Psychiatrist: Trump's cult isn't born from stupidity -- it comes from lack of morality

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.alternet.org/2022/02/trump-cult/


The statement by the Republican National Committee arguing that the Jan. 6 insurrection was " legitimate political discourse" has sparked a renewed conversation on whether Donald Trump's MAGA movement is a cult.

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell began his examination of the issue with quotes from two Democratic Party leaders.

"You know, the 'C' in RNC doesn't stand for 'committee,' it stands for 'cult.' It's not the Republican National Committee, it's the Republican National Cult," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said.

"They seem to have reached rock-bottom with their statement that happened on January 6th was normal political discourse," Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said. "I say to Republicans all the time, take back your party from this cult."

Those quotes raised questions for O'Donnell, who wondered, "Is it a cult or is it stupidity? And what's the difference?"

*snip*

[TheRealNorth]

1. If TFG had ordered the military to machine gun down a crowd of Democratic protestors....

50% of Republicans would have cheered. Most of the remaining 50% would have joined Susan Collins and would tell us about their "Concerns".

[lagomorph777]

14. Your numbers are optimistic.

[nolabear]

3. It's not either/or. Intelligence is only part of the human system.

Since I and my fellow shrinks have ENDLESSLY hashed and rehashed the phenomenon that is Trumpism, I’ve come to believe that yes, it’s clearly a cult, and that it completely circumvents the cognitive part of the mind in order to accomplish something. The people at the top levels of his psychological pyramid scheme are as amoral as it gets. They’ll sacrifice everyone for personal gain. The bottom—the blind followers, are just that, willfully blind. And I think they’re doing what we call splitting. The Trump cultist part of them is able to be completely split off from what otherwise might be an intelligent, functioning person.

Why? Because they get a huge reward from that echo chamber. Their lives suddenly have meaning, excitement, people who reinforce what they desperately want to believe, that they’re special and that the frightening world they inhabit is someone’s fault. And someone can get them out of it.

It’s religious zealotry. All through history and literature and art of all kinds we’ve told this cautionary tale again and again. But when you’re in it, when it’s being stoked by those amoral experts, you can be utterly blind to the fact you’re playing a role in a massive, delusional passion play.

[Hekate]

12. Thank you for an elegant explanation ...

I’ve long known that stupidity does not necessarily correlate with low IQ, that there is an element of willful blindness there.

In any case, your explanation is just elegant. Thank you — and your fellow shrinks.

[BeyondGeography]

4. The Moral Majority

Their “faith” gives them a flyer on all their personal ugliness. When your stuff doesn’t stink you don’t even have to hold your nose.

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. It's a boatload of BOTH

[Duppers]

9. Absolutely!

I know too many and they are purposely ignorant and self-deceiving as hell, all the while being basically good-hearted people to those around them.
Seems a contradiction, but it's true.
Not all of them, mind you, but many.

Yet too many are full of hatred and are looking for any way to express their misplaced anger. This anger of their has been channeled by right-wing hate radio and Faux Lies, of course.

[uponit7771]

6. K&R, ... and the reason why they don't want their immorality taught in schools

[CanonRay]

7. Interesting because Trumpers are

mostly self identifying as very religious.

[Hekate]

15. People and societies create their gods in their own image. Theirs is a mean, nasty, vengeful god. nt

[TheRealNorth]

18. BINGO

Their God smites their enemies while forgiving all their unforgivable sins, because belief is enough for a blank check to heaven.

[lagomorph777]

17. Religion has nothing to do with morality.

Or at least, there's no positive correlation, as far as I can see.

[CanonRay]

21. Very true

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Someone in the psychiatry field needs to explain how they manage to make their way

from Family values > Christianity > Racism > Greed.

I mean, I get it. They're an immoral bunch. But, how do they manage to be such active immoral lying con artists, and still manage to use the First Amendment to protect their way of life through private schools?

[Caliman73]

11. That wouldn't necessarily be something answered by a psyhciatrist.

Perhaps a psychologist or a more systemically trained clinician. Sociologists may also have some interesting insights into what drives that process.

[Hekate]

16. See post 3

[wiggs]

10. they are happy an asshole was elected so they can release their inner assholes that they've

always wanted to free. No one really respects his intelligence, patriotism, business acumen, policies (has none except 'what's in it for me'), negotiating skills (why has no one pointed out how much his trade wars contribute to inflation?), parenting philosophy, or views on global diplomacy. It's that he has no tether, no moral compass, no empathy, no social skills...and they relate.

What's shocking is how many are like that in the US.

[dalton99a]

13. They are amoral, sadistic, racist hypocrites

[roamer65]

19. Mean AND stupid.

A very toxic combination that I said many years ago that would have to be dealt with head on.

I was criticized for it.

The path of this country became painfully obvious after the 2000 sham election.

[llashram]

20. for sure

gross lack