December 12, 2016

Trump presidency as a mass hysteria/mass psychogenic illness?

In sociology and psychology, mass hysteria (also known as collective hysteria, group hysteria, or collective obsessional behavior) is a phenomenon that transmits collective illusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, through a population in society as a result of rumors and fear (memory acknowledgment).

A common type of mass hysteria occurs when a group of people believe they are suffering from a similar disease or ailment, sometimes referred to as mass psychogenic illness or epidemic hysteria.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_hysteria

Mass psychogenic illness (MPI), also called mass sociogenic illness or just sociogenic illness, is "the rapid spread of illness signs and symptoms affecting members of a cohesive group, originating from a nervous system disturbance involving excitation, loss, or alteration of function, whereby physical complaints that are exhibited unconsciously have no corresponding organic aetiology". MPI is distinct from other collective delusions, also included under the blanket terms of mass hysteria, in that MPI causes symptoms of disease, though there is no organic cause.

There is a clear preponderance of female victims. The DSM-IV-TR does not have specific diagnosis for this condition but the text describing conversion disorder states that "In 'epidemic hysteria', shared symptoms develop in a circumscribed group of people following 'exposure' to a common precipitant."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_psychogenic_illness

It makes a lot of sense when you look at the commonalities and the symptoms.

Qualities of MPI outbreaks often include:
symptoms that have no plausible organic basis (Trump was seen as the 'healthiest person ever' by his doctor, if Michael Flynn has something that is wrong with him on the organic level then it must have started very recently);
symptoms that are transient and benign (It is literally just another day when Trump says something not true);
symptoms with rapid onset and recovery (Well, we have yet to see recovery);
occurrence in a segregated group (Can you get any more segregated than the KKK and alt-right celebrating Trump's victory?);
the presence of extraordinary anxiety (What was said about Hillary? Why do you need a wall? Why do Trump supporters attack Muslim women (out of hate primarily but what other reason)?);
symptoms that are spread via sight, sound or oral communication (You can get all three from tweets);
a spread that moves down the age scale, beginning with older or higher-status people (Older or higher-status people, as in the Trump administration itself?);
a preponderance of female participants

Symptoms of this particular psychogenic illness:
Inability to concentrate/trouble thinking (We've got John Bolton saying Russia hacking is a false flag by Obama, another start from the top as well, we've also got the Flynn clan spouting conspiracy theories, it's very easy to get to these conclusions by not being able to think clearly, by jumping to the first thing you consider a threat)
Anxiety (Over immigrants, over Muslims, etc.)
Confabulation and exaggeration (Saying and believing things that are simply not true like with Trump saying he got an electoral landslide or Trump voters saying they did not complain when Obama won. And this can be demonstrated in picture form as well.)
Disorganized thinking (Why attack Goldman Sachs on the campaign but hire their guys when he wins and then be OK with it?)

The Trump presidency exists, but his campaign has been intertwined with a mass delusion and his administration is already sharing in this mass delusion, it is possible to respond to this it though:
* Realizing that a mass delusion exists within and around the Trump presidency is the first step
* Realize and explain the contribution of anxiety to it all (Need to come outright and tell Trump voters that they can't let their fear and anxiety get the best of them, even the angriest sounding ones, especially the angriest sounding ones)
* Recognize what they are saying as symptoms ("I know the Flynn family believes that there are secret Arabic signs on the border and they believe in Pizzagate..." "I know you think you won the popular vote...&quot
* Explain to Trump supporters that Americans interact with immigrants, Muslims, liberals, gays, transgenders, etc. on a daily basis and nothing bad happens to them (Although I would not say that they interact with these groups on a daily basis and don't know it, that might just increase their anxiety)
* The Trump administration is the root of this hysteria, and the media will need to avoid covering them or the things they say as much as possible. We can also avoid quoting the Trump administration, don't spread the things they say, we need to keep them as far away from the bully pulpit as possible
* The media itself also has a role though, do the same thing with media that shows immigrants, minorities, Muslims, gays, transgenders as scary, don't let them spread anxiety either

Hopefully, if we all do these things, we might start to see some improvement with what's going on.

December 9, 2016

Michael Flynn (The terrorist's father) should put up or shut up about Arabic signs on the US border

And by "shut up", I mean quit. Just quit.

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Donald Trump's pick to be his national security adviser, claimed in an August radio interview that Arabic signs were present along the United States border with Mexico to guide potential state-sponsored terrorists and "radicalized Muslims" into the United States.

Flynn further said in the interview he had personally seen photos of such signs in Texas.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141635602

You see, it's real easy to see if there are Arabic signs on the border; the area is not some restricted zone, photography is allowed there, see where this is going? Somebody would have snapped a photo of a sign in an area where nobody speaks the language!

https://www.google.com/search?q=arabic+signs+us+border&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjFtvmgrufQAhVDQSYKHbDID9gQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=657

The only photos I see, without mentioning Flynn, are photos of Flynn and his terrorist son.

What does that tell you? Hint: It's not that the Pizzagate conspirators are secretly scrubbing the web of these photos.

Remember when National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said that she didn't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud in the prelude to the Iraq War? If we had all the information about Iraq's capabilities and the administration's intel at the time, she would have been completely discredited.

Well, Flynn comes pre-discredited with this and he clearly has conflicts about protecting this country when his own son is radicalized; not to mention his connections to the Putin regime, his attempts to link Iran to the Benghazi attacks, his bizarre Twitter feed, and his xenophobia and paranoia all discredit him and disqualify him.

He is not legitimate.

And it needs to go the same for any media figure, organization, or lawmaker that gives this man airtime or a platform. No, he doesn't deserve an official platform to say we should ear-tag all the Muslims or that we should invade the Pacific ocean because he has seen photos showing that the sea-people have a WMD program.

Any media figure figure or organization that does not say to Flynn, "I don't believe a word you are saying. Get out." as well as any lawmaker who does not say the same to him is also not legitimate. Period.

December 3, 2016

It's time to start challenging the thought terminating cliches

"We're gonna drain the swamp"
(When it's clear the swamp will not be drained and the cabinet will be filled with politically connected billionaires, some of whom are part of the very establishment Trump railed against) "Well, they know how to make money"
"Hashtag he's your president"

These things all have a name, they are thought terminating cliches, they are generic statements that sound true and are meant to discourage critical thinking, cognitive dissonance, and other 'bad thoughts'. These are just some examples of these soundbites we've seen with the whole Trump campaign and is what we will see under a Trump administration from the future president down to people who support him on the street.

We may not convince a lot of the people who spout these cliches, but we might get the support of bystanders and others, so we all need to...
Call them out as thought terminating cliches
Don't let the media use them
Demand more information, these cliches rely on being vague and generic. Who, what, where, when, why, how?

Do not let a thought terminating cliche be the end of the discussion.

November 26, 2016

The Kleptocracy owner's manual

Congratulations on changing your government to a kleptocracy! We have provided this manual to you so you may see how your government operates now and just some of what these new and exciting things you can expect from it does are all about!

Graft
So remember that new public works project that is supposed to really help you and your people out but requires a lot of construction and time? Under your new government you can expect a lot of bribes or a lot more money to be required for this project to continue... maybe, it might not get anywhere anymore. This is graft. Graft can appear anywhere with any leader's authority being used for personal gain, you might have some leader saying he won't need a salary but then, what do you know, his security detail will be living at his pad paying him several times that salary he refused and all on your dime. It pays for itself... well, you pay for it.

Lack of transparency
Your previous government may have had open records, let you see what the laws were, let you know what your leaders made income-wise, etc. Not anymore, thanks to a feature found in your kleptocracy known as lack of transparency, you can expect this information to be shut down, you don't need these pesky facts in your head anyway, it's just a coincidence that some leaders get much richer while in office. You can't prove they are embezzling from the coffers. Your new kleptocracy is working just fine when it starts sealing records, refusing to release financial information, and treating people who want their leaders to be more open as the enemy.

Nepotism
What is nepotism you ask? Instead of using the most qualified person for a task, you know, the expert AKA the nerd, a kleptocracy will instead use a buddy of the leader or more straight to the point, will keep it in the local gene pool and use a relative for the task. This is just nepotism, so don't be alarmed if your new government does this. You may see your leader appointing spouses, siblings, children, etc. to be the heads of departments or meeting with foreign leaders.

Many of the basics of your new kleptocracy have been covered here and we hope you enjoy it... Of course you aren't really the owner of your new government, it's actually now owned by the few, the powerful, and the connected. While you may not own this Kleptocracy, we still hope you enjoy what you voted for.

October 31, 2016

Trey Gowdy did not know Mormons use drugs?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141612019

My question is: How many investigations would he need before he had an answer?

August 1, 2016

So Trump ally Roger Stone quotes the Shoebat site to smear the Khan family

Which even goes as far as saying Humayun himself, the son who died, might have been a terrorist.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141538287

This is multiple things, a new level of ghoulishness, and it also shows the (lack of) vetting of intelligence by Trump and company.

Here are some other gems of wisdom by the wonderful Shoebat clan:
It's 'The State's Job To Kill The Sodomites,' Not Vigilantes (Referring to the Orlando shooting)
The only ones 'moaning' over Orlando are liberals, idiots, and gay lovers... and he also has something to say about 'dumb jews'
Jesus is going to kill all the Sodomites
Radical Islam (The thing Scott Baio always wants you to say lest you be a Secret Muslim) will lead to gay rights and cannibalism
"Outlaw the sodomite before he outlaws you"

And more fun facts: Son Theodore is a self-described fascist and the father Walid has also said he is an ex-terrorist, a claim that quickly collapses when scrutinized in any way.

So if a Trump administration can't handle public (mis)information like this, how are they going to respond to another Curveball?

March 31, 2016

Are we witnessing a rise of the Cult of the Chromosome?

I was wondering about this when I see some of these religious conscience laws.

Take Mississippi for example:

Male (man) or female (woman) refer to an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.
-HB 1523

And there's more...

Linking religious beliefs to believing an "individual's immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics of the individual at the time of birth"
-HB 773 in Virginia

"The terms male or man and female or woman refer to distinct and immutable biological sexes that are determined by anatomy and genetics by the time of birth."
-HB 1107 in North Dakota

"For the purposes of this section “biological sex” means the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s chromosomes, and is identified at birth by a person’s anatomy and indicated on their birth certificate."
-SB 720 in Missouri

Taking a look at these bills, I don't know about anyone else, but I am seeing something start to stick out.

Items of interest:
* Dichotomies (Often seen in religious fundamentalism. God and Satan. Believer and unbeliever. Heaven and Hell. Faithful and heretic. And in this case... Male and female.)
* "At birth" and "immutable", more and more it sounds like one's genetic code is not just that, but actually something on par with scripture, something divinely inspired and set in stone
* The fact that these bills share the space with religious accommodation merits mention as well.
* These bills make it seem like gender is purely ascribed, that it's 'your place' and not conforming to your gender role as assigned by your birth and your 'sacred and unchanging genetics' is heresy

Now is it bad enough to call it all an establishment of religion? I don't think so, but with the right crazy enough to give Trump the nomination, you can never know for sure just far they will jump off the deep end.