By Jim Dickson
I have always felt a little sorry for those who are afflicted by Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS); to have their lives driven by what, when and where former President Trump is saying or doing must be a cross to bear.
I have to admit that I don’t care much for the man, and as a result I do my best to ignore most of what he is up to, but with all the 24-hour networks filled with 24 hours of Trump, it’s hard to do. I am guessing that this is what fuels the intense hatred for the man. They can’t stand him, but they can’t stand to be without him, because without him their lives are empty, and in the case of CNN and CNBC their ratings go into the dumpster.
Fox News seems to have developed the ability to walk the fine line between love and hate, and his off-again-and-on-again relations with Fox seems to work for both of them; I think that he is mad at them now, but who knows.
I am also seeing a sort of Fox News Derangement Syndrome (FNDS) developing among the dedicated far left. It’s almost as if when they talk about Trump it’s mandatory that they bring Fox News into the conversation somehow.
When you add FNDS to TDS you get a double dose of paranoia which really animates the discourse. There are times when I feel a little left out of all of this, so I have given some thought to try to develop Biden Derangement Syndrome, (BDS), in that I don’t much care for the man or his policies, but I have found that it’s hard to do. When I look at Joe it’s difficult to hate him; I find that the best I can do is to feel sorry for him.
The poor man appears to be nearly senile and being led around by a band of keepers. Most of the time he looks like he would much rather be sitting on the beach and letting the confusing world go by, but I guess his son’s troubles won’t allow that, so he soldiers on.
Since I am the same age as Joe I feel some empathy for him; who knows, I could be in that sad condition before long. I can take solace in the fact that I don’t have the future of the free world in my hands, but for the sake of the nation, it sure scares me that poor old Joe does. Who knows when he might go off the script and do something dangerous on his own?
In that TDS, FDNS, and BDS are out of reach for me, I just have to hope that before it’s too late the leaders of both political parties and maybe the fast developing third party movement will come up with an option for someone who is acceptable to most of the country’s voters, and has the intelligence and experience to lead the country out of the mess that we find ourselves in.
I do have a bad case of Fear for America Syndrome (FAS) and I hope that it is a syndrome that will spread across the country and we find a way to leave TDS, FNDS, and BDS in the rear view mirror, and come up with some competent people to lead the nation.
Born, raised and educated in the Southwest, Jim Dickson served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in Vietnam before a 35-year business career. Retired to St. Helena Island, Dickson and his wife are fiscally conservative, socially moderate and active in Republican politics, though they may not always agree with Republicans. Having lived around the country and traveled around the world, Dickson believes that the United States truly is the land of opportunity.
