People have good reasons for making bad decisions. Until you identify what those are and offer better solutions, they will not change. No matter how logical your argument, how many facts you present, how emotional your pleas or how often you repeat yourself, you cannot convince people to change. You see it in everyday life – overeating,…
Tag: Trump
Name-Calling Veterans: How Trump’s remarks are different from others he’s made and why it matters
I joined the Army late in life, at the age of 42. In announcing this decision, the first question I’d get was, “Why?” While I feared my answer would sound hokey, I told the truth: because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself and to have a larger impact. It wasn’t until…
The New York Times Versus the Truth: How the media giant shut down warnings of Trump’s dangerousness
Published April 28, 2020 I’m the last person in the world who believes in conspiracy theories. So if anyone had told me what I read in Joshua Kendell’s article, “Muzzled by Psychiatry in a Time of Crisis: The Man in the White Coat, The New York Times and The Stifling of the Public Debate about…
Trump Dissected, a Series: Mirroring
Donald Trump is what I call “a cup with a hole in it.” No matter how much positive feedback you give him, he will keep needing more. Without it, he is empty.
Impeachment: Right Idea, Wrong Remedy
I started writing this article back in July, 2019, right after Donald Trump “approved military strikes on Iran, then pulled back…” According to “The New York Times” (and other media outlets), “planes were in the air and ships were in position but no missiles had been fired…”¹ At the time, I wrote, “This breaking news,…
All the President’s Men: in order to impeach Donald Trump, hold his inner circle accountable
In our media-driven culture of 24-hour news and rapidly breaking headlines, some say House Democrats are running out of time to make the case for impeachment. This is exacerbated – falsely, I think – by the looming Presidential election. One factor, however, political observers agree on is this: if held today, House Republicans would vote…
The Media’s Missed Opportunity
After his sterling performance at the 75th Commemoration of D-Day, the news media debated if Trump really meant what he read from the teleprompter. When asked about this, one legislator suggested Trump seemed emotionally moved by the experience. I understand holding out hope Trump will change, just as I understand why a battered spouse keeps…
How Our Cultural Ignorance of Mental Health Helped Elect Donald Trump
Leading up to the 2016 presidential election, I repeatedly heard politicians, pundits and voters predict or at least express hope that, if elected, Donald Trump would “rise to the occasion” or “surround himself with good people.” It infuriated me. As a mental health practitioner, I knew this would not happen. More than his policy or…
It's More Complicated Than You Think 