As the political landscape in Washington, D.C. morphs into a theater of hostility and retaliation, a worrisome disposition seems to have taken root within the GOP, an ethos echoed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as a desire to "Burn the whole place down." It is anchored not in reconstruction or rebirth, but in destructive spite, fueled by unresolved, underlying trauma acted out as hatred.
Having traversed the intricate corridors of the human psyche for over four decades, I’ve encountered individuals driven by such a corrosive need for destruction. A dive into the depths of their consciousness reveals an overwhelming sense of jealousy, a feeling of victimization, and a pervasive sense that a monumental injustice has been dealt to them with a retaliation that fully embraces a scorched earth policy to rectify.
Digging deeper, we uncover childhood traumas, festering wounds that have been allowed to seep into the foundations of their beings, undermining the very fabric of their personalities and metastasizing through what might have been decent values including among them, decency. The origins of these traumas are varied: abuse, abandonment, violation—each a painful reminder of the times they felt most powerless, most vulnerable and most defenseless.
These individuals, in a desperate bid to protect themselves, suppress these painful memories, burying their terror and horror so deep that it threatens to split them open. Yet, amidst this internal chaos, emerges a solemn vow, "I will never let that happen to me again and one day, I will even the score."
Former President Trump seems to have embraced the role of avenger and the Pied Piper of retribution. His own trauma might not mirror the visceral agony of his fervent followers; instead, it finds its roots in his entrenched narcissism, a self-view teetering on the brink of ridicule and dismissal. "The Apprentice" served as his savior, a transformational journey from a perceived nobody to a validated - by celebrity - somebody. The potential loss of the Presidency for Trump signaled a threatening regression to oblivion, a prospect he vehemently resists, witness the rise and pitiful fall of Rudolph Giuliani.
For Trump, the terror of fading into being a fool, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” has metamorphosed him into a wounded animal, vicious, relentless, desperate to avoid the next blow to his inflated self. His desperation, his visceral hatred, resonates with his base, echoing their suppressed pains, their concealed traumas. They too would rather see the world burn than return to their shadows of being, as they perceive it, marginalized by immigrants, third world undocumented people who are just happy to have escaped their no opportunity/no justice/no safety countries.
So what does this convey about the likes of Tommy Tuberville and others who align with this destructive vendetta? It’s not simply about political alignment or ideological camaraderie. It’s a symbiosis of unresolved pains and unhealed wounds, a silent pact to avenge perceived wrongs and injustices.
While it’s critical to understand these underlying currents, it’s equally crucial to acknowledge the peril they pose to the democratic fabric of our nation. Healing these wounds, resolving these traumas, is not just an individual necessity but a collective imperative. The echoes of “burn the whole place down” are not mere political rhetoric; they are the manifested agonies of unresolved traumas and a scream of, “If I can’t have it, nobody can!”
In this volatile climate, it’s vital that we acknowledge the underlying pains without enabling the resultant destruction. The pathway to reconciliation and healing is arduous and demanding, but it’s a journey we must undertake, lest we allow the corrosive hatred to consume the foundations of our democracy and society.
In these tumultuous times, it’s essential to foster dialogue, to delve beneath the surface animosities and unearth the hidden traumas and a vehicle for people being willing and open to answer, “What happened to you that has caused you to now believe and act as you are now acting?”
In understanding and empathizing, we may find the seeds of reconciliation, and in reconciliation, we may discover the hope for a united, harmonious future. In hatred, we might currently be seduced, but in empathy and understanding, we might find a salve to our hatred and a path to our salvation.
You nailed the problem Mark. Therapists like myself have been saying this from the beginning.
Your solution is an ideal one. I’m afraid that it might not work well with most of those who need it.
I think so many are so far into their stance, the willingness to listen to anything or anyone with a different perspective is useless.
I can help anyone who asks for help. I don’t see that happening with the folks involved.
I’m hoping the courts will make a big enough dent in the armor and enough will leave the fold.
Admirably well crafted piece Mark! The denizens of this country, that hang on every unintelligible word spoken by their seditious savior, are too far removed from reality to understand the need for help!