Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

reACTIONary

(5,749 posts)
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 09:44 AM Oct 2016

‘Finally. Someone who thinks like me.’

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by In_The_Wind (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Washington Post

She was a 52-year-old woman who had worked 20 years for the railroad, had once been a Democrat and was now a Republican, and counted herself among the growing swath of people who occupied the fringes of American politics but were increasingly becoming part of the mainstream. Like millions of others, she believed that President Obama was a Muslim. And like so many she had gotten to know online through social media, she also believed that he was likely gay, that Michelle Obama could be a man, and that the Obama children were possibly kidnapped from a family now searching for them.









Read more: http://wapo.st/2dhgcdL



Yes, she is deplorable. She is also mentally ill, and being exploited by a manipulative demagogue .
11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
‘Finally. Someone who thinks like me.’ (Original Post) reACTIONary Oct 2016 OP
Read the article, and the woman is a fucking nut. MANative Oct 2016 #1
Not LBN. bluedigger Oct 2016 #2
This piece is voyeuristic and borderline exploitative Recursion Oct 2016 #3
IMHO Zoonart Oct 2016 #8
That's a great point. There's something very toxic about social media right now Recursion Oct 2016 #9
supporter debate bora13 Oct 2016 #4
Meds won't fix her. LiberalFighter Oct 2016 #5
Although one person I knew who was not as far gone as this woman .... Botany Oct 2016 #6
Sad actually… ScubaSteve Oct 2016 #7
She is clearly not well mentally TNNurse Oct 2016 #10
Locking In_The_Wind Oct 2016 #11

MANative

(4,105 posts)
1. Read the article, and the woman is a fucking nut.
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 09:46 AM
Oct 2016

All rooted in evangelical adoration of TV preachers of the '80s and '90s. Faux religion - the root of all evil.

bluedigger

(17,077 posts)
2. Not LBN.
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 09:59 AM
Oct 2016

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
3. This piece is voyeuristic and borderline exploitative
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:04 AM
Oct 2016

The woman is clearly mentally ill (no, not because she's a Trump supporter; I say that because she's being given injections of an anti-psychotic). But this may be the first election where the mentally ill vote could be decisive (and, no, I'm not kidding).

Zoonart

(11,748 posts)
8. IMHO
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:27 AM
Oct 2016

What is not being more deeply explored is the culture of social media that has created online communities where the mentally disturbed, the angry, the disaffected, the white supremacists, the sociopaths and psychopaths can create safe havens wherein they are free to create their own reality and choose their own version of the truth, fact free, and then spread those delusions far and wide.

In the past these people would get help, or be shut down by their families and communities. They would be shunned as social pariahs because did not have the tools to enable them link up with a global pool of individuals who were malformed in a similar way, and who reinforce their delusions. They would have been blocked by the lack of easy technology from finding strength in numbers and being able to flourish in a fact free environment.

This is the environment that has given rise to Trump... and this is his most fertile ground. It is also why no matter how vile his tweets... they reach the intended audience.

Even if we escape Trump, this does not bode well for the future of American politics. This is exactly... btw, the same condition that produced the BREXIT.

In political science or science in general, when facts become debatable, we are in trouble.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
9. That's a great point. There's something very toxic about social media right now
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:40 AM
Oct 2016

Even DU has some aspects of that; echo chambers are bad for mental health.

bora13

(860 posts)
4. supporter debate
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:04 AM
Oct 2016

I say that in addition to the remaining presidential and vp debates, a debate
with 5 deplorables and 5 sane supporters get up in front of national tv and have it out.

It would be UGE!

LiberalFighter

(50,491 posts)
5. Meds won't fix her.
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:09 AM
Oct 2016

Botany

(70,289 posts)
6. Although one person I knew who was not as far gone as this woman ....
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:18 AM
Oct 2016

.... told me once after the 2012 election Obama was going to use
the U.N. to bring in Hamas fighters to take control over America so he
can stay in power. This story is a window into the mind of a Fox News
viewer.



BTW Brownsville, PA is a living nightmare now. Or it was everytime I went
through it.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownsville,_Pennsylvania#/media/File:BrownsvilleNeck.JPG

ScubaSteve

(82 posts)
7. Sad actually…
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:20 AM
Oct 2016

For her mental state that is and yet the sentiment, for those without mental issues, is the same. Obama is a Kenyan, Communist, Muslim…and Hillary must be too with all the added misogynistic remarks; she’s sick, no stamina, husband cheated on her, and doesn’t “look” presidential.

These are the folks who hang their sheets out to dry on Saturday and wear them on Sunday.

TNNurse

(6,911 posts)
10. She is clearly not well mentally
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:40 AM
Oct 2016

and has no one who cares about her enough to keep her from being used.

There are others who share some of her "beliefs" who are not mentally ill, they are bigoted, scared of losing that white power and ignorant. She is extreme. However, the assault of the Clintons has been so prolonged and so vicious, it has been quite effective.

In_The_Wind

(72,300 posts)
11. Locking
Sun Oct 2, 2016, 10:44 AM
Oct 2016

Statement of Purpose

Post the latest news from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only. No analysis or opinion pieces. No duplicates. News stories must have been published within the last 12 hours. Use the published title of the story as the title of the discussion thread.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»‘Finally. Someone who thi...