Trump and his stooges maintain that 99% of Covid-19 cases prove harmless. They repeat that. They defend that. They want us to believe that. But there are 3,000,000 active C-19 cases in the US and it is still growing like a California wildfire. There have been over 130,000 deaths to date and the numbers are expected to increase due to a recent surge in infection rates. Simple math suggests that the number of patients left ‘harmless’ is much different than Trump’s preposterous claim. It seems the death rate alone is closer to 4%.

Subtract 4 from 100 and you get 96%. NOT 99%.

The guy can’t read. The guy can’t do simple math. No wonder he went bankrupt 6 times!

And – just as bad – many people who are NOT dead are still lingering with major health issues resulting from their encounter with C-19. Let us take a wild guess-estimate and say that 6% more are going to continue to suffer from the virus with respiratory issues or maybe worse. That’s 4% dead, 6% still left ill and Trump – once again – 100% wrong, wrong, wrong.

Trump also wants Bubba Wallace(a black NASCAR driver) to apologize to the ‘Merican people because a noose was found in Bubba’s garage but, after a thorough FBI investigation, it was proven NOT to be intended as a hate crime. But why should he apologize? The ‘Merican people sided with Bubba and that included the NASCAR audience! Further, Bubba didn’t do a thing. His crew chief found the noose and reported it to the NASCAR administration and they all ran with it. And, in the end, it was all good. Is Bubba supposed to apologize for bringing people together?

Or apologize for being black?

Trump doesn’t want the name of the Washington Redskins football team to change. Native Americans do. Some activist groups do. The Washington redskins football club does. A number of fans may wish to keep the name but, in these divisive times, maybe a bit of a concession is over due? Maybe a bit of inclusiveness would be a nice change for most ‘Mericans?

“Dave!! What is the point of ALL THAT?”

The point is: Trump appeals to a ‘group’, a segment of the ‘Merican population. And now we know why.

It seems that Trump is no longer being fully embraced by the majority of the ‘Merican populace, however. It now seems as if those who hate him, hate him more than ever. Those who were ambivalent now dislike him intensely. Those who liked him, now do not. But those who loved him still do. Those who loved him (his base) are STILL THERE!

How is that possible?

Apparently, there is an answer to that. People who love Trump suffer (and inflict) several measurable psychological ‘syndromes’. They have one or several or all of the following ‘thinking patterns’.

1. Authoritarian Personality Syndrome

Authoritarianism refers to the advocacy or enforcement of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom, and is commonly associated with a lack of concern for the opinions or needs of others. Authoritarian personality syndrome—a well-studied and globally-prevalent condition—is a state of mind that is characterized by belief in total and complete obedience to one’s chosen authority. Those with the syndrome often display aggression toward out-of-their-group members, submissiveness to authority, resistance to new experiences, and a rigid hierarchical view of society. The syndrome is often triggered by fear, making it easy for leaders who exaggerate threat or fear monger to gain their allegiance. President Trump’s speeches, which are laced with absolutist terms like “losers” and “complete disasters,” are naturally appealing to those with the syndrome.

2. Social Dominance Orientation

Social dominance orientation (SDO)—which is distinct but related to authoritarian personality syndrome—refers to people who have a preference for the societal hierarchy of groups, specifically with a structure in which the high-status groups have dominance over the low-status ones. Those with SDO are typically dominant, tough-minded, and driven by self-interest.

In Trump’s speeches, he appeals to those with SDO by repeatedly making a clear distinction between groups that have a generally higher status in society (White), and those groups that are typically thought of as belonging to a lower status (immigrants and minorities). Obviously many devout religious groups lean that way.

3. Prejudice

It would be grossly unfair and inaccurate to say that every one of Trump’s supporters have prejudice against ethnic and religious minorities, but it would be equally inaccurate to say that many do not.

While the dog whistles of the past were more subtle, Trump’s are sometimes shockingly direct. There’s no denying that he routinely appeals to bigoted supporters when he calls Muslims “dangerous” and Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “murderers,” often in a blanketed fashion. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a new study has shown that support for Trump is correlated with a standard scale of modern racism.

4. Intergroup contact

Intergroup contact refers to contact with members of groups that are outside one’s own, which has been experimentally shown to reduce prejudice. As such, it’s important to note that there is growing evidence that Trump’s white supporters have experienced significantly less contact with minorities than other white Americans. Think: Utah.

5. Relative deprivation

Relative deprivation refers to the experience of being deprived of something to which one believes they are entitled. It is the discontent felt when one compares their position in life to others who they feel are equal or inferior but have unfairly had more success than them. Think: Colin Kapernick or Bubba Watson or even George Floyd.

These Trump supporters are experiencing relative deprivation, and that is a common feeling amongst the swing states like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. This kind of deprivation is specifically referred to as “relative,” as opposed to “absolute,” because the feeling is often based on a skewed and subjective perception of what one is entitled to.

All that brought to you by an article in Psychology Today

So….?

We now have an understanding of the ‘dumb Bubbas’ that does NOT include ‘Merican mind-numbing ignorance, does not include wilful blindness (boosterism, nationalism, brand worship, cults, celebrities and the like), does not include ‘basic evil’ and does not include natural rebellion. Add all those odd factors in with the ‘official’ mental syndromes listed above and you have a perfect storm of stupidity.

Add ALL of that into a cauldron of nationalistic aggression (China and Russia and, of course, the USA) and throw in climate change and the corrupt capitalist model we all adhere to and the future looks kinda bleak.

And, so far, we have no second coming of Jesus to look forward to.