2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumNow I'm worried.
I live in the reddest county in a dark red state, Alabama.
One of my neighbors down the street has just put two Trump signs in her yard.
Shouldn't be a big surprise, right?
Except...
I know her and she is a rational person.
She is a psychologist with a doctorate who treats/counsels 'disturbed children'.
This is not a stupid person.
This is not an ignorant person.
This is a highly educated intelligent professional.
She knows the clinical definition of 'narcissistic personality disorder'.
And she will vote for Trump.
Now I'm worried.
madaboutharry
(40,220 posts)and still be a bigot.
trof
(54,256 posts)'Black by association'?
gabeana
(3,166 posts)Romney? If so she is a repuke
trof
(54,256 posts)Caliman73
(11,744 posts)Unfortunately, you are seeing your neighbor's actions through your own lens, and assuming that because she may have some education and skill at working with OTHER people's emotions and cognition, that her own biases and tribal instincts would be in check in her own life.
I have been in the helping professions for over 20 years. I have seen some good therapists, counselor, social workers, etc... do some really bizarre (to me) things.
Remember that emotion has a way of short circuiting logic and the way that you and I view the world may be very different from how others do.
Doctorates do not confer any special immunity on people from making bad choices in their personal life.
trof
(54,256 posts)I guess I just expected more out of the 'educated' folks down here than I do the racist rednecks.
My mistake.
Caliman73
(11,744 posts)I was not trying to mock or dismiss your concern, just letting you know that advanced degrees do not confer sanity. Trust me. I have a Masters Degree and working on another. My wife has a Doctorate as well. We fall into some odd, and sometimes self destructive patterns of behavior.
I would certainly like to think that "educated folk" have it more together, but we are all vulnerable to failings.
I am pretty confident I am on the correct side of the political spectrum though...
catbyte
(34,450 posts)for a couple of years until our new health professions building was being constructed. I know this is just my opinion and YMMV, but, as a rule, the psych professors were the biggest bunch of basket cases I've seen in my 34 years of working there. Seriously, it's like they studied psychology to try and diagnose themselves, but it was an exercise in futility. Now, if that woman had been a Democrat or Independent, I'd be worried too. Tribalism and gullibility are very powerful things--even to some so-called "educated" people.
pnwmom
(108,994 posts)Yes, it was "black by association." And so is Hillary.
Divine Discontent
(21,056 posts)Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)elected President Obama...I find this reply out of bounds. You should delete it.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,699 posts)trof
(54,256 posts)No no no.
Here we have friends in spite of their politics or (as Democrats) we have no friends except (a few) other Democrats.
We tacitly agree not to discuss religion or politics.
And I already know the answer.
They HATE Hillary.
Why?
I don't know.
Limbaugh, Fox, Hannity, O'Reilly, Coulter, et cetera, as nauseum.
NoGoodNamesLeft
(2,056 posts)How dysfunctional...
Caliman73
(11,744 posts)You and I would agree that supporting Trump as a result of dislike or hate of Clinton is dysfunctional, but the people who hate her are blinded by and see only through the lens of hate. To them, it is their normal.
They think that by hating her, they ARE loving their country.
It is wrong, but it is their reality.
spooky3
(34,476 posts)One other factor is that if her household has a high income, she may not admit it, but she may vote for anyone she believes will keep her taxes lower than the other candidate will.
uponit7771
(90,364 posts)elleng
(131,107 posts)but considering his recent behavior, I think there may be hope.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512422355
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Yeah, I know it's in all states, but there's a special strain of that crud in the South. Point is, doesn't surprise me at all.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)RonniePudding
(889 posts)And anyone who supports Trump is a moron, and most likely a White nationalist/bigot, regardless of academic or career achievement.
Some the dumbest people I know were A students.
NoGoodNamesLeft
(2,056 posts)She believes the smears about Hillary without actually really researching them. Or she could be a one issue voter...pro life, 2nd Amendment or she may have married a moron.
MyNameIsKhan
(2,205 posts)She can be educated but only serving her race, she is still a racist.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)I am a psychologist and have worked with mental health professionals all my career. Some are right wing bigots, along with being very intelligent. It happens.
trof
(54,256 posts)So you can be educated, intelligent and still irrational?
That just doesn't compute for me.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)Crazies can be at the highest levels. Think about some of the lunatics with M.D.s, Ph.Ds and lawyers in Congress and elsewhere. Ben Carson comes to mind.
trof
(54,256 posts)oasis
(49,408 posts)Charles Bukowski
(1,132 posts)of political indoctrination.
I know a few Republicans here in LA who loathe Trump but will vote for him anyway simply because they hate the Democrats more.
Skoods
(341 posts)I don't believe it
trof
(54,256 posts)kstewart33
(6,551 posts)I grew up in Alabama and visit there each year. There are plenty of rational Alabamians, but there remains a great deal of racism especially in small towns and rural areas, and the government is abysmally corrupt. The chief state Supreme Court justice, the governor and speaker of the house are truly miserable people. The speaker currently faces a dozen or so indictments for corruption.
Elwood P Dowd
(11,443 posts)kstewart33
(6,551 posts)budkin
(6,714 posts)Too bad everything will break.
Cobalt Violet
(9,905 posts)They may seem it but they are not.
LenaBaby61
(6,977 posts)You seem to have not known her as well as you thought you did.
And by the way, there are people who can be extremely intelligent, educated etc. and STILL be human pieces of racist feces.
Author of the Bell Curve, Charles A. Murray and co-author Richard J Herrnstein.
The_Casual_Observer
(27,742 posts)1. Abortion
2. Immigration
3. Tax cuts
3. Conservative Judges.
4. Military Spending
This is why he has 40% no matter what he does.
still_one
(92,395 posts)BigDemVoter
(4,157 posts)She's an idiot. ANYBODY voting for Trump is a moron.
arthritisR_US
(7,292 posts)consider stupid but she still operates with cognitive dissonance and given her discipline knows how to manipulate it to her rationale. Her cognitive dissonance supercedes all your points of worry.
WiffenPoof
(2,404 posts)....exception to the rule. That's all. She is not representative of any larger group. Studies have shown that the higher education you have the more likely you are to vote Democratic.
BootinUp
(47,187 posts)we weren't going to win in Alabamee anyways. Today was a good day for Hillary. Take it easy.
grossproffit
(5,591 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,323 posts)It's common in con artists.
Divine Discontent
(21,056 posts)I know you said you don't talk to anyone about politics. But because you know her profession, and who she works with and is OKAY with voting for Trump???? DISTURBING.
A friend of mine, a guy, was going to a female psychologist and she told him women don't sexually assault men. So, as we know, just because someone has a title, they still could be a frickin' weirdo up in their noggin!
Maybe make a DVD with all the things he's said about women, and his daughter and drop it off.
Best to you down there in the deep red...
spooky3
(34,476 posts)The perpetrator is statistically far more likely to be another male than female.
Since you aren't directly quoting her, we don't know exactly the words she used.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/types/violence/men-sexual-trauma.asp
Liberal In Texas
(13,576 posts)Bet she does.
She is brainwashed.
uponit7771
(90,364 posts)... usually have irrational reasons for their votes relative to the facts.
Benedict Donald is no doubt one of the most racist people I've come to know...
Fast Walker 52
(7,723 posts)they only hear good about Trump and bad about Hillary. Anything bad they hear about Trump, they can't believe or write it off as a joke.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Demsrule86
(68,667 posts)and you live in Alabama. Those who support Trump are kkk slime. She can't hurt us as Alabama was never in play anyway.
A roommate here in SoCal when I first moved out on my own. He was well educated and from Alabama. We were watching a football game and he used the N word.
I flipped out and yelled back in a fit of rage. I reminded him how much he loved and revered Bo Jackson. He responded by saying that "Bo Jackson was a god on the field on Saturdays but in the classroom and at school he was just another N....."! We weren't roommates after that. That is the mentality of scumbags from the south and parts of the Midwest that we are dealing with. As disturbing as it is, it's a sick and twisted reality. This clan like behavior is the main reason my folks moved from Indiana. I was very young when I had it out with my roommate, but it opened my eyes to how much our country is fractured. That was over 30 years ago. Things haven't changed.
AgadorSparticus
(7,963 posts)Because he represents a WHITE mandate. They may not like HIM but they see him as a springboard for their WHITE movement.
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)Are we really that different?
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/alabama/