I have become a person who yells at the TV. And at Twitter. Usually what I’m yelling is some variant of “What the hell is wrong with you?!” And invariably the person I am yelling that at is Donald Trump.
The really angry-making thing about my reaction isn’t that I know he can’t hear me. It’s that I know that we all know perfectly well what the hell is wrong with him, and yet way too many people — including most of the mainstream political press — downplay it or ignore it or actively pretend that he is not the tire fire of a human being that he very clearly is. The really angry-making thing is that no journalist in the White House briefing room has ever shouted it at him and demanded an answer.
What we can all plainly see with our own eyes, and what we can all plainly feel in our bones, is laid out bare in #Unfit, which doesn’t actually have “The Psychology of Donald Trump” as its subtitle on the film itself. But that’s how it’s being marketed, and this is what it is about. Documentarian Dan Partland, making his feature debut, has teamed up with the Duty to Warn Coalition, “an association of mental health professionals and other concerned citizens,” to explain how Donald Trump is a malignant narcissist and why this renders him utterly unsuited to serve as president of the United States… or to serve in any role on behalf of the public.
Narcissism. Paranoia. Constant lying. Constant transgression of norms. Inability to show guilt or remorse. Inability to demonstrate loyalty. Lack of empathy. Lack of conscience. Sadism. These are all part of malignant narcissism, and they are all blatantly obvious “qualities” of Trump’s personality. The important thing here is that an array of psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychoanalysts break that taboo about diagnosing people without having spoken to them to discuss how all of these personality traits make a Donald Trump in the White House uniquely dangerous.
Oh, and it turns out that that “taboo” is, in fact, no such thing. It came about because of some unfounded speculation about one-time 1960s presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. (This is discussed in the film.) But diagnosing malignant narcissism is about observable behavior, of which we have plenty when it comes to Trump, since he seems incapable of avoiding a spotlight and loves to talk about himself. What’s more, a core value of mental-health care is avoiding danger of harm to others: it would be unethical of mental-health pros not to speak out when they see that danger looming. In the same way that professionals have a duty to report, say, that one of their patients has threatened to kill someone, they are bound by ethics to scream from the rooftops that Donald Trump is a literal menace to society.
And they are screaming here in #Unfit.
I know it’s a pipe dream, but I wish that every American would see this movie before Election Day. Anti-Trumpers might not need any more convincing to vote against him, but it’s still absolutely worth getting an in-depth understanding of precisely why Trump is such a threat to the entire world, not just the United States. (It’s not merely that we feel he is dangerous. There is solid scientific and medical evidence that he is.) And pro-Trumpers desperately need to appreciate that he does not give the tiniest shit about his voters, because he is incapable of caring about them. Trump supporters need to understand that he will never do anything that will benefit them, that he is using them for his own ends.
None of this is pleasant to hear, but if Trump goes down in flames, he will be taking all of us — including those who voted for him, those who turn out at rallies for him, those who buy and wear his red hats — with him. It will be the only reaction he is capable of. The prospect is beyond terrifying, and I wonder if it is even avoidable, as by voting him out. In this respect, #Unfit is the most important movie of the year, and the scariest.
Unsurprisingly, Trump has continued to be an attention-hungry narcissist and a self-centered, self-serving materialistic conman almost completely incapable of empathy. As you say, none of this is shocking to anyone paying attention who values objective truth and effective solutions, and hopefully in a couple months the country can start the slow process of moving on from this failed experiment.
However, few on the left or right address the fact that he’s a symptom of systemic social issues. Like this film, people often make the argument that Trump’s an unanticipated, dangerous aberration, ironically mirroring the NRA’s arguments about all mass shooters being insane statistical outliers, or climate change deniers’ arguments about increasingly powerful storms. Progressives tiptoe around the topic when they discuss the need for systemic change, but most of the time, they project the nation’s flaws onto Trump just as much as moderates.
Trump is not an outlier – he’s the perfect representative of what the US has become. America has been a needy, self-centered, racist, sexist, hypocritical sociopath for some time. The slow decline of organized religion is a positive development as long as a well developed moral foundation exists to take its place. The problem is there’s an empty hole where religion once stood, and capitalism has happily slithered in and made a nest (pretty easy, since it was already religion’s roommate). Capitalism wants people to behave like spoiled teenagers for their entire lives, and no person embodies that eternally adolescent mental state like Donald Trump.
We all want to believe that the best parts of humanity will triumph, that people will harness the power of the internet and community to champion empathy, compassion, patience, and logic which will drive back the forces of darkness, but this is not a movie. Trump is evil, but those who think, “he’s a lying, materialistic, fat, ugly, self absorbed, abusive, easily offended, vindictive idiot who lives in a bubble of ignorance and fantasy and only cares about attention and instant self-gratification,” have lost sight of the fact that these are all modern American flaws, and without established social institutions in place that can instill adult moral values and a high quality comprehensive education, capitalism is going to continue to tell people if they just keep consuming the right stuff, they can buy their way to defeating the bad guys on the other team and become a good, popular person without doing any crucial self-reflection, self-study, or self-criticism.
So fight the good fight everyone, and I’ll certainly do all I can to make sure Trump doesn’t get a second term, but make no mistake, until the Juggernaut of capitalism is dehelmeted, there will be more Trumps, and his unpleasant psychological qualities will continue to spread and strengthen throughout the world. This election is just the first step on the path to sanity.
No, this film makes it clear that he is a symptom of a larger problem.
Sorry about that, the vibe the marketing gave was: “here’s what the hell is wrong with this uniquely messed up dude,” without any followup, “and here’s what the hell is wrong with all of us,” analysis.
There’s a reasonable expectation that saying, “this person is a professionally certified lying, cheating, sadistic, narcissist,” would make them less appealing and unworthy of leadership. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the population now responds, “that’s exactly how I’d be if I was rich,” or worse, “great, that’s exactly how I am now – he’s saying what I’ve always felt.”
For these people (a rapidly growing group), films like this are ineffective. The seeds of these behaviors are already planted, they just lack the money and power to perform them at Trump’s intensity without social punishment.
The argument I see the established left (and reasonable right) making is: “Look how messed up and dangerous this dude is! America, we’re better than this. Our team is better than theirs, and a new CEO will put this country back in the black!” Strategically, it makes sense to inflate our ego – no one wants to pull a Carter and bum people out before voting day.
If we were being brutally honest, the message would be: “Look how messed up and dangerous this dude is, and think about how fucked up our academic, economic, political, and moral educational systems must have become for us to place people like him on a pedestal and reward them socially and financially. He is unfit because we are unfit. America, how do we start the long, slow climb out of this pit of ignorance, apathy, and greed?” It won’t win any elections or make a good bumpersticker tweet, but it’s the truth.
I hope conditions genuinely start to improve next year, but I fear we’ll get a milquetoast executive, slightly right judicial, and deadlocked legislative. Postponing Armageddon will be nice, don’t get me wrong, but it ain’t gonna be much to celebrate. It is heartening to see so many people marching, but all it takes is a few bad apples, and couple traffic jams to sway public opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGwkyzmPmA
Oh dear sweet Gods and Goddesses, it’s fucking happening. Social media, livestreaming, and capitalism have mighty morphed into a gestalt QVC youtube Devastator more terrifying than my darkest dystopian fantasies:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/06/business/china-livestream-shopping-spc-intl-hnk/index.html
It’s in China now, but you know it’s coming here soon. Game over man. Game over. Not only are people turning themselves into brands (speaking of Trump), life itself is becoming nothing but the soulless interactions of walking advertisements.
Sorry about the off topic comment, but this is more alarming to me than a hundred more years of Donald. How do we fight something like this? How did we get to the point where poor people are climbing over each other to see who can be the most effective corporate shill?
Hell, forget the lottery, you could charge admission to the Hunger Games today, and people would fight to be first in line to sign away every last second of their lives for just a tiny drop of that sweet brand exposure. Is it truly going to take another Depression? Crazy times, dudes and ladies, crazy times.
I hope it doesn’t take another Depression. After all, the last Depression probably did more to get Trump into office than anything else I could think of.
It’s all connected.
Not to worry! The Climate Crisis and all the accompanying disruption that comes with it, will end that. And us. And the world, if we’re not careful. (We’re not careful.)
Um, that’s not quite where this movie goes. It does discuss the rise of Trump as a *political* issue, re the Republicans’ swing rightward, deeply partisan media, and the like. It does not diagnose American voters or Trump supporters. It very much ties the rise of Trump to the rise of Hitler and Stalin (while also explicitly stating that that does not mean that Trump is literally another Hitler or Stalin, though it doesn’t say that he *isn’t,* either). The same forces are at work now as were in the 1920s and 30s, which are larger than one man.
True. But that’s a different film.
What a joke – it’s obvious this movie is so far to the left. Be objective for God’s sake!
Cue obligatory Kevin Bacon reference…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAmPIq29ro
Do you know a lot of people who don’t have strong feelings about Donald Trump? If you’re surprised that an openly partisan film is attracting an openly partisan audience, you probably also think that Fox News is “fair and balanced.”
This review did its job: It told you whether you’re likely to agree with the reviewer and whether you’re likely to enjoy the movie. Now that you have the information, you can make up your own mind.
Please tell us what is not objective about this movie, and in what way Trump does not fit the diagnosis of malignant narcissism.
This is defacto evidence of the makers of this film of their “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and perhaps their own paranoid grandiosity. It is also hysteria by these medical professionals. By claiming they have a duty to warn is unequivocally unethical practice by all of them and they should all be sanctioned by their state professional licensure boards. They have allowed their political bias and apparently fanatical liberal views to interfere with what is acceptable mental health clinical practice. All these professionals seem to all be suffering from such hatred for Trump that it has obviously impacted their professional judgement. The shame is on all of them. Ask yourself people, if this is such a matter of public safety as the film makers and mental health professionals proclaim it is (Tarasoff) why are they charging the public to watch it? Malignant narcissism is a hypothetical, experimental diagnostic category. It is not recognized as a mental illness. This is very misleading. Dan Partland the director of Unfit was sued in 2018 for a film he did in 2018 called “Afflicted” for pushing a “deceitful narrative that systematically ignores scientific evidence, takes statements out of context, manipulates timelines, omits important facts and gives voice to non-specialists talking outside of their fields to sow doubt in the audience’s minds as to … legitimacy and reality”. Just like this film does. The shame is on all who made this film especially these mental health professionals for promoting such stigma.
No, it isn’t. As stated in the review, this film discusses this. In some depth.
Please give us a detailed alternative explanation for Trump’s behavior. Also please share your qualifications as a psychologist, psychiatrist, etc, so we can determine the accuracy of your explanation.
This is defacto evidence of the makers of this film of their “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and perhaps their own paranoid grandiosity. It is also hysteria by these medical professionals. By claiming they have a duty to warn is unequivocally unethical practice by all of them and they should all be sanctioned by their state professional licensure boards. They have allowed their political bias and apparently fanatical liberal views to interfere with what is acceptable mental health clinical practice. All these professionals seem to all be suffering from such hatred for Trump that it has obviously impacted their professional judgement. The shame is on all of them. Ask yourself people, if this is such a matter of public safety as the film makers and mental health professionals proclaim it is (Tarasoff) why are they charging the public to watch it? Malignant narcissism is a hypothetical, experimental diagnostic category. It is not recognized as a mental illness. This is very misleading. Dan Partland the director of Unfit was sued in 2018 for a film he did in 2018 called “Afflicted” for pushing a “deceitful narrative that systematically ignores scientific evidence, takes statements out of context, manipulates timelines, omits important facts and gives voice to non-specialists talking outside of their fields to sow doubt in the audience’s minds as to … legitimacy and reality”. Just like this film does. The shame is on all who made this film especially these mental health professionals for promoting such stigma for mental illness in the public.
We heard you the first time and are still waiting for an alternate explanation for his behavior. If you’d like to make the argument that being a narcissist doesn’t impair his ability to lead and is not necessarily malignant, make that argument, but politics of the filmmakers aside, Trump (along with many other politicians, celebrities, and prominent business figures) is as textbook an example of narcissistic personality disorder as it gets:
Inflated sense of own importance
Deep need for excessive admiration and attention
Troubled personal and business relationships
Lack of empathy
Pathological dishonesty
Mask of extreme confidence
Fragile self-esteem vulnerable to slight criticism
Everyone with eyes and/or ears can verify these describe Trump to a T, but setting the narcissism label aside, the fundamental question is, are these desirable qualities in an effective leader? A spoiled actor/director/writer or smarmy banker/hedge fund manager? Maybe, if they were also good at their jobs (though they’d still be massive dickwads you wouldn’t want to hang around) but the leader of our country? The person kids are supposed to look up to? The Commander in Chief? The symbol and prime ambassador of our nation and its values?
The fact that you believe these are admirable (or at the very least overlookable) qualities in a leader is terrifying. The American educational system has failed you (assuming you’re one of its products) and all of us have failed this country by allowing your ignorance and poisoned morality to spread unchecked.
This is a cut-and-paste job from what seems to be this person’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1542328705977383&id=527375324139398&__tn__=K-R
His book is even more dramatic and makes some interesting generalizations about liberals:
https://www.amazon.com/American-Declaration-Liberal-Codependence-America/dp/B085KBST3R/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=lee+peebles&qid=1599775053&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sr=1-7
I just skimmed the intro, and apparently his daughter is a Sanders supporting liberal, so there’s hope yet. The chapter title “Would Jesus be a codependent liberal today?” gave me a chuckle.
Imagine Jesus on a therapist’s couch: “Dude, I know I’m supposed to be this like omnipotent, infallible Messiah, but humanity can be so like… needy, you know? It bums me out sometimes. I dunno, maybe us getting back together was a mistake?”
Mr. Peebles’ fears and concerns about government overreach, corruption, and waste are relatable; however, his scapegoating of liberals and dogged defense of a president who personifies everything he claims at extreme length to hate, is bizarre.
It’s as if a man walked up and said, “You know why this city is so dirty? Pigeons. They poop everywhere and pull garbage out of trash cans, damn dirty pigeons. Anyway, have you met my pet seagull, Archibald? That’s him in the dumpster over there, best damn bird a fella could ask for, I tell you what. Hey Arch! Hey, stop shitting on that sidewalk for a sec Archie and come say hi to the nice man. You know what’s great about Archie? He don’t need anyone else and no one else needs him, not like those damn codependent pigeons. Hey, you wanna read my book about how pigeons are brainwashing the youth of America?”
20 bucks! When we can get his own grandiosity for free right here!
But there’s a chance someone actually proofread the book, which is clearly not the case with his comments on this site.
As someone who has worked as a professional proofreader and copyeditor for (on and off) the past 30 years, and who sees that even books from major publishers are bypassing this vital stage of production in recent years, I feel pretty confident in saying that, in all likelihood, no professional wordsmith has looked at his book.
I was foolish enough to Look Inside the book on Amazon, and most of the sentences actually track when it comes to grammar and punctuation. The content of the sentences is a different issue. He seems to think that “I have never been sanctioned by my board” is a career highlight. But I’m guessing that he may have paid a professional to make sure that the book doesn’t read like his comments on this thread.
Since you are obviously not interested in a discussion about this issue, and merely wish to piss all over my comments section, I am blocking you. Take your copypasta elsewhere.
You sound unhinged, OP. You seem to have an abundance of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Seek professional help.
You seem great. Wear a mask!
and a condom.
LOL