Rent Out of Control: Apocalyptic Psychology in the Age of Trump

Synopsis

What accounts for the level of political conflict in America today? While there are many contributory factors, ultimately, it reflect differences in the psychological perspectives of opposing factions. This text examines how idealized secular values, based on different interpretations of the Judeo-Christian ethic, account for the seeming irreconcilable cultural and political differences, through what Freud termed the "narcissism of minor differences." Obsessional moral perfectionism, together with the rise of feminism, identity politics, and a cultural strategy of political correctness, have converged to produce an atmosphere where facts are seen as less important than Progressive utopian values. Existential insecurities triggered by a rapidly changing technological society coupled with "moral masochism" has led the Progressive left to attempt to denounce the traditional idea of American exceptionalism. In their "virtuous" quest, they have attempted to expunge what they perceive as unacceptable human bias and emotional reactivity. This inability to integrate repressed "negative" affects has resulted in hostile projections that threaten to undermine the fabric of America. The obsessional need to control has, as a result of widespread social media use, become a real possibility that threatens to undermine the free speech of Americans who hold opinions that differ with those of an increasingly elitist cohort of Progressives. This text identifies and elucidates the psychological stratagems that are fostering the current apocalyptic climate that has developed in reaction to the quixotic yet effective Presidential style of Donald J. Trump.

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