Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Trump, War Dead, Suckers, Losers and Cognitive Dissonance

The Trump Rorschach divide is in full swing over the latest, and possibly, the most Trumpian of stories. The Atlantic Magazine has published a long exposé about President Trump's views on the military.


And the responses fall, mainly, along 2 sides. One side says, it is obviously true. You can hear how he speaks of McCain and other POWs, how he disrespects Gold Star Families and people who have lost friends in Wars. And how he spoke of the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The other side says he honors Veterans. He speaks of the military highly. How he could not do this.

And then there is me. I lived with a Narcissistic Sociopath, and I will tell you both sides are correct, President Trump is transactional. He likes the people that love him, WHILE they love him. He has no use for people that cannot be of use to him.  So "the military" in a general, hazy, over-there kind of way; he loves them. A potential pool of voters and followers, "they're great".

But realistically, he doesn't understand the military's sacrifice for a common good. They are "losers" and "suckers" because they sacrificed not for personal gain, but for "nothing". He doesn't SPECIFICALLY dislike individuals, except when they cross him: like McCain, General Kelly or General Mathis.

And he is, probably 75% of the time, surprised that his view of the military isn't shared by everyone. 

But, when you ask him, he says he loves the military. And, for that moment, he is telling the truth. Because there is no objective "truth" inside Donald's head. Most of us cannot hold two different pinions at the same time, and believe both. But sociopaths have no problem with that.

My dad HATED kids, but loved me.

My dad, after he was. "born again in Christ", still wanted Deanna back, or wanted her dead. Those were his exact fucking words.

I saw my father looked at my like I was crazy when I said he had another child, Darrin. And he truly, for that moment, believed he had no other children. And then, not 5 minutes later, in the kitchen tell me a funny story about Darrin's aunt he saw in a store a few weeks earlier.

Don't try to understand Donald Trump. Just agree, we were all suckers and blew this one.


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This duet with Rosanne Cash and Keb' Mo' came out 5 years ago.

This duet with Keb' Mo' , featuring Rosanne Cash, came out five years ago and rings truer than ever today.