Daily Kos

Republican wingnuts suffer from a form of narcissism

by saynuk

Sun Oct 03, 2004 at 01:57:42 PM PDT

From LGF:

Here's thought. Institute a draft for all Islamic males between the ages of 18 and 45. Faster than you can say camel manure--- mass exodus to Canada.

Safer America. Happier Canada. Praise Allah!

I can't begin to post every nasty wingnut comment I've seen that fits a similar, frightening pattern as this one. Right Wingnuts are narcissists. Look it up. I conclude this based on information from the American Psychiatric Institute.

I am no psychiatrist, but I do find the similarities between clinically diagnosed narcissists and the many wingnuts we run into to be freakishly disturbing.

Let's go down the list, comparing the debilitating condition of narcissism to my experiences with some of the rabid wingnuts. One only needs five of these traits to be diagnosed as a narcissist:

(1)  has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

* CHECK

(2)  is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

* CHECK

(3)  believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

* CHECK

(4)  requires excessive admiration

maybe

(5)  has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

* CHECK

(6)  is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

many times

(7)  lacks empathy:  is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

* CHECK

(8)  is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

maybe

(9)  shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

* CHECK

My wife had made a comment about personality tests that would expose the apparent ugliness of the wingnuts in all its clinical glory, and that led me here.

Of the 9 narcissism tests, I count 6 that I can say are present many times in the rabid bile found on wingnut blogs, radio, message boards (Yahoo's are particularly bad) and television. Oddly enough, this seems to apply exactly to the Bush administration as well. And there's so much of it out there.

I think that many diseases are over-diagnosed, over-prescribed. But not this one. I'm starting to feel there are hundreds of thousands, millions of dangerous and destructive minds working to keep Bush in power, because he empowers them.

It can't be dismissed as American bravado. Come on. This is destructive and extreme.

John Kerry and we are not only fighting extremists at home and abroad, they are very very sick extremists. Bush would disagree that he shares any traits of terrorists, but by this test, I would beg to differ.

Tags: (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 13 comments

  •  Am I the one who's off my rocker? (none / 1)

    In times like these, we all need to just Bear On!

    by saynuk on Sun Oct 03, 2004 at 01:53:53 PM PDT

  •  tried before (none / 0)

    Hasn't the Left tried to get Conservatives and Right Wingers labelled mentally ill before? Racism is a "mental illness", for example.

    If you are interested in the politics of Proviso Township in Cook County, Illinois, visit Proviso Probe.

    by Carl Nyberg on Sun Oct 03, 2004 at 02:08:46 PM PDT

  •  No, you're not. (none / 0)

    I was reading an article in a science journal yesterday about the level of psychiatric disorders in the USA and it was 15%, comprising mostly obsessive-compulsives, paranoiacs, etc.  That's a big number.  I'd love to see some studies on political affiliation of such persons.  

    Another couple of interesting items were the recent study showing that folks with visible asymmetries -- primarily due to developmental or birth problems -- are associated with greater aggressiveness.  However, the most interesting of all is the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute's study of organic differences in the way Dems and Rethugs respond to representations of violence/killing -- democrats are profoundly disturbed by it, but rethugs are not bothered by it.

    This line of research -- along with IQ comparisons of dems and rethugs -- could totally change the dynamics of the discussion of politics.  

    "The survival value of intelligence is that it allows us to extinct a bad idea, before the idea extincts us." -- Karl Popper

    by eyeswideopen on Sun Oct 03, 2004 at 02:13:22 PM PDT

    •  Another study I'd like to see (none / 0)

      Would be political affiliation of porn customers. By no means would I suggest that Dems/Liberals don't enjoy a fair amount of porn... but I would be willing to be that of all the porn consumed in the US, 70% is bought by people who label themselves "conservative" and "republican."

      Though, this would be a very difficult study to undertake because the same double-standard hypocrisy we see in public would be present in wingnut participants of such a study as well.

      I'm just so convinced that repressive, hypocritical, violent behavior is more prevalent in wingnuts than Libs... Of course I am showing a prejudice right there. I'd just like to see a study about this.

      In times like these, we all need to just Bear On!

      by saynuk on Sun Oct 03, 2004 at 02:26:13 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

Permalink | 13 comments