Americans Again
Americans Again
Americans are idiots and psychopaths (see American Idiot by Green Day and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis). It’s obvious and indisputable. The only good American is an anti-American. You know it’s true (the rest of the world certainly does). Trump is just another iteration of the same pathology: he talks rubbish, he lies constantly, he is vengeful and violent. He is not an anomaly, which is why he was voted president twice, just an extreme example. It’s not his politics that’s the problem; it’s his personality. He is a hysterical fanatic, a fantasist, a moral know-nothing. The same personality profile exists at the other end of the political spectrum—stupidity, self-belief, self-righteousness, a desire for destruction, fear, prejudice, lack of humanity. He is an empty showman, a phony, a peddler of nonsense—an American. Some of these people kill, others cancel—it’s the same basic personality type. Americans are obsessed with violence (they confuse it with virtue). They are paranoid, blinkered, small-minded. All they care about is money and “winning”; they think morality is a myth. They are childlike, juvenile, puerile. They have poor language skills but love to scream and shout. The men are macho and the women insecure and vain. They hate their neighbor but love religion. Their racism is just an expression of their desire for supremacy. They only respect power. They are fake through and through. They are credulous and needy, always ready to deceive and be deceived. You can’t trust them. They have no idea about friendship. Insanity runs deep in them. They love natural disasters—as long as they happen to other people. Bullying is natural to them, and secretly admired. They are fascinated by serial killers. They are cruel to animals. They enjoy executions. They are confused and ignorant about basic facts of life. They are suckers for the latest piece of nonsense psychology. They lack compassion. They lack basic human decency. They will do or say anything they think will get them ahead. They adore weapons (physical or legal). Americans are horrible people, let’s face it, especially when they think they are being fine upstanding people. You don’t believe me? Just look at the history. Just look at the internet. Just live with them for a while. They know it too, deep down. They can’t help it—they were brought up that way.
The group psychologist Bion can explain Trump’s effectiveness: he is an emotional leader, who leads people in feeling strong emotions: whether with his “Lock her up” chants or his “MAGA” bullshit. That’s how his charisma works, people feel strong emotions and that gives them the false feeling that a lot has been accomplished. That’s how Trump’s mob psychology works.
Though I’m hardly a philosopher, and therefore can’t delineate the mechanism, it makes sense psychologically.
He is not a rational leader who gets things done, having no intelligence than to lead people through collective emotions. Hitler in contrast, actually got things done, like making the trains run on time- that is only relative to an idiot like Trump.
Yes, and he stirs up their worst emotions not their best.
I can relate to many of the points you make about Americans’ behaviour and some of the values too, but I feel uneasy about unqualified over-generalizations. Do you think that, say, UK or any other country you lived in and know well is much better statistically speaking? From my experience Canada is somewhat different, Canadians are more humane on average, but it has its share of problems. Crooked timber describes our species quite aptly most of the times regardless of geography…
Generalizations come in various degrees and can be qualified in many ways. I view them as tendency statements that correspond roughly to 80% of the US population. The English have their own faults. I think Americans have a specific set of faults (some virtues, of course, compared to other nationalities.)
It is an important qualification, thanks. I was quite sure that you meant in the post what you explained in the response, but it was worth clarifying it.
I agree.
It’s interesting that I have not had one message contesting any of the points I make.