“Trump Derangement Syndrome” or “Snowflake Derangement Syndrome”?

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  • #2479978
    Shimon Katz
    Participant

    This article appeared yesterday on YWN:

    WATCH: Therapist Warns of “Mental Health Epidemic” as “Trump Derangement Syndrome” Consumes Patients

    The main content is:

    The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” frequently used by Trump and his supporters, typically refers to people they believe are irrationally consumed by the president’s every word and action. But Alpert says the reality is more serious — and more widespread — than a political insult.

    Alpert described patients struggling with anxiety, anger, and insomnia – symptoms he says mimic those of other diagnosed disorders. For some, he said, the fixation on Trump has reached levels that interfere with routine life.

    “We see great division in families and friendships broken up over how strongly they feel about Trump,” he said. “People are anxious, they’re angry, they can’t sleep. One person even said she couldn’t possibly enjoy a family vacation as long as Trump is out there.”

    These are, he stressed, “hallmark features of any disorder that I treat every day of the week,” and therefore warrant serious concern.

    Alpert said that heightened emotions around political figures are nothing new, but the scale of obsession around Trump is unprecedented in his practice.

    “I had patients who hated Joe Biden, but it never rose to the point where they wanted him dead or would stay up at night obsessing over Joe Biden the way they do over Trump,” he said.

    The difference, he argued, is the level at which Trump “dominates” people’s inner lives, often consuming “three-quarters” of a therapy session. That, he said, crosses the threshold from political disagreement into pathology.

    Alpert warned that the phenomenon has escalated to the point where it has become, in his view, one of the most significant mental health issues of the past decade.

    “I would even go so far as to call this a mental health epidemic,” he said. “In some ways, it’s the defining pathology of the past decade.”

    עד כאן דבריו

    The facts may be what they are, but his reading of the facts is twisted by “Victim Ideology” AKA “Snowflake Religion”. People who were taught to always blame others for everything now see themselves as “victims” of Trump. If they are actually “victims” of anything, they are victims of warped indoctrination. The punch line of article should read: “The “defining pathology of the past decade” is “Snowflake Derangement Syndrome”, which occurs when developing young brains of Generation Z are taught that everyone is a victim of something or another, and it’s normal and even “virtuous” to be devastated by every “micro-aggression”. Trump is just the boogeyman of the Snowflake religion.”

    לעניינינו:

    The שורש of “snowflake ideology” is lack of Emunah. It isn’t a coincidence that “Progressives” who are the biggest pushers of this philosophy are also the biggest Apikorsim of today. When a person lives with the understanding that no one other than the Ribbono Shel Olam runs the world, he doesn’t “melt down”. What “hishtadlus” to do in any given situation, or how much to do, is a separate Parsha. Even if someone actually does real “aggression” to him, he knows השם אמר לו קלל. The aggressor’s בחירה determines HIS שכר or עונש, but MY pain is calibrated only by the Ribbono Shel Olam. The מוסר השכל of this article may well be to teach us to appreciate the Chessed Hashem does with us to give us the Torah, and with it the Emunah and resilience to live a healthy and meaningful life.

    Obviously this isn’t meant to “knock” people who suffer from real mental illness ר״ל. But I don’t think anyone not infected by Progressive ideology seriously thinks this therapist’s patients suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” are really ill.

    #2480414
    kingdavid
    Participant

    Yesterday’s YWN article about “Trump Derangement Syndrome” deserves deeper reflection—not about politics, but about what happens when Emunah is absent.

    The Misdiagnosis
    Dr. Alpert described patients consumed by reactions to Trump: anxiety, anger, insomnia, broken relationships, inability to enjoy vacations. He called it “the defining pathology of the past decade.”
    His observations may be accurate, but his diagnosis is wrong. These patients aren’t victims of Trump—they’re victims of an ideology that taught them to be victims. This is “Snowflake Religion”: the belief that external circumstances should control your internal state, that being devastated is virtuous, and that someone else is always to blame.

    Trump isn’t the disease; he’s just the current boogeyman. Without him, the same people would find another external force to obsess over.
    The Torah Perspective
    The שורש of snowflake ideology is lack of Emunah.
    It’s no coincidence that Progressives—the biggest pushers of victim ideology—are also the biggest Apikorsim. When you remove Hashem from the equation, other people gain absolute power over your wellbeing.
    But a Jew with Emunah understands: only the Ribbono Shel Olam runs the world. Even facing real aggression, we know השם אמר לו קלל. The aggressor’s בחירה determines his שכר or עונש, but MY experience is calibrated precisely by Hashem.
    This doesn’t mean no hishtadlus—that’s a separate discussion. But no human being, no president, has independent power over my neshama’s peace.
    The Contrast
    Progressive ideology: Your emotional state is determined by forces beyond your control. When bad people gain power, devastation is reasonable.
    Torah: Your circumstances are orchestrated by Hashem for your growth. Your resilience comes from recognizing that no human has ultimate power.
    One produces people who can’t sleep or enjoy family time because of a politician.
    The other produces people who face genuine persecution while saying “גם זו לטובה” and maintaining equilibrium.

    The Real Epidemic
    Dr. Alpert is right—there is an epidemic. But it’s not “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
    It’s “Snowflake Derangement Syndrome”: what happens when minds are taught that victimhood is identity, that external validation determines worth, and that emotional fragility is noble.

    The Mussar Haskel
    This should inspire gratitude for the Torah and Emunah it gives us. While others lose sleep over politicians and break up families over political disagreements, we have tools to maintain equilibrium and focus on what actually matters.
    Hashem did us extraordinary Chessed by giving us a framework for resilience, meaning, and inner peace regardless of external circumstances.

    #2480664
    akuperma
    Participant

    American politicians of all parties are increasingly acting in an insane manner. The threat to our community is that in a crisis (e.g. if the axis of China, Russia, Iran and friends) launches a massive offensive on all fronts, and the United States is so hopelessly messed up that it is unable respond effectively.

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