so long, Aging Orange

I got so caught up in the dark doings of last month that I realized I was being as negative as Trump.  Even today, as he rails about the pure evil of Bowe Bergdahl and Hilary (anew), I struggle mightily not to get pulled into his vortex of vilification.  So I’m taking that crucial first step: I’m not going to refer to him by nickname any more.

Sure, I’ll miss Aging Orange, Cheeto, Mad Yam, Tangerine Tantrum, Tall Troll and such.  And I may use apropos adjectives like “cowardly” and “unbalanced”.  But denigrating sobriquets are really his thing.  While he goes petty, I’ll try to stay above it.

For one thing, it’s piling on.  Everyone is on his case.  He complains about it constantly.  Believe him.  Nonetheless, there’s one word to describe him that I can use without guilt: pathetic.

I draw no joy from this observation, but the empirical evidence is staggering.  I worked for many years on psych units.  The guide used for diagnosing patients there is the  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, now in its fifth edition.  Consider some of the DSM-5 criteria for a narcissistic personality disorder: “exaggerated self-appraisal”, “goal-setting is based on gaining approval”, “impaired ability to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others”, “relationships largely superficial and exist to serve self-esteem regulation”, “feelings of entitlement”, “self-centeredness”, “condescending” and “admiration seeking”.

I’m not claiming any expertise on this, but can you read this list and not think of Trump?