Gutsy. Like doing shadow work out loud for the whole world to watch.
Yup, gutsy. I watched the whole thing and think more highly of Amy Walker for it. Brave, honest, … and there’s a third adjective there which I can’t find. Thank you, Amy!
The whole way through all I could think was “this is just crazy. everything is just crazy now.”
She thinks she can understand who Trump really is by watching him perform in videos? This performance makes her seem almost as overconfident and almost as, vainglorious, as Trump himself seems (which is not to say that I have any idea what she’s actually like, any more than I think she has any idea what he’s actually like).
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Amy - I think your attempt at compassion is admirable, and I mean that in all sincerety, and there was much in your self-reflection that was also admirable.
However, I’d like to give you a little bit of insight that might be helpful in your attempt to understand him.
I grew up with a man very similar to Trump in many ways. I’ve spent years and years in and out of therapy dealing with the fallout from that relationship and I still wake up from nightmares on a frequent basis. Several family members were so damaged that they are incapacited/unable to engage in life and the bigger world. Many people outside our family were badly damaged too - savings lost, persons used, business damaged.
When a therapist informed that this person appeared to have all the attributes of a sociopath I was shocked. No, no I thought - that is too strong a term. So I went home and looked up what it meant and I realized it was true - this person was a sociopath. When this person died, only 2 people of 8 in our nuclear family still had a relationship with this person - one because she felt sorry for him, and the other because he ended up needing a place to live when in a pinch. For years after I stopped seeing this person I waited for an apology for the chaos and damage he created - waited for him to look inside himself and choose a different outcome. Even prison and losing his home, reputation, business,license in his profession, and the companionship of his family did not make a difference. For a short period of time after his release from prison he appeared to be a bit humbled. But then the shenanigans and chaos and violence and damage to family and others started all over again. I had to cease all contact in order to lead a sane life myself. That was 40+ years ago He never got help and the hoped for apology for the hell we endured never happened. The best he could do was “Tell her hi for me” , Over time my anger has subsided a lot and I’ve gained a lot of perspective but the nightmares haven’t gone away.
Simple thing is, he was a sociopath.(I invite you to look up the definition) It is futile to expect a sociopath to ever act normally, to acknowledge his/her own failings, to apologize, to take responsibility for their actions, to have empathy with others or insight into themselves. Its not going to happen with Trump either. He has a mental disorder and so for you, who appears to be a sane person, to try to put yourself inside the mind of a sociopath and develop empathy with their outlook and feelings - well its impossible.
And that is what bothers me about Trump. He is going to do incredible damage before his term is over (that is if he lasts through his term, and I have my doubts). Many many people are going to be hurt, business damaged, fortunes lost, livelihoods lost before this is over. And I fear for our country and the world at large what he might do in a fit of rage.
So although I admire your earnestness, I think it is misdirected. If you are sane you cannot really understand the mind of a sociopath. As long as he is in office it is going to be utter chaos, lies and conflict. And we would be far better off to acknowledge this sooner than later to try to limit the damage done.
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Exactly. Trying to empathize with a sociopath is only going to hurt you. Whether it’s them taking advantage of your “weakness” or you forgiving someone who will never feel its wrong to hurt someone else. Giving them a break just puts others in harm’s way.
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I’ve worked with people like that. I don’t know if they actually match the true definition, because afaik they never saw a professional for it and I’m not one. But it’s the weird combination of being a true bullshit artist and having just enough charisma to pull it off that is so toxic. I worked under one person who would have a meeting with me and tell me one thing. I’d go to my direct supervisor who would blow his top–at me–go have a meeting with the guy, then blow his top–at me–all over again, because he was being told something completely different. In both cases, we were being told a.) what we wanted to hear and b.) something that in hindsight seemed to be carefully crafted to drive a wedge between us.
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