Dakota Beacon

            As understood by many, hate triggers harmful effects. Aside from destructive physiological injury, hate may lead to derangement, a state of being mentally incapacitated unable to think or act in a controlled way. If that derangement exhibits a consistent set of associated symptoms involving speech and behavior, it may identify as a syndrome – a derangement syndrome.

            The extremely hateful behavior provoked by President Donald Trump from his opponents may legitimately be referred to as Trump Derangement Syndrome or TDS. Whether or not TDS would be classified as a mental illness is up for grabs. Either way, the foul language and bad behavior TDS elicits from those who bear such hatred cannot be normal and is certainly not civil.

            Examples abound across our culture. Take a look at politicians first.

            “I think it’s a sad day for the so-called Republican Party, which is now the Trump party. They’re going to need to find their souls – good luck to that.” -- Senator Mazie Hirono (D, HI), Independent Journal Review, 1/31/2020. Does hate coated with religiosity justify insult?

            “The fate of the world depends on the Democrats getting their sh-t together and winning in November.” – James Carville, Vox, 2/7/2020. Observe James step over the edge.

            “…GOP senators were warned, , ‘Vote against your President…and your head will be on a pike’…I was struck by the irony…of the idea when we’re talking about a President who would make himself a monarch, that [someone] would use the terminology of a penalty that was opposed by a monarch. A head on a pike.” – Representative Adam Schiff (D, CA), impeachment closing statement, as Republican senators audibly protested, “Not true!” because it never happened, Rev Transcripts, 2/3/2020. This happens when hatred descends to ghoulishness.

            Hollywood “entertainers” exhibit some of the vilest hatred. Imagine speaking this way on Twitter and not getting booted off.

            “We have a Criminal living in our White House. Full stop.” – said Rob Reiner, on Twitter, his attitude dripping venom. 2/12/2020

            “Consigliere Barr we’ve taken another frightening step into dictatorship.” – Rob Reiner, on Twitter, 2/11/2020. Those surrounding Trump become duplicitous targets of hate.

            “Trump lies to the people who love and trust him…like 1930s and 40s Germany…These people are…being wildly misled by a crooked President and his terrified henchmen.” – Sarah Silverman, comedian, on Twitter, 2/8/2020. This is funny?

            “I’m crazy today. He’s [Trump’s] made me crazy this week. I mean, he’s winning, because I’m getting nuttier and nuttier!” – Joy Behar, on ABC’s “The View,” quoted at NewsBusters, 2/7/2020. You’ve hit the nail on the head, Joy!

            “Why’s this garbage minstrel show even being broadcast?” – Jeffery Wright, actor, during Trump’s East Room speech, on Twitter, 2/6/2020. Minstrel show? Racist!

            “I believe it was Trump and his flying monkeys who destroyed ‘Iowa.’ Not kidding. Trump is about to show U ‘evil’ we never knew existed.” – Cher, blaming Trump and the voters for the Democrat caucus debacle and loss, on Twitter, 2/4/2020. She is blinded by hate.

            “GOP members of the Senate, you unconscionable, pathetic, spineless, hypocritical, lickspittle, death rattle of a racist patriarchal Calvinist sh-tbags. May all your teeth fall out but one. And in that one may you have a toothache. Enjoy how history looks at you. It’s not pretty.” – Adam Savage, former MythBusters cohost, on Twitter, 1/31/20. How many awful adjectives can you cram into one sentence and still make sense?

            “You don’t really think that Trump is going to concede [in November]? What’s the plan? This is my question for Democrats all this year: What is the plan when he says, ‘It’s rigged, we found irregularities I’m hearing, I’m suspending everything,’ and he’s not leaving on January 20^th [2021]? What do you do?” Bill Maher on HBO to Andrew Yang, quoted at The Washington Examiner, 1/20/2020. Hatred leads to paranoia and then to doom and gloom.

            “I’d like to see a bag of sh-t right in his [Trump’s] face. Hit him right in the face like that, and let the picture go all over the world…to put him in his place, because the people have to see that, to see him be humiliated.” – Robert DeNiro, quote at Mediaite, 12/20/2019. Out of control hatred.

            The media takes top prize for their vileness. Observe, dear reader, they speak of you.

            “Morals be damned, that is not what drives Donald Trump’s voting base – it is bigotry, it is fear, it is judges who have lifetime appointments that may be pro-life but they want to kill off everyone else.” – Angela Rye, CNN commentator, CNN, 2/7/2020. We are held in low esteem.

            “[W]hen we look at pictures from North Korea, just an example of a dictatorship, you watch everybody…marching in unison in goosestep…they are all so frozen in fear…Are Republicans beginning to act like that?” – Chris Matthews, MSNBC’s Hardball, 2/6/2020. They abhor us.

            “All the distortions…the dishonesty, the corruption,…all of that in a sense…has been normalized. And people shrug their shoulders…No, that’s not just Trump. That’s now us. That’s the United States of America.” – MSNBC Morning Joe, reported in The Washington Examiner, 2/12/2020

            Who, pray tell, are the mental cases suffering from TDS and dividing America?

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).