TDS and Other Derangements

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Garrison Keillor is one of many accused of Trump Derangement Syndrome. He does not deny it. He even leans into it a bit and suggests a remedy. (He also flips the script and refers to Mr Deranger in a later post.)

I too have been trying to deal with my TDS. It is easy to get bent out of shape by the ravings of an old man in a position of inflicting cruelty on millions, and I have been bent too often. Has anyone changed a madman by telling him to stop acting crazy?

Better by far to tell others around him not to encourage the nonsense. But they seem caught up in it, taking pleasure in the permission they have been granted to despise and abuse those they swore to serve. Still, they are a bigger audience than one and they can be held accountable for their own faults as well as for cheering those of their archetype.

Repetition can be used for good as well as for ill. We can stop trying to address each episode of madness and just repeat the essentials, without letting ourselves sound too deranged.

Alexei Navalny characterized the United Russia party as the "Party of Crooks and Thieves." The phrase was repeated so often that "if you started typing the words 'United Russia' into a search engine the first suggestion would be 'party of crooks and thieves' " (Patriot, p. 215-216). Part of the phrase's popularity was its succinct accuracy.

Putin was (and is) the heart and soul of the United Russia party, but effective criticism was of the party itself. We would do well to follow this approach. Without the backing of the Republican party, its reckless leader would falter. And defending an entire party of crooks and thieves is more difficult than defending its figurehead. Let's put the whole party on the defensive for defending deranged mayhem.

What words sum up the Republican party? It's tempting to use the strongest of terms, such as fascist. But this word and others like it have been overused to the point of losing meaning. Can we pinpoint the essential characteristics of (current) Republicans? I recommend liars, cowards, and cheats. You may have better options; list them in the comments.

I wonder if I could get into some good trouble for sponsoring a billboard along the freeway:

Republicans

The party of

• Liars
• Cowards
• Cheats

The opposition could pretty much classify any action of Republicans backing the current administration with one of these three words. And addressing the party shifts the blame to where it belongs. No tyrant ever achieved dominance without help.

There is some validity to accusations of TDS. The irony is that we are deranged by the words and actions of a deranged man. Derangement begets derangement.

The setting of Ian McEwan's novel, What We Can Know, is 100 years from now. Our era is referred to as the Derangement. Historians of 2125 marvel at how this Derangement occurred. Many of us marvel already. We hope we come to our senses on time to salvage decency.