Should Donald Trump Be Seen (And Legally Investigated, and Potentially Punished), As a ‘Force’ (a Psych-Spectrum Case)? Does America Have Precedent in It’s Laws

 The Perched Eye blog is 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

Donald Trump might (/should) be viewed as a ‘force’ (a psych-spectrum case), not simply as just a person. But how can an unembodied ‘something’ be punished by a legal system whose underlying origin, purpose, and intent are focused on organic, living things? Can America’s legal system put a ‘force’ on trial? It seems difficult to do …as America is experiencing.

It seems we’re just now realizing that Trump and Trumpism are forces — the former a psych-spectrum ‘case,’ and the latter ‘-ism’ a belief movement intent (by real past actions) on destroying American democratic operations. 

Therefore, at the least to deter future ‘Jan 6’s (2021)’, the punishment for the ‘Jan6’ attempted overthrow of the American government is left with increasing the legal weight of the crime, i’e’, the sentence term. Hence, the DOJ's move to increase sentences for sedition appears logical and perhaps the only recourse to handling cases like Donald Trump’s seditious actions and planning to lead to Jan 6 (and obstructions thereafter.)

One can get lost in legalese ‘entanglements’, but lengthier sentences can serve to prevent future seditious acts, as well as punish the current conspirators whose intent was to overthrow the elected American government. 

(Remember Germany’s experience with Hitler, who was convicted of conspiracy and sedition to overthrow Germany’s 1920s Weimar Republic, but only served 9 months of a 5-year term, then went on to gain total power…with the aid of MAGA-like ultra-right wing thugs and para-military elements, Hitler’s Brown Shirt supporters.) Don’t doubt that America saw the same elements (pro-Hitler thugs and legitimate congresspersons) assembled here to forcibly gain total power for Trump, who openly stated his intentions to serve as many terms as he wanted, and destroy his enemies. Trump’s plans for regaining the ‘throne’ were (are/should be) scary. 

Let’s trust in the American legal process — the simplest route to prevent future ‘Jan6’s is to increase the incarceration terms for sedition. (Otherwise, we will have to wait maybe 4–5 years, or more, for the current Supreme Court to even hear the Jan6 case against Trump-the-person.

BORN TO FOLLOW?: CURRENT MAGA GOP'ers - AMERICA'S LOST, WANDERING AND FLOUNDERING, OTHER-DIRECTED PERSONA

 The Perched Eye blog is 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

Classical sociological psychology has a descriptor for a personality type that seems to characterize Donald Trump’s MAGA wildly, often destructive, anti-democratic supporters (as was Hitler’s Nazi Germany adepts).

This ‘’type’ is the “Other Directed Persona” (ODP, aka “Outer-Directed”), (The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character, 1950, Riesman, Denny, and Glazer. (A portion of every population is from birth, Other Directed, now an acknowledged psychological type (APA) …and propensity.)

The Other Directed Person seeks life direction from an external, especially a charismatic source, as contrasted to the Inner Directed Persona (IDP), who has an inner, independent core of ethics and guiding principles.

In the words of David Brooks (The Crowd Pleaser, NYTimes, Feb 9, 2012):

“The other-directed person is attuned to what other people want him to be. The other-directed person is …pliable and yearns for acceptance. [In other words, vulnerable perhaps to a fault of being too easily influenced…so desperate is the need to feel less lonely]

The other-directed personality type emerges in a service or information age economy. In this sort of economy, most workers are not working with physical things; they are manipulating people. The other-directed person becomes adept at pleasing others, at selling him or herself. The other-directed personality type emerges in a service or information age economy. In this sort of economy, most workers are not working with physical things; they are manipulating people. The other-directed person becomes adept at pleasing others, at selling him or herself."

Trumpists are, deep down, easily manipulated, easily led…even to purposes not in their real interests, and eager to follow…even to self-harm and disaster for them and theirs. For these reasons, the ODP represents an immense danger to their object of worship as well as to themselves.

The Other Directed Persona is a problem for society, especially for a society that claims it is democratic…because the Other Directed lacks independent thought, preferring to have a pre-packaged path of thinking to be followed without having to go through the effort of figuring out ones own truth.

America’s respecters of democracy need to carefully watch Donald Trump and his Other Directed minions, the MAGAs!

Trump’s followers did not spring up spontaneously with his arrival on the political scene. Nor did they appear just in the past 50 years. ‘Trumpists’ are of a ‘type’ who have existed probably since humans climbed down from the trees.

The ODP seems to have been born just to wait in the wings for a leader to appear who is willing, and able, to hoist a flag and wave a carrot in front of them, the Other Directed horde.

The Other Directed Persona is like a dumb Mule blindly trudging after the proverbial ‘dangling carrot.’

The MAGA supporters of Donald Trump are ODP ‘mules’, and Trump is aptly both the orange carrot and the false leader.

The pre-packaged ‘carrot’ is usually, and most effectively, an appeal to the base emotions of the ODP in the form of a set of slogans anchored by a written ‘screed’, often a book or a set of written down recollections of a leaders declarations during an afterward sacredly-held pilgrimage (‘jihad’).

Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” (1925–26, Munich, Bavaria, Germany) is perhaps the most notorious such ODP Carrot, ‘mule captivating’, screed in the past several centuries.

Earlier examples of such mass-movement tomes are the “Qur’an” (‘Koran’, eng.), the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (610–632 CE, Mecca and Medina, West Arabian Penninsula).

And, of equal significance to the Qur-an are the much earlier Christian and Gnostic“Gospels” attributed to Jesus of Nazareth by his disciples (Holy Bible, 1st-3rd c. CE Gospels, Greek-Hebrew origin canonical and apocryphal texts;) and then as later translated, the 1610–1617 King James Bible. (Also meriting mention are the recovered Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi texts containing both canonical and apocryphal content.)

In the last millennium, the Christian Bible has guided perhaps the most influential and militarily powerful mass movement in history — but it has been both a positive and often a not-so-positive factor…as it has also provided rationales for political oppression, wars of aggression, and punitive atrocities.

Notably, the Trumpist mass movement currently claims the Christian Bible as its guiding light to ‘make America great again’ (MAGA)’. (As it was claimed by Adolph Hitler for Nazi Germany’s right to expansion.)

Seemingly, a percentage of every randomly selected population group is from birth, Other Directed…America, be watchful!

Trump: The Little Boy Who Didn’t Grow Up

  The Perched Eye blog is 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

In the heart (even mine, somewhat), there is a modicum of sympathy for Donald Trump. One senses that Trump lacks self-accountability, and as such, he somehow deserves our overlooking his many, repeated faults.

Trump doesn’t exhibit responsibility for his own actions. He is like a child who pretend-dresses in adult clothing, but, in most other respects he behaves like a child…eating fast foods to the fault of having to wear diapers, ignoring debts, and then chastising debtors for being credulous…of him and his known ways of cheating and welching. (This is a chimpanzee's proto-human game often observed in the wild.)

In other respects, Trump is like the neighborhood’s idiot-savant…virtually lost to understanding because of his unique kind of Tourette’s Syndrome, barely able to make sense when he speaks, and barfing all over the new clothes his parents, children and fellow con-grifter-opportunists put him into each day.

Trump loves luxury. BUT, does he really appreciate luxury — the gold-plated bathroom faucets and gold plating on just about every additional surface that is visible or touched? Or, in reality, is Trump automatically and obsessively reactive to shiny faux plating rather than have an appreciation for the object or utensil underneath…an attraction-response much as a Corvid Raven is irresistibly drawn to shiny paperclips? 

I think the Raven comparison sticks, except that Ravens are probably more clever than Trump.

It's likely that Trump will be convicted of an ‘act of treason’, but he will likely not be convicted of the act… his ‘condition’ may earn him leniency, even in the face of the act (and even if the evidence is found that actual money was exchanged for the American secrets Trump auctioned.)

Will Trump’s mental ‘propensities’ save his ass?

(From Medium, May 24, 2023)

Trump’s Fall: The Guy Just Can’t Help It

 The Perched Eye blog is 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

If Donald Trump had shown just a few instances of self-effacement, told a few jokes rather than viciously snarked and attacked, acted like a real manager by hiring people smarter than him to manage the details, really smiled rather than show that fake, crooked, crocodile smirk…then who knows, he’d probably, still, legitimately be President.

But, Trump is none of these and couldn’t bring himself to change his ways…EVEN THO’ HE LIKELY SENSED HIS INCALCITRANT, STUBBORN PATH WOULD LEAD TO HIS DOOM.

Trump is like a passenger on a runaway train, his train, with the brake in hand but unable to tear himself from being fascinated by the approaching end of the line.

Trump, the modern ‘Salesman’….tragic.

(From Medium, May 24, 2023)

THE GREAT AMERICAN-MEDIA SPRING CLEANING: TUCKER CARLSON IS VANISHED FROM CONSERVATIVE FOX NEWS

 

The Perched Eye blog is 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

OK. Tucker Carlson is gone from the media stage,... so far. (Gargle with vinegar and salt.)

For years I’ve wanted the too-contrived, over-practiced, Botox-job voice of Tucker Carlson to disappear from conservative media, specifically from Fox News (Tucker’s employer and Cuckoo’s nest for other MAGA-Republican mouthpieces such as Sean Hannity.)

And lo, Fox News apparently fired Tucker last Friday, April 21 (2023). ‘Apparently’ because Fox held it in close to the chest, then announced Tucker’s ‘leaving’ on Monday morning, April 24, 2023. This is the timeline of things according to media and Fox PR.  

Tucker was ‘evaporated’ from Fox News with such an expertly wielded fly-swat … a fingerprint of the behind-the-mirror Murdoch style (the Rupert Murdoch family own Fox News.), that it has left much of the media (right and left) in shock, e.g.,  Tom Boggioni's piece  in Raw Story  (‘Did he kill someone?’ Critics stunned by Tucker Carlson’s abrupt departure from Fox News”, April 24, 2023.)

Further, Tucker’s abrupt ‘disappearing’ has so far been marked by the absence of both a ‘lead-up’ fanfare and the ‘traditional’ send-off last show — the protocol that usually bookends the end-of-tenure for such media stars as Tucker Carlson. Instead here has been only a simple ‘thank’s for your service’ from the Fox network.

Without the guidance of a traditional ‘leaving protocol’, Fox News has dropped it in our laps to weave our own ‘splain‘n’… from fog and mirrors. The media has to do its best with ‘Nada’…consequently, it stands agape, ’strung out and tongue-hanging.’ ‘Marvelous,’ because we see now how desperately conservative media needs a lead mule.

(Carlson himself claims he had no clue that last Friday, April 24, was to be his final day employed by Fox News…certainly, we didn’t have a clue, we, the audience to the conservative media circus. 

The ‘hidden-meanings’ flavor of Carlson's departure is like the ‘wake and ripple’ of a submerging shark.)

But shark fins do reappear, and we best be ready to administer the harpoon when we see Tucker again at the mike spewing his poison. (Alternet surmises about potential scenarios for Carlson’s resurfacing... somewhere.)

In defense of Democracy, Tucker Carlson should never again be allowed to ‘poison and warp’ America’s minds with his ‘transmissible’ toxicity of hate, racism, fear, and misogyny… all combined, interestingly and like Donald Trump, with an abject bowing to Russia, America’s sworn and very palpable state enemy.

AlterNet reports that Russia Today is hinting at possibly swooping to invite Tucker to join their own ‘news’ staff (AlterNet: ”Russian state outlet RT reaches out to Tucker Carlson.”

Personally, it’s a mystery how Tucker has gotten away with his too-close support of Russia’s foreign policy and propaganda. In this respect, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him again 'at desk’ willingly 'punditing' as a RUSSIAN ASSET at Russia Today…because, well, Tucker is so well-trained in warping Truth without moral remorse…and with a deep, grudging, hate for America. Carlson, in sum, is a privileged, trust-fund, spoiled brat who suckingly bites the hand that feeds him.

(Note: Tucker’s vanishing act so far comes off as masterful Media Empire scripting designed to minimize audience fallout…and it appears this has been accomplished to some degree.)

However, Fox News’ stage crafting may be lost on Tucker’s support base, who are too used to being passively fed, with no thought required, to fill in the blanks. 

Second, Tucker’s base are mostly a self-selected bunch who are intellectually unequipped to deal with subtlety. (The Carlson base need direct, crude, dog-whistle ‘triggering’ to energize and send them howling in the desired direction.)

Fox News’ way of removing Tucker Carlson from American airways is like a neat surgical excision of a smelly tumor. Let’s hope Fox‘s surgery will last…although, knowing the greed of Fox News (i.e., the Murdochs), the return of the Murdochs' media cancer will always be possible.

Despite all this turmoil, Tucker’s bad seed might sprout anew from the dank murk of Fox News and siblings such as One America News (OAN).

A final thought: has Tucker Carlson forgotten how ‘Big Wheels’ turn? They have a habit of hitting the hubris-filled in the ass. Cocky Tucker might soon find himself in a ‘Gulag Resort’, sitting neck-deep in ‘it’ with no toilet paper but his left hand. Such would be fitting irony. Karma.

(From Medium, April 25, 2023)

AMERICA MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR PESKY CHILD SHOOTERS ...BEFORE WE LOSE GUN RIGHTS

 The Perched Eye blog is near 14 years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

America, Guns & Pesky Six-Year Olds

(excerpted from "pericles21 writes", on Medium.com, January 20, 2023)

Preface: American kids who pack guns. Should we get rid of them before we lose gun rights? All they do is eat and sleep, and cause 'issues'. Is it best just to get rid of 'em all before they turn six or seven? Some Americans seek to minimize their confusion and effort simply by eliminating six-year-olds. Kinda makes sense...after a nap and  Fenty refresher... don't it?

This is written to again lament America’s dis-ease about guns and gun control. And about its children. And about America's tendency to misdirect ‘blame and shame.’ And, once more, about Guns. Who is at fault? Certainly not the NRA. But let us make up our minds - 'what matters a few kids (and some teachers and school staff) wasted by gunfire when it comes to preserving our right to own guns,..as many as we want. That is American 'Freedom.'

Today, January 20, 2023, a six year old first grader at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, shot its teacher …supposedly over a classroom disagreement between the two of them. RawStory reposted the shooting details to which this writer responded with several comments, one of which is pasted below:

GUNS & 6-YEAR OLDS — A TOXIC MIX (RIGHT??). (RawStory.com)
Let’s be clear. ‘America’ shot elementary teacher Abby Zwerner. A six year older, “the young man” shooter (police chief description), was then “held in custody” by police…? That doesn’t even make sense for two critical reasons. Since when is a six year old a “young man”? Two, “in custody” — does that mean jailed? Cuffed and chained? Was the six year old ‘read their rights’ to remain silent…and, for a child still learning to read, what would that even mean in a sane culture?The answer to all questions and concerns is “GUNS” and lack of gun control! Got to get rid of guns or 6-year olds…America’s top-o-the-head first choice wouldprobably be to get rid of 6-year-olds as a sacrifice for “Freedom” …whatever that means.

There are many follow-up comments in the RawStory piece to the descriptors and viewpoints expressed by the Newport News police, reporters, and town officials. 

But first, should America be proud of how one of its six-year-olds handled a gun so well...ie, without shooting itself first or wounding others ('secondary casualties' in combat terms). I think not!

Almost universally, the comments express the usual sorrow for the victim(s) and about the general lack of gun control, especially now in Virginia under the open-carry-favoring Republican governor Youngkin. And even greater concern and amazement is expressed in how ‘distanced’ and unfeeling are some media (and police) handling of a child who came into possession of a gun, knew how to use the gun…and used the gun to express a child’s disagreement with an adult. (I read only one dissenter who did not express sensitivity for the child shooter.)

America has a problem with guns. But the child (not a “young man” as the police chief describes it)  learned to use the gun from many examples on American TV that depict gun use as an appropriate way to show anger.

We shouldn’t be surprised that the child learned how to pull the trigger —by watching American TV broadcasts - a 24/7 stream of violent, blood-spilled mayhem delivered raw to all ages. (Did the child hold the gun horizontally ("OG" style) while pulling the trigger?  

America’s (mis) handling of its guns is a global disgrace. We lack an adult-level sensibility about our guns and confuse our right to own as many guns as we want with a child’s misunderstanding of “Freedom.”

As for the unfortunate child ‘perp’ — let’s pray for it now that the system has apparently gotten hold of 'it' ...and let's hope that the police and ‘justice’ system have better sense than to mete out ‘just’ punishment of a child by condemning the child to a term in the local ‘Juvi’ center. A six-year-older would not survive well under that ‘treatment’ (to say the least.)

But meanwhile, on the 'bright side', America now has the excuse to add a new, money-making fetish and cultural topic to make even more graphic and shocking TV series (and profit)— a new fetish, “Kiddies Toting Guns’. Or even new clothing lines — ‘Kiddie Jumpers with Gun Pockets’. America stumbles forward, eyes always focused on the prize regardless (more moola). This is progress.(?)

ELON MUSK AND TWITTER: MUSINGS FROM AN MBA CASE STUDY POV

The Perched Eye blog is 12+ years old,  from 2009 with President Obama's election. Our focus has been eclectic ...  the styles and directions of American politics and culture, with an occasional comment on the impact of new technologies. Our observations sometimes attract a critical eye, but the 'pen' remains unblunted.

The recent Elon Musk-Twitter ‘fiasco’ was expected by some who have noted Musk’s ‘Twitter-troubles’ and moved on, but to many MSM readers this latest MSM ‘reveal’ has been a titillating new flavor experience to those who are programmed to be fed the latest MSM uncovering on just about anything, but especially juicy-ness about public notables of whatever kind...as noted in the following article:

Twitter brings Elon Musk’s genius reputation crashing down to earth

Nevertheless, the ‘roilings’ from Elon Musk’s acquisition of the social media giant, Twitter, has drawn attention from even investors and techie observors to ‘Musk the person’ behind ‘Musk the inventor’.

‘Elon Musk the inventor’ seems to mask something we did not fully expect, except for some who have worked with him. That revealed ‘something’ about Musk is enlightening, yet also a bit off-putting for a ‘businessman’ who has attracted the attention of the globe, and billions of investment from Wall Street and the American defense world… as is discussed below.

Musk’s Twitter ‘chapter’ reveals he is not a business Superman, but nevertheless he still stands out in ways that should retain Wall Street’s interest, and preserve Musk’s reputation for major innovative thinking (and influence.)  Musk‘s technical talents are definitely special but his marketing of them is enhanced by public and investor perceptions and mystique…which have suffered by his erratic ‘leadership’ of Twitter.

That Musk is shown to be part perception-mystique shouldn’t alarm investors or the world at large. Musk can reliably be expected to keep generating new, innovative and world-shaping ideas, products and projects-with-spin-offs. But after Twitter’, the world sees there are border fences to the Musk ‘genius’… that Musk’s investor and staff ‘dependents’ should be aware of in order keep Musk within his skill areas…for the best interets of everyone.

Musk’s interaction with Twitter - with its internal clockworks, especially with Twitter’s human gears, etc — show he is not a people person. This is a serious gap for someone whose business pattern has been to exercise near-complete control over his projects.

That Musk is not a people-person is not a new ‘discovery’, but it hasn’t been significantly mentioned in the public media except as a somewhat amusing aspect of a recognized ‘genius’ (now seen more as a ‘savant’ with psychological overtones.)

After Twitter (and speaking as a layperson), Elon Musk seems a ‘Spectrum’ listee (DSM-5) — a tech innovator/savant overlaid with bi-polar, sociopathic ‘flavors’. (Disclaimer — this writer is not a professional mental health professional and reference is given of DSM-5 purely as background for serious reading.)

’Pre-Twitter’, the public tides generated by the newness of Musk floated his boat well above its waterline, i.e., Musk demonstrated a skill in cultivating a ‘mystique’ and using it to influence the public, the media and funding sources.

But the newness of Musk in the investor world seems to have worn off, as is historically natural, as investor needs for the ‘different’ has leaned to boredom. Musk’s Twitter flop has definitely led to investor shyness as witnessed by the resultant drop in Wall Street indices for Musk companies and projects as noted here:

Tesla gets downgraded on Wall Street over Elon Musk’s Twitter antics, banning of journalists.

But, Musk’s innovativeness is real and still stands, e.g., the ‘Tesla’ electric car and associated sub-industries (e.g., battery technology), Space-X and coming cyber products.

Musk appears to have one clear ‘flop area’, people skills — where, it seems that he has a ‘less-than’ average ability to communicte except by intimidation and non-verbal cues that are ‘understood’ by his longest and closest associates (and a few employees).

‘Elon Musk’ is no longer an enigma, it’s just that total awe of Musk has settled into seeing where he excels, and where he is just ordinary (and prone to flop just like any entrepreneur).