In gaming, I utilize D&D's alignment chart as a way of graphically plotting behavior to establish a personality type

[Simeon Salus]

The alignment chart is a tool of the game which helps players understand monster and character behaviors.

On one continuum you have from Lawful to Chaos (reliability vs. flexibility), on the other you have from Good to Evil (altruism vs. selfishness). In D&D, the Paladin is the knight who is always true and acts to defend the weak and innocent. This guy is no paladin. He is the opposite. Even his allies can't trust him. He's a looter.

By my reading, when his various behaviors are plotted, Drumpf's alignment plot shows him as both chaotic AND evil.

[Irish_Dem]

1. Mental health professionals do the same kind of thing based on science.

And understanding of clinical psychopathology.

They came to the same conclusion as yours quite some time ago.
Their warnings about Trump fell on deaf ears.

[Simeon Salus]

2. I agree. But there are far more gamers than clinical psychopathologists.

It's certainly fair for a discussion...

Perhaps many discussions.

He's chaotic evil and he LIKES it.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Good point. Whatever model works is great.

Yes Trump is a sadist and he loves the pain he inflicts.
He gets off on the power and control.

[Simeon Salus]

7. Agreed. Alignment isn't so much a designation as it is a grouping of plotted behaviors on the chart.

The chart represents the universal set of all potential behaviors.

The closer the behavior plot is to the top ( the good), the more the subject's behavior demonstrates helping others. The farther down (the evil), the more their behavior is about harming others.

On the other continuum, the closer the behavior plots to the left (the lawful), the more their behavior is about being trusted by others and assisting the success of others. The farther right the behavior is plotted (the chaotic), the more their behavior centers around their own desires and their own personal success.

It's not a predictive graph, merely illustrative of previous behaviors.

[Irish_Dem]

10. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

So the psychologists and psychiatrists use some of the same methodology you are using.

We look at a person's past behavior to predict future behavior.
And by identifying specific deviant behaviors we give patients a diagnosis.

Maladaptive behavior clusters give us specific diagnoses.

[yardwork]

8. I'm not a gamer, so I have questions!

How does the average D&D player feel about CE characters? Are they considered to be helpful allies, or do players avoid them?

In other words, if the recognition of Trump as CE spreads among the D&D world, will more of them stop supporting Trump?

I'm guessing that support for Trump might already be low among D&D players, but perhaps that's wrong?

I read about all these young men who voted for Trump because they liked his edginess. Is that the same as liking CE characters? Is there a subculture of CE admirers?

Sorry about all the questions! This is really interesting to me.

[Simeon Salus]

9. I'm not sure how anybody feels about anything. I'm not sure you're asking questions that I can answer.

The below is a gross over-simplification:

The average D&D player would normally think of their own character as being good and opposing evil. But some people play a lot of characters, depending on the scenario. Generally evil characters are villains, baddies to be defeated.

The average D&D scenario or supplement starts with the basic assumption that players' characters are not evil.

The average D&D game resembles popular literature like Sword of Shannara or Lord of the Rings where a group of diverse characters defeat a representation of evil.

The average D&D player isn't thinking about American Politics while they're playing games. I know gamers who are right wing and left wing. People tend to come by their perceptions through real life experience, and understand that games are games.

[yardwork]

11. That actually helps a lot!

I usually assume that most people don't like Chaos or Evil. Many people who voted for Trump thought they were voting for someone who cares about them and is a good businessman. They're mistaken. They believe lies.

I'm guessing only a small percent of people actually like chaos and evil.

[Kaleva]

14. It's been my experience that many people liked playing chaotic and evil characters

One can find out a lot about people while playing D&D

[yardwork]

16. There have been a lot of high profile villains in fiction lately.

I've wondered about the effect of The Godfather movies, The Sopranos, the Joker, the Penguin.

We watched Yellowstone. The main character is essentially the same as Tony Soprano. These characters are presented as heroes. People love them and root for them.

[Kaleva]

17. Civilization is skin deep it is said

I sometimes think that in every person, there lurks evil. Most of us can contain it but as we know, some can't for whatever reason

[Bettie]

4. Yep, he's definitely

Chaotic Evil. I've thought so for years.

Even back when he first started to get a lot of press, he just seemed so sleazy and gross to me. When you're raised by an abusive asshole, you learn to spot them.

[EYESORE 9001]

5. A guy I know told me years ago, after rump posed while descending that gilded escalator

that the orange menace was chaotic evil. Knowing very little about D&D, I had to admit it was an apt description.

[Simeon Salus]

6. When you've gamed a lot, you begin to recognize (or perhaps imagine) archetypes

Drumpf is CE and revels in it. Classic CE.

[Hugin]

12. Any metric in a storm.

Interesting. I am a big believer in models. Especially if they have some rigor.

[0rganism]

13. Me too, it's proven to be a very useful tool for media analysis generally (books, movies, series), history, politics...

oh, especially politics, both foreign and domestic. People get the wrong idea about RPG-associated systems like the alignment grid, believing it to be a system of overly-simplified constraints rather than a method for evaluating emergent behaviors. It's one of the most useful gifts left to us by the Great Gygax.

And I completely agree with the assessment of F47 as chaotic evil.

[Kaleva]

15. Life got exciting when there was a high level Paladin hunting you down

One a side note, my partner and I in one game found out the hard way that it's not wise to try and steal a paladin's horse. This particular horse turned out to be a genius who had a very bad temper. As I kept a lookout, my partner attempted to take the horse from its stall in the stable. He was stomped and kicked to death in less then a minute . I made a run for it but horses are fast and I soon met my demise in the same fashion.