Trump's narcissism is poisoning America

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

http://theweek.com/articles/721952/trumps-narcissism-poisoning-america

President Trump's leadership during the Hurricane Harvey nightmare is a microcosm of everything he is incapable of as a human being: sustained empathy, determined focus, and the ability to put aside one's short-term needs and desires for the sake of people who need help. He put the dark abyss of his soul on display for everyone to see.

It wasn't just his revolting "What a turnout, what a crowd" moment when he visited Texas. It was conducting his Oceania-Eurasia war with the media while people were still fleeing disaster and trying not to drown. It was using the hurricane to execute his inexcusable pardon of the unapologetic sadist Joe Arpaio and then claiming he had done it to increase the "ratings." Amazingly, this pampered billionaire who failed up into the world's most prestigious and coveted job spent his time feeling sorry for himself rather than caring for the vulnerable citizens who are his responsibility.

It's not just that he couldn't muster the right tone when he was in front of the cameras — White House reporters noted that, even in private, the president expressed no sympathy for the suffering. And while this provided ample fodder for sarcastic Twitter takedowns, the president's persistent emotional void imperils the fragile bonds of community and fellowship that are the only things holding this country together.

These are not political failings, things which President Trump possesses in almost biblical abundance. They are, instead, the pathologies of a deeply broken man, a person so devoid of feeling for his fellow humans that he reliably has exactly the wrong reaction to every single event that captures the public's attention. And while such people are, in some cases, deserving of a certain kind of sympathy, they have no business being in charge of the world's most critical symbolic job.

They are toxic. And we are stuck with one of these hapless egomaniacs as our president.

[leftstreet]

1. Spot on statements in that article

President Trump is not most people. He is a narcissist. He's the kind of person who starts wailing inconsolably when your mom dies. He's the sort of friend who descends into self-pitying coldness when you get a promotion.

This is EVERY narcissist. People who've dealt with them before, recognize it instantly

There is absolutely no hope he will ever change

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Trump unfortunately reminds me of our late father.

My sister, BIL, her four dogs, and I gathered at the family house for Thanksgiving 9 years ago. Dad was about 87. He had this big spread ready for us, and was waiting to serve it.

Dad asked my sister to walk *his* dog just before we were going to sit down. It was dark at 6:00-ish. My sister dutifully put on the leash and walked his dog for a few minutes. But she didn't notice that one of her dogs had followed her outside. When she returned and did a head count, the dog's absence was realized. We searched the house. We went outside. We called the police.

Long story short: 15 minutes later, the police came to our house with the little dog, dead from being run over by a car, near the house. My sister let out an unearthly scream. She gathered the limp body of her dog and brought her inside where she collapsed on the floor, crying, cradling the dog with her husband. I was crying with them.

But Dad -- and I still don't understand him to this day -- more or less tried to steer us into the dining room to start eating our Thanksgiving meal. He actually said this to my sister, "You have three more dogs". My sister stopped crying, peered over his head, locked eyes with me with an expression that said "Did you hear that too?"

He just didn't get it. There was a dead dog, his daughter was distraught, and he wanted us to put aside the dog and start eating.

Nonetheless, after about an hour, we decided to cancel Thanksgiving. My sister and BIL gently put their dog into a cardboard box I had in my car, and drove back to Long Island. I went home at the same time, shaking my head.

Now mind you, if it had been *our father's* dog that got run over, he would have been desolate, disoriented, etc. But as it wasn't his dog, the poor creature was expendable.

Like Trump, our father's attitude was "Gee, that's too bad. Let's talk about me."

[Duppers]

6. I've a mother like that.

I copied something DUer matt819 posted yesterday about TRump because it nailed my mother:

"If it's not affecting the buffoon in chief, it's irrelevant.
It's not even a matter of not caring. It's the fact that because it doesn't affect him, it doesn't exist.
"

No matter my pain.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Exactly!

[Solly Mack]

3. K&R

[Beringia]

4. His growth is stunted

Stuck somewhere in the age range of a 5 year old, who thinks they are the center of the universe.

[enough]

5. Dead on. NT

[smirkymonkey]

7. K&R

[dalton99a]

8. A vile and soulless monster.

[Duppers]

9. Frankly I think that the Republican Party was already poisoning

American.

The GOP are toxic in general.
Not just Trump. Although he is by far the worst, they just seem to have a more socially aware way of covering their pathology.

[spanone]

11. everything about trump is poisoning America....