As an addict, I sense that Donald Trump has become an addiction in some ways, good or bad.
He is addicted to media coverage of himself, and the media are addicted to covering him.
His supporters and critics are addicted to the coverage, and to arguing about what they see and hear. Iphone clicks on political and cable news sites are through the roof, millions of Americans are checking these sites 100 times a day, looking for every new Tweet or controversy Trump arranges.
Cable news ratings are up as high as 40 per cent, and they continue to be high and profitable, even as the election was resolved. Except the new reality, thanks to new media technology, is that conflicts like the election are no longer ever resolved or accept, they continue on, powered by millions of clicks and updates.
Tweets and statements that are ludicrous, impulsive, nonsensical become national news for days, long after Mr. Trump himself has forgotten them or disavowed them or added some new ones to feed the beast our media has become. Since he is so at ease changing his mind, statements are the beginning of a endless tension and argument, never the final world.
I know many people on both sides of this campaign who are simply not aware enough or strong enough to see the whirlpool they are being sucked into, for the profit and gain of others. Many people love this, they see it as an affirmation of their anger and discontent, and that may be the easiest of addictions to drift into.
The people raging on Facebook and Twitter are not healthy and grounded people, they are like meteors rushing through the sky spewing molten pieces of themselves into the atmosphere. Why, I wondered, are millions of people still arguing about the comments made at the end of a show by Broadway actors? What relevance does this possibly have in my life?
In part, this is how Mr. Trump, a genius at media manipulation, built his remarkable campaign. He is campaigning still, just for different things in different ways. One day he outrages his critics, one day he tosses them a bone or two, they always jump, bite, and shriek. Trump and the media seem trapped in one another, a kind of ritualistic, mind-bending dance. Trump understands that with new information technologies, his face never needs to be off of the screen for long.
Some people are addicted to fearing him, others to worshiping him and cheering him on. Political leaders who can do no wrong are historically dangerous, there are few curbs on them. It is also dangerous and unhealthy for people to obsess on him and his every word, especially since we know now that words and ideas are temporal for him, they change and evolve continuously.
Addictions are dangerous, as I have learned repeatedly in my life and seen with others. It is simply not healthy or rational to be drawn into this kind of spinning cycle. He has the right to communicate in any way he wishes, and I have a moral obligation to avoid this kind of addiction, as I learned to stop smoking and drinking and taking valium.
I am a recovering addict in many different forms, and I see this addiction deepening in my friends, some Trump supporters, some Trump haters. People are struggling with rage and fear, two very difficult kinds of addictions to break. Because we are often addicted to what we fear and what makes us angry.
Addictions nearly destroyed my life, and I can’t imagine they are health for governance and democracy.
Every Trump tweet becomes a national sensation, the left and the right rush to attack and defend, to be outraged by the thought and outraged by the response. Those creepy surrogates rush to TV studios to argue and upset people further. The Ancient Greeks, who invented democracy and civilized debate, would be horrified.
Nothing is ever resolved, no minds are ever change. People’s worst fears are continuously stoked and confirmed, experts and surrogates argue for a living, people’s anger is aroused, people’s loyalty is deepened and sometimes, can be blinded.
There is not a shrink in the world who thinks this is healthy, whether you love Donald Trump or hate him and especially given that this will continue for at least four years, if not longer. This is the new reality, a new kind of hyper environment, and up and down roller coaster of fear and disapproval and argument. This is the hellish spawn, in part of social media, Donald Trump may be many things, he is not fool, he is the first true national spawn of Twitter or Facebook.
Campaigns used to be finite, arguments resolve and left behind. This one seems to never end. It is difficult for traditional journalists and political scientists to grasp that this is not a sideshow, this is the main event. This is not an offshoot of the campaign, it is the campaign. Every day, he finds a way to keep the water boiling, and every day, more and more people are sucked into the stream, and struggle not only with their own emotions, but how to get out.
I have experience with addiction, especially smoking and valium, and I recognized these signs early on in the campaign. I need to protect myself from addiction, it destroys love, peace of mind, health and creativity. I take care to withdraw from this back and forth, it accomplishes nothing of value. I cannot be around addicts of any kind, my whole body and spirit recoil and scream run.
I wrote about the campaign because my readers were so traumatized by it, but I am moving away from that and back to my normal fare – my life, my farm, my animals, my journey through life.
People should read what they wish and say what they wish, but as an addict myself, I do feel an obligation to share my own awareness of this on the chance that it may be helpful to others. Because this is an addiction no one thought would continue this long, and many are just beginning to grasp how far into the future it might go.
I am taking care of myself, and I hope, if you recognize yourself in this, that you are also. If you want to test this idea, avoid this ritual for a day or so and see how you feel. First, see if you can avoid it, if you can not look for at least two or three days. If you can’t stop, then you know.
Write down how you feel today and see how you feel in two days. Ask for help if you need it.