That's right. Don't tell me about Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS.)
My take on this bullshit term is that it is a combination of two things.
First, it is framing by right wingers. The frame suggests that criticism of Trump, that outrage over Trump's behavior is irrational, unhinged, hysterical or outright insane. The framing is looking to be pretty effective, in that useful idiots on the left are embracing it.
Some on the left are defenders of Trump because they think he's really trying make peace with Russia. That's a noble wish but it is fantasy, bordering on delusion, that Trump would do anything because it is good for the world or people other than himself or his immediate circle. I don't have a problem with them supporting Trump's peace efforts... not that I think that he is actually making any such efforts. But they are attacking progressives who are going after Trump for a myriad of abuses that deserve strong criticism.
Some on the "left" are Clinton centrist moderates who are afraid to speak up about any outrage unless it's one of their three or four authorized issues. They criticize real progressives who actually take actual stands against Trump and his enablers. These are the same people who said and still say that Bernie is too radical, even though most 2018 Democratic candidates have already embraced most of the issues Bernie advocated which Hillary said were too extreme and unrealistic.
Both groups are dupes of classic right wing framing. They are attacking progressives with the guts to speak out, using the framing and "languaging" that expert right wing spinmeisters have crafted.
But it gets worse. By using the framing suggesting that people who attack Trump are deranged, the right wingers and their useful idiot liberals who use the same language are gaslighting people who are seeing straight, understanding what is really going on and calling out Trump as he deserves to be called out.
The idea of gaslighting is to make a person who is totally sane to feel crazy. This is usually done by narcissists and psychopaths as a powerful means of manipulation.
When right wing TV judge Jeannine Pirro, who was promoting her book Leakers, Liars and Liberals was on The View, she pointed to Whoopi Goldberg, referring to her as suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. Whoopi didn't take it. She threw Pirro out, using some choice language.
Whoopi is my inspiration for the title of this article. I just rejected a quicklink using the term to refer to Trump critics and I'm not going to put up with at this site. If you use it comments I will refer to use as either a right winger or a useful idiot.
These are difficult times, dangerous times for people who actually speak the truth. We should not be making it worse for truth-tellers by using right-wing coined terms aimed at gaslighting and marginalizing them. It is reported that Whoopi told Jeannine Pirro to Get the F*ck out of the building. I heartily approve of doing exactly that. And if someone tells you that you, because you are criticizing Trump, are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, I heartily encourage you to use a similar response, Other responses might include choice language similar to Whoopi's and Perri's who also threw in some cussing.
Or you can get creative and tell them where to shove their insults. These are dangerous times and no-one has the right to tell you that speaking truth to power is crazy.
8
7
5
