable damage to our institutions, people who need help and Mother Earth.
I'm angry and depressed. Somehow we got shunted off into this bizarro alternative reality. I want to go back to the sane one!
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Their demonstrated ability would make him look small. Kelly is competent, but racist as hell, so he hangs on because Trump hurts Brown people. Mattis appears to be competent, but seem to go out of his way to avoid the asshole.
shanny
(6,709 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)Ilsa
(61,675 posts)In another thread a few says ago I posted a youtube clip from Godfather Part 2 near the end where there is a flashback. Michael and everyone but Vito is at the dinner table, and Sonny opines about WW2 soldiers being saps, dying for someone else. Michael then tells him he's enlisted oin the Marines.
Trump is as devoid of conscience as Sonny Corleone.
zentrum
(9,865 posts)...add in that his complete indifference to anything but self preservation makes him do things that are sociopathic in their effects.
duforsure
(11,882 posts)I worked for an incompetent upper boss once and he too immediately started changing everything , and replacing smart competent people with more incompetent people to surround himself with, and changed things often to keep people thinking he was doing something , and had no clue. Numerous times when his review would come up he'd make it look like these changes he constantly was doing was going to be great, and made excuses , when he had no clue. It always went bad on him too, and eventually his career and high paying job was over. He liked pitting people against each other, and openly admitted he thought people worked better scared, and pissed off. He didn't like smart people either , and his insecurities showed because of his lack of understanding things . That's what we have now, a total incompetent self centered spoiled and delusional adult, insecure and lashing out now because again he was exposed this last election as being a fraud, and incompetent.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)they were. There was only one guy who I could figure out, his dad was a powerful corporate VP. The others, could not figure out how they got where they were.
Le Gaucher
(1,547 posts)They don't care if he watching foxnews or porn all day.
Bromwell
(123 posts)Im 100% convinced that the real reason why this Russian thing has no effect what so ever on the Trump zombies is they see Putin as the great white hope in his Northern fortress of Russia...more people are Putin fans then I think we realize.
thbobby
(1,474 posts)He never had to learn to act as if he has empathy or decency. Stupid, lazy, and heartless.
elocs
(22,474 posts)That's the rub of wanting to diagnose him as having a mental illness or a personality disorder.
So do we mock and deride the mentally ill for their disease? Think about it.
I think Trump is who he chooses to be and no mental illness pathology is required.
Many notorious criminals have personality disorders. That does not imply they are not responsible for their actions.
Eyeball_Kid
(7,410 posts)in meting out human suffering. Its clear in his statements and orders. He enjoys making people suffer.
I will never give him comfort by wrapping him in the blanket of mental disease. He needs to be removed from the seat of power and isolated from the rest of us so that he can no longer spread evil and suffering. Enough. We can diagnose him until were numb AFTER hes no longer hurting people.
dalton99a
(81,073 posts)First, many people have mental illnesses. Of those with mental illness who commit a crime, only a very tiny percentage are found to be "not responsible" due to the illness. This is for several reasons. Among them, serious and persistent mental illnesses tend to follow cycles, even if untreated. More importantly, it is extremely rare for the symptoms of an illness to prevent the person from understanding right from wrong, and legally that includes the understanding that society considers an act to be wrong, even if the person feels entitled to do it.
Personality disorders are classified as mental illness, though many do not have the biological factors that the major psychotic disorders have. For example, some people experience a major depression, distinct from those who are always depressed. While an episode of major depression will impact one's brain chemistry, it is different from the constant mild-to-very depressed brain chemistry that many people suffer from.
I could go on and on, but prefer to focus on sociopathy. For many years, this was a diagnosis alone. Sociopaths do not tend to seek out treatment, because the disorder does not cause them discomfort. Hence, treatment providers saw them in forensic settings -- either by court order, or by their attempt to manipulate the system to avoid consequences for their actions.
There is no known treatment for sociopathy, such as medication or therapy. (The best option is a probation or parole officer able to keep a tight structure.) Hence, insurance companies were not happy to pay for on-going treatment, since providers were open about the chances of improvement. By the time I retired, our clinic could only be reimbursed for assessments -- up to three contacts -- of sociopaths.
For insurance purposes only, the diagnosis of sociopath was merged within that of anti-social personality disorder, thus allowing for on-going reimbursement. But the two are distinct. In simple terms, most crooks follow a "criminal code of conduct" (at least until caught), while sociopaths have no loyalty to any person or group.
There is some evidence that sociopathic brains "fire" differently in the frontal lobes, than "normal" brains. Yet, sociopaths are entirely responsible for their actions. There has been a case where a criminal pleaded "not guilty due to sociopathy," but that failed. Again, a sociopath is fully aware that society views their crimes as wrong. They just don't care.
The book "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump" provides an accurate, detailed description of how over 30 of the top mental health experts in our nation are able to identify Trump as a sociopath.
renate
(13,776 posts)Thank you so much for such a clear, well informed, and detailed post! And its especially useful to see that sociopaths are responsible for their actions and dont have sociopathy or abnormal frontal lobes or anything as an excuse... Trumps having this particular mental illness and his choosing to be this way are not mutually exclusive. Very important to know. Thanks!
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I appreciate that! It's a topic I find fascinating. I was lucky to be trained by J. Reid Meloy, who was Robert Hare's top student. Reid has served as the leading "expert witness" in the US in cases involving sociopathy.
Trump reminds me of a couple of fellows who I dealt with back before retiring. And I say that in all seriousness.
elocs
(22,474 posts)I am diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder, it's who I am, it affects how I relate to people, things I do, choices I make, and how I live my life. I can't just snap out of it.
I don't believe for a minute that Trump is truly a sociopath no matter how many armchair psychiatrists or others who have never examined him have made that claim. If we claim that Trump is mentally ill or has a personality disorder and is still responsible for his actions because we despise him then we must do the same thing for people we like.
Trump is who he is because he chooses to be that way and no psychopathology is needed for that.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)experts in our nation disagree with you. Hence, they published the powerful book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump." I do not think they fit the description "armchair" types. More, if you read the book -- which I promise that you would enjoy and find worthwhile -- you would learn why sociopathy is the exception to the rule that one must meet a person to accurately make that diagnosis. Indeed, sociopaths make for the worst in self-reporting, making other information even more necessary. In the real sense, of course, it makes no difference if one uninformed person choses to believe the experts who wrote that book.
I'm very familiar with schizoid personality. It's a diagnosis that my oldest brother carries. I'm glad that he can't "snap out of it," for it is among the many things that makes him a unique person. In all the decades I've known him, I can think of very few people who know him, and don't have great respect for him. He's among the most intelligent people I've ever met, and I've met many, many smart people. (He recognizes that Trump is a sociopath, too!)
Girard442
(6,059 posts)Unless you count buying toys with daddy's money (which he then broke) or cozying up to money launderers.
littlemissmartypants
(22,418 posts)malaise
(267,823 posts)Rec
Texin
(2,585 posts)He's really unfit to be a functioning human being.
The big problem for the world though, is the simple fact that the Rethugs in Congress are all doing back flips to prop this cretin up and maintain their stranglehold on the reins of power to continue their insidious agenda.
world wide wally
(21,719 posts)He goes on and on repeating himself and babbling incoherencies to give the impression that he knows what he is talking about but he never does. Don't forget, Trump is a "salesman". Not a businessman, and certainly not a world leader or statesman.
OxQQme
(2,550 posts)Javaman
(62,442 posts)The dark triad in psychology refers to the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, which are called "dark" because of their malevolent qualities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_triad
The dark triad in psychology refers to the personality traits of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy,[1][2][3][4] which are called "dark" because of their malevolent qualities.[5][1][6][7]
Research on the dark triad is used in applied psychology, especially within the fields of law enforcement, clinical psychology, and business management. People scoring high on these traits are more likely to commit crimes, cause social distress and create severe problems for an organization, especially if they are in leadership positions (for more information, see psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism in the workplace).
All three dark triad traits are conceptually distinct although empirical evidence shows them to be overlapping. They are associated with a callous-manipulative interpersonal style.[8]
Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy.[9]
Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulation and exploitation of others, a cynical disregard for morality, and a focus on self-interest and deception.[10]
Psychopathy is characterized by continuing antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callousness, and remorselessness.[11]
A factor analysis carried out at the Glasgow Caledonian University found that among the big five personality traits, low agreeableness is the strongest correlate of the dark triad, while neuroticism and a lack of conscientiousness were associated with some of the dark triad members.[10]
niyad
(112,435 posts)blitzen
(4,572 posts)although mostly referring to the present, it does so (brilliantly) in the context of his fundamentally flawed character:
https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/this-is-all-donald-trump-has-left-1830329753
Beacool
(30,244 posts)Yep, that pretty much describes Trump.
dlk
(11,438 posts)Beacool
(30,244 posts)As such, he's incapable of empathy. As one of his biographer's stated, Trump's main interests are self-preservation and self-aggrandizement. He's like a NY sewer rat. He will do anything to stay alive politically. He'll lie, cheat and screw over anyone who gets in his way. That this vile man is president proves how much we have devolved as a nation. It's depressing.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)He is not smart, but he is cunning and has a knack for survival in the toughest conditions. He is tenacious, filthy and is fearless in an environment where the decent elements try to stamp him out. The world of NY real-estate and mob bosses is where he feels most at home because he can be the scumbag that he is and fit in comfortably.
I have also described him as a giant NYC cockroach. They are basically just like the rats, except they are harder to get rid of.
He is nothing but scum.
Beacool
(30,244 posts)To me he's like a NYC sewer rat because, although he's an intellectual wasteland, he has street smarts and always manages to survive. He's like an evil road runner. No matter how many anvils are dropped on him, the SOB rises again.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)One word the you listed I want to highlight, tenacious. Never count him out, he really screwed up the WWI memorial and Arlington, but he had a photo-op with grinning Marines today to rehabilitate himself, for all of his avid supporters and some not avid ones, that is enough, he is good again.
During the 2016 General, he campaigned pretty much everywhere and did 4-5 stops per day. He will do that in 2020, our nominee need to be prepared for that.
Trump is a man that during his second bankruptcy, he WALKED something like 100 blocks in a New York winter blizzard to meet with bankers that he had threatened with complete default. He got what he wanted.
He is tenacious, just like a rat. That tenacity makes up for his lack of smarts somewhat and if we don't take is seriously, plan for it and execute against it, he will get where we didn't expect him to get.