Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) This kind of black and white thinking (dichotomous reasoning) by Henry Winkler / The Fonz is why the US is in a crisis right now.

And it's not about a need to "depend on one another again."

Reality is more nuanced and, ironically, more optimistic.

https://twitter.com/hwinkler4real/status/1411441909361373184

(2) Before seeing this tweet today I had been thinking (since December 2020) that former president Trump is a lot like The Fonz in the 1970s TV show Happy Days.

Seemingly incapable of saying "I was wrong" and "sorry," to anyone, anytime.

(3) The Fonz character was a light hearted parody of those who love themselves more than anyone else, at a time when comedy was comedy and life was life.

We didn't tend to blur the boundaries between entertainment and being empathetic, sane adults.

(4) In 2015-2016 many people were saying Trump showed clear narcissistic traits. For a number of reasons I considered that hypothesis & dismissed it, including during his term of office.

After 11/3/2020 I began revisiting the possibility. With improved knowledge of NPD* itself.

(5) In December I asked an American friend of mine why some of the Trump followers on Twitter were so fanatical about him personally and the future success of the MAGA movement.

He said it's because they are "zealots."

This is evidenced more each day.

(6) BTW, this friend of mine is an independent voter who would have preferred Trump instead of Biden to be in the WH now. So, he's not a liberal. Not at all.

Plenty of Trump voters distance themselves from the types who are prepared to become violent, and have been violent.

(7) A week before 1/6, I said on Twitter to anyone who would listen that even planning a "peaceful" rally outside the Capitol that day would backfire on the Trump movement & any chance they might think he still had at that point.

Of course, "no one" listened.

(8) On 1/6 I overslept & so was late to hear the news. I normally wake up around 7am, which is around 3pm ET. So I was watching DC at around 5-6pm.

I knew right away that the riot would mean a ton of bad things for the US, a country I love. I was astounded by the stupidity.

(9) With the vantage point of almost six months, the long term effects of "The Big Lie" and the rioting of 1/6 are clearer to see.

I don't think anyone is in a position to say what will "bring us back together."

Post Civil War, some folk never came together. To this day.

(10) I take notice of things I read or watch that help me understand what the hell happened, and what can be done about it. I no longer boycott people with different opinions, like so many on both sides do.

This thread is excellent IMO:

https://twitter.com/SteveSchmidtSES/status/1411029043328262146

(11) Schmidt places the current crisis in its full historical context. Something I try to do when writing about current events.

Unless and until the individuals who made 1/6 possible, including Trump, are held accountable, the risk of violence, terrorism & civil unrest remains.

(12) And the supporting arguments for my assertion above are detailed in the Schmidt thread, far better than I could explain them.

Here's another relevant resource:

https://twitter.com/FreedomFriesInc/status/1409473027755020301

(13) And this example is relevant, too. It's being repeated all over the US, every day. Voters who are conservative or who lean that way are rejecting Trump & everything associated with his toxic legacy.

Trump does NOT speak for them.

https://twitter.com/FreedomFriesInc/status/1411175915631960067

(14) I know some of you are thinking it's "too little, too late," and you're right: In terms of protecting the US from the harm of having had someone like Trump in the WH for four years.

There is now an enormous mess to clean up. Folk like me are willing to work together.

(15) When I used the term NPD with an asterisk, I forgot to follow up on the point I made. Full blown NPD is more common than you might think. Narcissistic traits are very common, but nothing like the danger that a person with narcissistic personality disorder presents to others.

(16) We who understand NPD (usually from bitter experience) know that Trump will never admit responsibility, let alone apologize or treat anyone, even his own children, with the basic respect people deserve as humans. He appears to be deteriorating, too.

Where is Melania?

(17) AFAIK, Melania Trump didn't even make sure she was in the same city as her husband on his 75th birthday last month.

A lot happened in recent weeks. It all points to things that give me hope for the US, despite the dire circumstances in which many Americans find themselves.

(18) So Mr Winkler, release your pearls. Stop panicking and spreading panic to others.

To readers: In a couple of hours it will be the 4th of July.

Ignore anyone who is insane, & come celebrate with us in the reality-based community.🇺🇸