Is America experiencing mass psychosis?

 

Is America experiencing mass psychosis?

From yet another article talking about the mass psychosis that brought us the conspiracy theory loving, Qanon bullshit-believing, modern, evil GOP. It's not really that political. It's focus and view is more the psychological. I editorialized a wee bit there.

First the quote:

"And there are lots of people, like left-progressives, who asked: 'How did Trump get elected?' But once you really look into it, you're like, that was obvious because there's a huge part of America that's in between New York and LA, and those people are fed up and they feel forgotten."

Part of me wants to say, I am motherfuckingly exhaustedly tired of this talk, even if this is how those fragile fucks think. I am sick to death of hearing about how white Republicans, who are in many cases, living stable bougie lives, with their comfy homes, and electronic goodies, and favorite beer and bratwurst never being out of reach as long as the truck makes it to the Wal Mart on time, feel forgotten.

First world problems, much? Delusionally entitled much? Finding that modern life in a shallow, consumerist, corporate and advertising manipulated dystopia ain't satisfying enough?

As fucked up modern life is, and it is ripe fucked up and vapid. The problem with these people is not that they were forgotten. They might not be valued and validated enough to suit their immature, needy egos. But they still are the dominant market sector that corporate America caters to, and advertisers seek to convince to consume even more of the shit that is marketed to their tastes. Are these insane bitches really that racist and evil they are upset that corporations want to separate Black and brown, and gay, and other kinds of folk from their money too? Seems!

The problem is that they are self aware enough to know they are living shallow and meaningless lives of not always quiet desperation. And as a lot of these counterrevolutionary GOP, mostly digital warrior but many have been stockpiling guns and ammo, treasonous shits are middle aged?

Well you bitches should have been reading John Cheever and Phillip Roth, never mind Alice Walker and James Baldwin, back in the 70s and 80s, instead of watching "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Alf."

Sure. Reading about the often despair of human existence is not the most pleasure to be had. But if you keep shit in proper perspective, you might remain tethered to reality. That is ultimately the problem; disconnect from reality. The why of it might be interesting. But the real problem, as discussed in the article, is the being unhinged part.

Last thoughts. I am a lover of Junginan analysis. But in this case? I think the proper lens through which to view this toxic social disease is that of Dr. Albert Ellis, "one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and an early proponent and developer of cognitive-behavioral therapies."

Off the top of my head, his core idea is that most neuroses are caused by unhelpful, harmful, sometimes baseless thoughts. And the goal is to change how and what people think. Get them to think more rationally. That is why his treatment form is called Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Because it is focused on getting people to think more rationally.