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In person they are obsessed with it. They cannot talk about anything else and cannot function in any normal way: “Were do you want to go for dinner?” “Hillary got three million more votes. Trump only won the empty states.” Do you need me to shovel out your driveway? “We only need 36 electors to change their vote.”
Did you ask them if they would like some hot chocolate and wanted to play with a set of legos?
Some friends and acquaintances simply cannot seem to get past Trump winning the election. Every cabinet nomination sends them into a frenzy followed by the need for counselling or a day or two where they will not come out of their room, or endless crying. On Facebook they post dozens of articles each day about the recount, popular vote tallies, what is wrong with each person nominated or considered for a cabinet post, even a constant daily barrage of reasons not to vote for Trump. In person they are obsessed with it. They cannot talk about anything else and cannot function in any normal way: “Were do you want to go for dinner?” “Hillary got three million more votes. Trump only won the empty states.” Do you need me to shovel out your driveway? “We only need 36 electors to change their vote.”
I try to avoid the topic, talk about other things, talk about a level approach to their concerns – nothing. In less than a sentence every conversation turns to why Trump didn’t couldn’t or shouldn’t win the election or how he might be ousted. Nothing else matters.
Nothing. No cheer, no love, no daily minutia, nothing comes out of their mouths but “Trump Trump Trump.” He is in complete control of their lives.
They have been obsessively posting memes and articles about the possibility that the electors will defect and vote Hillary into office. When that does not happen, I am concerned they will have to be committed or just become non-functional for months. They are already struggling to communicate with their family or be loving/friendly for holiday parties. Year-end events (like bonuses) seem to have no impact “Oh look you got a bonus of 25% of your annual salary – Congratulations”. “How can you say that when the Russians elected Trump?”
What is this? It is not just anger or being upset they did not win. They were furious when Bush won re-election, but did not become non-functional. They were euphoric when Obama won, but could still manage conversation on other topics. Will they ever recover, or are these people just done functioning?
Do other people have friends who are like this? Any ideas to get them focused on moving on with their lives, or at least becoming semi functional?
How would you advise them on irrational fears and behavior about anything else?
I doubt there is anything you can do. They could easily subdue their irrational fears through objective research. They won't because they believe what they want to believe.
I doubt you could convince them to look at hard evidence that would refute their irrational beliefs. They are entrenched in that belief system so probably would cut you out of their lives if you tried. So if that is not what you want ... recommend a therapist?
It would do them good to ignore all media for a few weeks. The media is just as obsessed with perpetuating irrational fears.
Oh my, I have been treated as an outcast from my husband's side of the family. Discovered most all of them are Liberals. I really never knew this until this election. Geez, they are going on and on and on about it. They cannot seem to stop! It is concerning.
I'm conservative and my husband is kind of in the middle. We both are actually Conservatives but we also believe in helping others (social issues). Definitely want small government...
These family members are losing their minds. Was I happy over Obama getting in? It did not bother me to be truthful because I went into it with a positive attitude "Let's see what he can do." I did not vote for him of course BUT I decided he just might bring people together and do great things. Well, I think many feel he did not bring people together and ended up dividing in his second term. Very disappointing.
Some of our family members are not doing well either financially so who knows and have other issues. There is no such thing as a free lunch however there is help out there to get you on your feet if willing to do so..
I think Trump will do great things like put more people BACK to work. We need jobs! No more outsourcing...I'm retired but I care about young families etc...I want to see people making it out there- living the American Dream - buying a home - raising your families in SAFE environments. Give the guy a chance. If he fails...boot his butt out in 4 yrs. :-)
The OP described someone who is having a highly abnormal reaction to a news event. I wouldn't call it a psychotic reaction, but it is well beyond Trump Derangement Syndrome if it is disabling. (Some of my conservative friends had Obama Derangement Syndrome, and some of my liberal friends had Bush Derangement Syndrome, but they went out to dinner.)
Trump is not a nice man but he is president for now and we have to make the best of it. As Obama said, the sun will rise tomorrow. If I were an illegal immigrant or a Muslim, I might worry, but I don't think the OP's friend is in those categories. I would recommend psychotherapy.
I do not "have" to like trump or his deluded supporters. Nor do I need to give him a chance.
His rhetoric has been written on the walls...or twitter mostly.
What I will do though is sit back and watch sadly the decay of an office that once held regard and was worthy of respect.
Just glad that there were MILLIONS of voters that DIDN'T vote him in.
Unless you're planning to either emigrate or join an armed rebellion, you are indeed giving him a chance.
Since when was a U.S. president "worthy of respect "? You have to go back a pretty long time to find one who had integrity. Ronald Reagan, Eisenhower, maybe Truman. Certainly no one in recent decades.
It seems that young people don't learn much about civics and history in school, and reach adulthood with some odd notions of how our system of government works.
Even more alarming, many people have a messianic yearning. They want a savior, not just a political leader. It's a dangerous trend, exacerbated by the concurrent decline of traditional religion. The emptiness and passionless of modern life and all that.
Unless you're planning to either emigrate or join an armed rebellion, you are indeed giving him a chance.
.
Nope. Indeed not true.
He will be sworn in and there is not a chance that I support his future debacles .
Not a gun toter so no armed rebellion, and I quite like being a Us citizen. Thanks though for reminding me how black and white some folks see their choices in life.
Oh my, I have been treated as an outcast from my husband's side of the family. Discovered most all of them are Liberals. I really never knew this until this election. Geez, they are going on and on and on about it. They cannot seem to stop! It is concerning.
I'm conservative and my husband is kind of in the middle. We both are actually Conservatives but we also believe in helping others (social issues). Definitely want small government...
These family members are losing their minds.........
Well, let's see. Despite one sibling being gay (and incredibly naive as such is liberal) and one being an emotional roller coaster, we don't get into politics much. I suppose it comes both from knowing where it will go and recognizing we all have our intense quarks. I mean, what can one say about an intensely romantic bellydancing wiccan sister who chases rainbows?
One thing I have recognized over the years, both in politicians and in family, is that the reason they say something may not be the first, foremost reason why they are that way. Take the roller coaster where the reason such is anti-gun is the belief with the modern military, civilian guns are useless. Well, that may be true in their belief......but I suspect the actual reason is that there has been so much drama in the family on that side, that it is impossible to have a gun. Which comes down to A and B.
A: I have to be able to recognize such possibilities, says one thing but perhaps there is another reason, in my various walks of life.
B: WHO AM I to rake others over the coals about not saying the foremost reason for I use it myself in many walks of life and I am probably worse for it since I tune automatically to the truthful reason which is most appropriate for the situation. Ie, I walked in on a conversation where the spouse was talking with a friend about their perceived suspicions of the SO's unfaithfulness. There was a question of what sign they were and me, not knowing what I walked in, instantly answered. HOW DID I KNOW, asked the spouse?
I told the two of them that the person in question always pointed out to us shop people what day their birthday was. After it happens once or twice, you remember. They accepted that and went on with their talk. The primary reason being, though, was that I had built an intelligence dossier on the person in question for an exercise a year or two earlier. It was for acting, I was playing them on stage.......but where jealousy and infidelity are on the mind, I don't think they would have believed that and would have thought something else.
SHRUG.....maybe that's the reason why we don't get into such discussions in the first place since at least one sibling accepts me as a spook who might spy on her own. I've been told, "Tamara, if I found out you worked for CIA or Interpol or someone like that, I wouldn't be surprised.".
And the other sibling? I've learned to keep them, approach them in the trough of the wave as much as possible!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Siegel
............Trump is not a nice man but he is president ...........
That is something I have noticed during this election, the belief that a nice and honest man is what the President is. Having lived through the Carter administration, I have seen that is not the best of qualities for the President.
Growing up, one of the people Dad constantly talked about was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_G...mil_Mannerheim and about how he tricked Hitler. In one of the latter post feast walks I had with my father, we talked about how many US Presidents would fall for such a trap. Dad said most would (I think at the time, we had Bush the 1st) and then we came to Nixon. Dad said that not only would Nixon not fall for that but he would suspect and guard against it.
Why does it appear that so many people believe that the President should be nice?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blisterpeanuts
..........Since when was a U.S. president "worthy of respect "? You have to go back a pretty long time to find one who had integrity. Ronald Reagan, Eisenhower, maybe Truman. Certainly no one in recent decades.
It seems that young people don't learn much about civics and history in school, and reach adulthood with some odd notions of how our system of government works.
..........
Nixon....in the first term at least. As a child, I remember the "love" we saw back then, for him, of his family, of their dogs. (T'was an interesting time for it was also when Charles became Prince of Wales). When Watergate broke, it took a very long time to come to the realization that he was not who we believed him to be.
Which comes to an interesting point or two. In their present, one believes one way or another but in their history, one may see different.
So, where does one stand seeing someone not so respectable from the very start? Well, one is not a child anymore and realizes there is more to the job than just beautiful daughters in white dresses with groomed dogs on the leash.
Last edited by TamaraSavannah; 12-22-2016 at 06:57 AM..
Good heavens! What a grim view of things, and based on so many mistaken assumptions. This is the psychology forum, not the politics forum, so I would hesitate to jump into a point scoring debate which would be a waste of time.
Everyone operates on assumptions. Whether liberal assumptions about what will transpire in the coming Trump Administration are mistaken, remain to be seen as do your assumpions. Most of the assumptions, e.g. fears, I have tried to delineate are based on what Trump has said, tweeted or based on his proposed cabenet nominees opinions and past statements about government or how to govern. You have some interesting assumpions that reveal your biases as well.
Anyway, you seem to have missed the point of my post. I was simply delineating why the fears of liberals are legitimate in the context of psychology and their political perspective. In the lens of psychology all fears are ligitamate. Something the OP glossed over. Where people that have these fears seem to be disconnected with reality is knowing where expressing their opinions will do any good. The Kennedy quote of accepting things you cannot change comes to mind.
The very title of this thread is inherently politically inflamitory and as one of the first responders mused, it would soon be locked or deleted by moderators, which it wasn't.
The last thing I was looking for was a pointless, point by point debate. The old saying comes to mind, "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still." Something all these obsessing liberals (or conservatives for that matter) seem to need to take to heart.
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