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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Lizard of Id
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
-- Nietzsche; Beyond Good and Evil
The wind was humming through the tree branches, drowning out the sound of my footsteps in the snow. Although it was a dark, starless night sky, my eyes quickly adjusted as I walked my son's dog through the field. She's about eight months old now, and growing larger, but she is still jumpy when we walk at night. We avoided the pines, where the deer nest on nights this cold.
It had been a long day, followed by a long night. I needed to take a break from the nonsense of republicans in the House of Representatives objecting to Pennsylvania's votes being counted. Almost all of them started by saying they were upset by the Trump cult's attempted insurrection, but then poured fuel on the fires of conspiracy theories that gave rise to the violence.
"Conspiracy theories" are curious things. Some are mainly accurate -- for as Watergate, Iran-Contra, and other events were conspiracies that definitely were real. More of them have a nugget of truth enclosed in paranoid projections, and still others are batshit crazy. In our nation's hiistory, when there have been periods of prolonged stress and tenion, a larger number of seemingly normal people join the fringes in believing the Alex Jones-type theories. Thus, it is no surprise that a substantial number of republicans have invested in Trump's highly paranoid conspiracy theories.
I have had numerous telephone and internet contacts since the release of the tape of Trump's unsettling conversation with leaders from Georgia. I think the number has more than doubled today. On one hand, most were expecting this style of response to the president's advocating the right-wing to join his war on America. Yet watching the attempted coup unfold on screen was upsetting for everyone.
A tree branch made the loud popping noise that tree branches are prone to making in the bitter cold, resulting in the dog scurrying to within inches from me, then standing on her hind legs to survey for potential danger. She had originally belonged to my daughter's friends, who paid a hefty price for a cute puppy. But soon, they found that hunting dogs were not bred for life in a small apartment. My boy walks her from four to eight miles per day, and her nose still allows her to sniff out mischief in every corner of our large house. Her behaviors are distinct from any other dog that I've known. She remains in her kangaroo position until I roll a snowball in front of her for a distraction. It's play time again.
Literally as I am writing this, I get a text from my doctor who has helped me deal with the serious brain injury I sustained a few years ago. "Oh my goodness, your Dr Lee interviews, chilling times! Makes Watergate seem like a parking ticket." The human brain is a complex organ. What terrible factors make Donald Trump the pathetic failure he is? Why have so many people accepted Trump as their own personal Jesus? The Lord of the Flies?
Trump's brain does not process information in the same manner as a non-sociopath's brain. Add to this, his baseline is paranoid, and he has long believed in conspiracy theories. It's true that he will purposely lie and spread false conspiracy theories when he thinks it is to his advantage. Yet he is deeply invested in paranoid conspiracy theories of the ilk that represent the most outrageously untrue type.
As noted in my first interview with Dr. Lee, a sociopath under extreme pressure may experience relatively brief psychotic breaks. We witnessed one as we listened to his Georgia phone call. It was a break from reality. A couple days later, he was back in a "safe place" at the rally for the two republican Senators. That comfortable setting brought him back to his baseline state of being a pathological liar. Next, we saw him lying to the mob that would attempt an insurrection.
Why, many wonder, would any rational person answer Trump's call for the Dragons of Eden to perform this ritual dance? Let's turn to Carl Sagan's 1977 book. In it, Sagan provides an updated version of Paul MacLean's model of the Triune brain. In the 1960s, MacLean attempted to locate Freud's id, ego, and super ego within the layers of the human brain. His belief that each of the three operated independently went out of style in the early 2000s, although looking back, I think Dick Cheney was indeed an R-complex man.
If we lean towards Sagan's understanding of the Triune brain model, however, we can identify much of the essence of Trump's being as that R-complex, also known as the "reptilian brain" or "lizard brain." It controls the ancient impulses such as "fight or flight." Hence, those members of the Trump cult who accept this president as their divine hero take on that same essence, and their behaviors aresurely rooted in Trump's impulses.
The wind begins to pick up, and the puppy dog wants to return to the house. As dark as it is, I can detect the clouds moving in the sky. Although I was never a Weatherman, I can tell which way the wind is blowing.
coeur_de_lion
(3,676 posts)and go out in the snow with your pup. Dogs keep us grounded. And nature heals.
Lizard brain -- accurately explains the insanity we saw past few days. These people are not rational.
Some are very well educated -- Harvard and Yale -- but their lizard brains took over anyway. Lizard brain has nothing to do with intelligence.
12 more days of hell. Still I feel peaceful. It might get worse but it will eventually get better. We have the Senate in 12 days or less. We have the House. We have the White House back in 12 days.
We're going to be okay.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)Walks with dogs are generally good for one's health.
And you are correct -- very well educated people can fall for a sociopath's messaging. Find a sociopath with a repulsive need to lead, and you'll soon find a group with a compulsive need to obey.
coeur_de_lion
(3,676 posts)The Lizard brain that is.
I know about fanatical people like 45 I just dont understand why anyone wants to follow and obey him. I never will.
I have read your essays and a dozen other articles and there is something about the logic of it that still eludes me. Or maybe its just that there is no logic and thats why my brain stubbornly refuses to accept it.
I get angry at them while I am trying to understand them and my brain shuts right down.
Is that my lizard brain at work?
Thanks as always darling H for showing us a way out of the madness. Your mind is like a fine work of art.
Me.
(35,454 posts)Of you did you might become them. THe idea that their impulses are alien to you is a blessing.
One would need to inject clorox into their veins to fully experience that low level of consciousness.
Excellent read
coeur_de_lion
(3,676 posts)to be willfully ignorant of the Lizard People.
Thank you!
Me.
(35,454 posts)THey were readily dispatched then and they should be so now.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)was aired every Saturday on a Syracuse station in the early 1960s. I watched it weekly. I think that a good para-documentary about the Trump era could be a hit.
Me.
(35,454 posts)Had to ask...it's Svengoolie. Would fit right in.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)One of the strange things, I find, is that the cult members actually believe the nonsense that is clearly bullshit. Now stick with me, if possible, for one of my angry old man tangents. I've seen or heard a dozen or more republicans say, in effect, "But you were okay with BLM riots." Yikes! BLM held protest rallies. And without douby, some disaffected youth waited until the sun went down, and the risks of getting caught was reduced by darkness, and engaged in destructive behaviors. I definitely do not agree with those behaviors, though I do understand them.
But a lot of those who rioted were not kids, and not part of BLM. One lady I remember being interviewed as she left a damaged store with stolen goods was asked if she was a BLM activist? "Hell, no!" she answere, "I'm a convicted felon." Clearly not everyone involved in the riots were social activists motivated by sincere beliefs about the need to improve society. They acted upon their beliefs about society, no doubt. Again, I don't approve of it, but I do understand it.
All of the people from the Trump cult believed they were doing the right thing. They believe that Trump is telling them the truth. And they acted upon it. Many of the cult members who watched events unfolding on television believed it was just and patriotic. They were following their divine leader's orders. Yet that same audience shifted on a dime, and believed that it was antifa that broke into the Capital -- clearly disinformation that the puppeteers had ready to release when the coverage exposed the very unjust and unpatriotic nature of the thugs. That rumor made the internet well before it would have been possible to accurately identify the leaders. And those leaders being identified now certainly are not antifa activists.
I can say this: while there were no antifa members engaged in these activities, there are reports that some off-duty police were among the crowd. Some of the police in this country belong to the current white power groups, just as cops in the past were KKK members. But there were also some others there, from a federal agency, involved in the infiltration and invstigation of these dangerous groups. And that is a good thing.
coeur_de_lion
(3,676 posts)But there were also some others there, from a federal agency, involved in the infiltration and investigation of these dangerous groups. And that is a good thing.
I've been reading about how policeman from a particular state, as yet to be named, were particularly involved in organizing the breach of the Capitol.
I thought the FBI raids in Tennessee might have something to do with it. But now I'm reading that the raid pertained to campaign finance and money laundering.
I'm sure it will break soon.
I like it when you're righteously angry. A true Irishman.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)there are those who hunt. There are also those who hunt the hunters." -- Malcolm X
Timing is an essential.
world wide wally
(21,743 posts)I can do anything
Buns_of_Fire
(17,175 posts)The Soft Parade has now begun.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)I can't make it any more.
The man is at the door.
world wide wally
(21,743 posts)H2O Man
(73,537 posts)H2O Man
(73,537 posts)He semi-wanted to get an audience to riot in Miami. It's probably better to attempt that in times other than blackout drunken states. It was different from a Lennon experience from towards the end of the Beatles' touring. He was reportedly under the influence of weed at the time. As he swung the neck of his guitar, the crowd's response made him uncomfortably aware the audience was an organism.
LiberalLoner
(9,761 posts)H2O Man
(73,537 posts)You are very kind.
I was in the middle of an essay on one sub-group of escatologists, and how a significant portion of them create an additional danger. I had writer's block head, so I completed this essay to try to clear my mind.
malaise
(268,997 posts)dr Lee nailed it but so did you - the institutions have been sorely tested but they have held.
And yes, the wind is blowing our way. ;D
So far, so good. There may be a couple more bumps gefore the 20th, and several after that date. I suppose the pus has to rise to the surface so that we can cleanse the wounds, and healing can begin.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)He didn't tell them "No" or "Don't do that" or "That's wrong".
He praised them. He praised their id gone wild.
He is their God because he tells them they are good, and loved, and accepted for who they are in the thrall of their id.
The hive-id mind emerged. They are MAGA.
Scary shit.
K&R
malaise
(268,997 posts)He still doesn't think the law applies to them?
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)Trump's their Hive-King, so they are extensions of each other. If the laws don't apply to him, how can they apply to a part of him?
If he's treated unfairly, then of course they are treated unfairly for supporting him.
If he's right no matter what he does - then they are too. As long as their actions are in support of him. Look how he turned on Pence for simply doing his job. That's a betrayal to Trump.
His ego now includes them - but only so far as they support and prop up his ego.
How they reflect on him - but he doesn't value what we value. Nor does he see his or their behavior as wrong. So what we think would reflect badly isn't what he thinks would reflect badly.
The man is damaged. Terminally so.
malaise
(268,997 posts)The man is damaged. Terminally so.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)That is, until he decides they should follow him. They'd want him as a mascot, of course - and they'd show respect, as long as he kept to his place. No one wants to give up status in prison. Not even to Trump.
Unless Trump was put into protective custody, I honestly don't think he'd survive for long in prison.
He can't keep his mouth shut and he always has to be right.
And he's a coward at heart.
Still, he needs to go to prison. He really does.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)These were people living lives that included large empty spaces. In their search for meaning, they filled those voids with Donald Trump. Gandhi noted that what you think, you become. This surely applies to the cult members ..... Trump became so big a part of their daily lives, indeed their meaning .....that they believed they were an important part of his life. That he meant the kind things he said to them, and cared about them. Fools.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)The need to channel that energy outward will be great. The need for purpose.
Some might become suicidal, too many will lash out.
This isn't like other times when most went back to their lives, nursing their wounds. Crawling back under their rocks, as it were. They don't want that empty to come back. They fear it. Just like Trump does.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)The right wing energy force will not simply dissipate. It will be released into the greater society. For but one example, Pence must know that there is a Mark David Chapman out there, thinking Pence has betrayed the ideal. The thugs were looking for him inside of the Capital.
I think that both of us knew when the republican machine began to finance the most rabid parts of the Tea Party that there would be a long-term price to pay for their party. They thought that they could capitalize on the hatred. But they ignored the price they would have to pay.
Solly Mack
(90,766 posts)He can't. Trump has marked him as a Judas and that's what Pence is to the MAGA Hive now.
I'd feel sorry for him were it not for his complicity.
John Boehner's take-down should have shown the GOP that they would not be able to contain the hate and ignorance that bred the Tea Party. But Trump is not the only one guilty of a grandiose ego.
"From sheer ignorance to opaque stupidity", to borrow a phrase used to describe Trump's influence, the Republicans have willingly gone from dog whistles to mad dogs. In the doing, they have brought darkness to America.
Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)H2O Man
(73,537 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,345 posts)Now I have to go out, again, to walk a dog. He's the first I've ever had to have on a leash because he's the first 'rescue' from a good home where he didn't know me before the transition. It's been 3 months of walk, walk, walk. I think he's over the trauma and accepts his new home. Most of my joints are now recuperated -- he's 130 pounds of muscle, so getting startled can get dramatic.
The Lizard of Id needs to be caged to protect society.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)I had a very large German shepherd about that weight. Strong, smart dog. Very well behaved at all times. But I couldn't hope to hold a startled big dog these days! My son's is a female treeing walker raccoon hound, and she's enough to tire me out. My first floor has a central chimney, and she loves to run around in circles while she's inside. Fastest dog I've ever met.
I look forward to Trump being thrust into the most isolated margins of society. Maybe a cage in the southwest.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,345 posts)AKC says they recognize 6 coonhound breeds. The treeing walker (I never heard it called that before) and the bluetick are the two types I've seen in this area. Locally, the former is simply called a coonhound and the latter, bluetick hound.
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/treeing-walker-coonhound/
My guess is that she will test your stamina while on a leash. That dog will want to run.
I'm dealing with a 2-1/2 y.o. bull mastiff who loved the person he was with previously. Pretty sure that the first month and a half here he was desperately searching for some familiar territory or landmark to find a way back. Daytime walks, 30 to 60 minutes duration, have been in the woods since it got cold enough to reduce ticks, chiggers and snakes. Night walks are about 10 to 15 minutes, almost every hour.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)Besides running, she loves to climb. Stacks of fire wood, large stone walls, and furniture. While they can climb trees, same as a gray fox, I haven't seen her do that yet. But she walks the length of downed trees with the grace of Nadia Comaneci in 1976.
I've never had or really been around bull mastiffs. Great looking dogs, for sure. My impression is that they are an intelligent breed, much in the way my shepherd was. I didn't lose a single bird to coyotes when he was here. If my daughters were playing on the lawn, he kept watch over them. But it had taken him time to adjust when I brought him here.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Very apropos regarding the lizard brain theme.
I spent most of the day yesterday with my neighbor's dog who likes to come by for visits. I consider him, and his wonderful personality, my sometimes therapy dog. It did me a world of good to be with him yesterday.
most noble beings that I have encountered in life were dogs. They are amazing. My son's dog knows my schedule, and never fails to wake me up by licking my face if I'm sleeping a few minutes longer than usual mornings. After I have a cup of coffee, she expects me to take her to play with the kittens in the garage. It seems like all of the stray cats from miles around like to hang out there, at least for the food. The dog is buddies but all but one of them, a large male who doesn't play. But he lets me pet him while the dog plays with the others.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Hekate
(90,683 posts)Its been an incredibly stressful week. Thank you for taking me on your dog-walk with you tonight.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)I've been busy working with Dr. Bandy Lee on a couple of projects. We knew this past week was coming. And that we face some tense times to come.
One of the things I've been concerned about -- strangely enough -- is the potential for Good People to have confrontations with alt-right people in parking lots. Going to stores, since things like masks or bumper stickers can provoke the unstable. It's important to ignore those seeking confrontation.
Hekate
(90,683 posts)I was afraid to go out because of the plague and now this.
My mask is nonnegotiable, and my 2 stores require them, but I dont want my car to be at risk.
H2O Man
(73,537 posts)A gentleman from a local town had been dogging my cousin for the past 48 hours. I had a conversation with the guy today. He got the message, and is deleting his threats.
tblue37
(65,342 posts)H2O Man
(73,537 posts)it's my son's hound.