Stop Hailing to The Sociopath-in-Chief (Part 1)

According to the dictionary definition, fascism is “a philosophy or system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism.”

A fascist, then, would be “a person who practices or advocates fascism.”

Hmmm…Like putting Teslas manufactured by your billionaire buddy donor on The White House Lawn and insisting that buying one of his cars would “make America great again?”

Or like allowing businesses that favor your political agenda to financially sponsor and manage the annual White House Easter Egg Hunt?

Or like deporting non-white people without any evidence or trial but allowing white Afrikaners to easily come to America as refugees under the guise of “Mission South Africa”(where his billionaire buddy was also born)?

Or like manipulating the stock market with contradictory information so your fat cat friends can buy low and sell high?

Come on, even if you don’t want to admit that Trump exemplifies both fascism and fascist, you can’t deny how accurately those definitions describe him and his behavior. He is, without a doubt, a fascist who engages and believes in fascism — even if he chooses to call himself and his activities by other names. Needless to say, Trump’s self-definitions do not fit the reality where most of us exist.

That is, other words that aptly describe Trump are not in his vocabulary. You know, words like iconoclast, narcissist, egoist, egotist, pathological liar, blowhard, philanderer, misogynist, racist — oh, the list is endless, dear readers. Of course, The Donald would never use any of those fitting words to describe himself. They’re too negative — and too truthful — for his own perpetual self -aggrandizement.

There’s yet another word, however, that aptly describes him but is rarely, if ever, used by him or anyone else. It’s SOCIOPATH.

Someday a distinguished behavioral expert — probably an erudite Brit with that accent we all love and respect — is going to declare Trump to be a sociopath. And then even more reliable, credible data that proves this contention will come surging forth.

Okay, okay, the accent might have something to do with it. Britspeak does make anyone — or any idea — sound really intelligent. And yet, this idea does have merit. Besides, there’s mounting evidence every day that suggests something’s wrong with Trump. We already kind of know he has a screw loose, especially since he imposed tariffs on that island of penguins.

It’s just that we can’t believe — or admit — that, in our democracy, a guy so unfit for public service got to be President of The United States — twice!

We also can’t figure out what, exactly, is wrong with him…But we have to start now.

Instead of waiting for some erudite Brit to explain it all for us and turn on that AHA! lightbulb, let’s start figuring it out NOW, before Trump ignores the Constitution — again — and runs for a third term as President.

For educational purposes and enlightenment, let me introduce you to Martha Stout, Ph D., an actual stable genius who explains it all to us in her book The Sociopath Next Door.

She is one down-to-earth academic who can impart information in a way that almost every reader can easily comprehend. Despite her training at the McLean Psychiatric Hospital, her work as a practicing psychologist as well as clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School, she writes in a way that enables anyone to understand what’s wrong with Trump.

Of course, psychologists and psychiatrists alike still adhere to a code of ethics that frowns upon passing their professional judgements on public figures. To my knowledge, Dr. Stout herself has never publicly determined that Donald J. Trump is a sociopath. The information she carefully puts in her writing, however, seems to suggest that Trump is sociopathic in oh-so-many ways.

Dr. Stout provides insights in her book and also in the February 2005 issue of “Psychology Today.” In fact, the magazine article uses a condensed chapter from her book The Sociopath Next Door. So if there’s not enough time in your schedule to read her book in it entirety, her article “The Ice People” will give you the basics that you can use as guideposts:

“Living among us are people with no conscience, no emotions, and no conception of love. Welcome to the chilling world of the sociopath.”

“The only thing(a sociopath) really wants — the only thing left — is to win. This is the essence of sociopathic behavior and desire.”

“(A sociopath’s) most impressive talent is his ability to conceal his true emptiness — and to command the passive silence of those who do know.”

“Sociopaths are infamous for their refusal to acknowledge responsibility for their decisions they make or for the outcomes of their decisions.”

For years I’ve been wondering how Trump could con so many people into hitching their wagons to his malignant star. Now I understand that his star was always a malignant super nova. I used to think that his manner of communication — with pseudo logic, double-talk, confusion, and endless lies — was his primary source for successfully conning the public. After reading Dr. Stout’s analysis, though, I realize it was just part of his modus operandi. It’s his icy hollowness that is the true source of his deception.

No wonder Trump is demanding a third term.

Once a sociopath gains power and becomes ensconced in a position of authority, he’s not going to go away — at least, not honorably and quietly. Since winning at all costs is of utmost importance to him, he’s going to dig his heels in and stay put. End of story.

You see, the real problem here is that most of the people trying to deal with sociopaths like Trump aren’t sociopaths. They’re fairly normal, rational, friendly human beings. They’re NOT like him.

So just how are reasonable Americans — especially voters — supposed to deal with Trump? How can we get a handle on navigating this power-mad ruler who must win at all costs?

Dr. Stout’s advice is to “NOT JOIN THE GAME!”

“Intrigue is a sociopath’s tool,” she writes. “Resist the temptation to compete with a seductive sociopath, to outsmart him, psychoanalyze, or even banter with him.”

“The best way to protect yourself from a sociopath is to avoid him, to refuse any kind of contact or communication…The only truly effective method for dealing with a sociopath you have identified is to disallow him(or her) from your life altogether. Strange as it seems, and though they may try to pretend otherwise, sociopaths do not have any feelings to hurt…”

That was back in 2005.

Fifteen years later, she published another book entitled Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door: How to Protect Yourself Against a Ruthless Manipulator.

My guess here is that she got bombarded with e-mails from desperate readers telling her how impossible it was to “avoid and ignore” because their sociopath next door was relentlessly powerful and uncompromising — not to mention well-liked by all, despite his obsession for blistering revenge.(Hmm, who does that sound like?) So Dr. Stout addressed their many concerns with another book in 2020.

After I finish reading it, I’ll share more of her insights and new strategies in my(Part-2) op-ed.

Meanwhile, instead of continuously honoring and respecting this President who has no honor or respect for constituents like us, it’s time to see him for what he really is and to start speaking the truth. As Dr. Stout advises, “…I recommend that you seriously challenge your need to be polite in absolutely all situations.”

As an American observer, I can only wonder how long it will take before the rest of the country admits Trump’s sociopathy is real. Or when we’ll realize that Trump has never understood the concept of public service that the Presidency requires. More importantly, when will Republicans ever wise up to his incompetence?

Time is running out, so let’s all stop hailing to this selfish, sociopathic fascist.