Comments by "" (@DavidJ222) on "Hear Trump defend January 6 rioters who chanted 'Hang Mike Pence'" video.

  1. "This isn’t incoherent. It reflects a clear principle: Only Trump and his allies, his supporters, and their anointed are entitled to the rights and protections of the law, and if necessary, immunity from it. The rest of us are entitled only to cruelty, by their whim. This is how the powerful have ever kept the powerless divided and in their place, and enriched themselves in the process." "It is not just that the perpetrators of this cruelty enjoy it; it is that they enjoy it with one another. Their shared laughter at the suffering of others is an adhesive that binds them to one another, and to Trump." "The president and his advisers have sought to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense; they have attempted to corrupt federal law-enforcement agencies to protect themselves and their cohorts, and they have exploited the nation’s darkest impulses in the pursuit of profit. But their ability to get away with this fraud is tied to cruelty." "Trump’s only true skill is the con; his only fundamental belief is that the United States is the birthright of straight, white, Christian men, and his only real, authentic pleasure is in cruelty. It is that cruelty, and the delight it brings them, that binds his most ardent supporters to him, in shared scorn for those they hate and fear: immigrants, blackVoters, feminists, and treasonous white men who empathize with any of those who would steal their birthright. The president’s ability to execute that cruelty through word and deed makes them euphoric. It makes them feel good, it makes them feel proud, it makes them feel happy, it makes them feel united. And as long as he makes them feel that way, they will let him get away with anything, no matter what it costs them." --Adam Serwer, The Atlantic December  2019 "All cruelty springs from weakness." --Seneca
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  2. Trump's comments make sense when you understand who and what he is. He doesn't care about anyone or anything other than himself, and his own desires. A Trump quote from 2004, in response to a Larry King Live caller asking him how he handles stress during a crisis.  Trump: “I try and tell myself it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. If you tell yourself it doesn’t matter, like you do shows, you do this, you do that and then you have earthquakes in India where 400,000 people get killed. Honestly, it doesn’t matter." Spoken like the true sociopath that he is. And Trump meets pretty much every diagnostic criterion of a sociopath.. ● Manipulative and Conning: They never recognize the rights of others, and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.  ● Grandiose Sense of Self: Feels entitled to certain things as "their right."  ● Pathological Lying: Has no problem lying coolly and easily, and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own powers and abilities. ● Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt: A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. Does not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, he has victims, and accomplices, who will also end up as victims. ( Cohen, Manafort, Stone, Flynn) The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.  ● Shallow Emotions: When they show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion  it is more feigned than experienced, and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would usually upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.  ● Callousness/Lack of Empathy: Unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them.  ● Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature: Rage and abuse. Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.  ● Irresponsibility/Unreliability: Not concerned about wrecking others' lives and dreams. Oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. Does not accept blame themselves, but blames others, even for acts they obviously committed. When it comes to being a sociopath, Trump checks all the boxes.
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