Analyzing the Trumps..... (it's not pretty)

As Ivanka Trump said in her book, The Trump Card [check John Oliver's interpretation here], perception is more important than reality, her father, the president of the US, suffers from an acute syndrome of ego-maniacal narcissism.  I could see why someone would vote for DJT and think he's doing a terrific, fantastic job in is first 100 days, simply because his fans loathed Obama and they're happy hated Hillary isn't in the White House. 

But any reasonable person has to acknowledge Trump's lies, character flaws, bad temperament, lack of knowledge about important issues, his impulsiveness and lack of good judgement, his flooding the so-called swamp with more muck, and his nonresidential demeanor, etc. So anyone who still thinks Trump is fit to be president they have to argue that all these don't really matter. I just can't see how anyone can make this argument.

At any rate, here's a excerpt from a Rolling Stone article:

The most current iteration of the DSM classifies narcissistic personality disorder as: "A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts." A diagnosis would also require five or more of the following traits: 

1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., "Nobody builds walls better than me"; "There's nobody that respects women more than I do"; "There's nobody who's done so much for equality as I have").

2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love ("I alone can fix it"; "It's very hard for them to attack me on looks, because I'm so good-looking").
3. Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions ("Part of the beauty of me is that I'm very rich").
4. Requires excessive admiration ("They said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl").

5. Has a sense of entitlement ("When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy").
6. Is interpersonally exploitative (see above).

7. Lacks empathy, is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings
and needs of others ("He's not a war hero . . . he was captured. I like people that weren't captured").

8. Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her ("I'm the president, and you're not").

9. Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes ("I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters").

NPD was first introduced as a personality disorder by the DSM in 1980 and affects up to six percent of the U.S. population. It is not a mood state but rather an ingrained set of traits, a programming of the brain that is thought to arise in childhood as a result of parenting that either puts a child on a pedestal and superficially inflates the ego or, conversely, withholds approval and requires the child to single-handedly build up his or her own ego to survive. 

Either way, this impedes the development of a realistic sense of self and instead fosters a "false self," a grandiose narrative of one's own importance that needs constant support and affirmation – or "narcissistic supply" – to ward off an otherwise prevailing sense of emptiness. Of all personality disorders, NPD is among the least responsive to treatment for the obvious reason that narcissists typically do not, or cannot, admit that they are flawed.

Bill Maher: Republicans are Dicks. Who knew?....

What would a "dick" do? He would go out of his way to screw others, demonstrate incompetence and ignorance. Anybody you know?...

Gun Violence in America: Why "Good Guys with Guns" Isn't the solution...

Another shooting at a school today, 2 adults 1 child dead. This latest gun violence incident by an estranged husband who killed his wife in an elementary school classroom also took the life of an innocent student. The perp had a history of domestic violence and weapons charges, but of course in the US obtaining a gun is not hard.

In December 2012, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place where 26 children and staff were killed. In a disgraceful response the NRA and many conservatives repeated the mantra, "a bad guy with a gun can be stopped by a good guy with a gun." Dangerous simpletons.

I just found this clip and I think it's worth sharing.