# Supporting Bush: a severe mental illness **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 7, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016 "2004-10-07T13:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/81 "2004-10-09T04:27:22Z")
If I might draw a parallel between the OP and events in the past… Does anyone here remember PTL? Jim Bakker, Pentecostal preacher to the masses, with his loyal wife Tammy Faye. I lived for a time in Charlotte, NC, just across the border from Heritage USA, so I saw much of their rise and fall. Then, as now, there appeared to be some sort of a psychotic disconnect between the realities of the situation and the way many people interpereted it. Compare this to the nigh-spiritual reverence than many had towards Bill Clinton in 1998, decrying any indication that, yes, he did have an affair with Monica, and, yes, that he used all his word-twisting magic to avoid admitting it, even when under oath to tell the truth. There is something about the human psyche, where we raise our idols up onto pedestals, refusing to find any fault in them. Admitting that these figures might have feet of clay is close to admitting that we, ourselves, were fooled by them. We could be otherwise intelligent, rational people, yet still our faith endures. And as the evidence piles up, the stakes get higher and higher. We start by labeling those naysayers as merely jealous folks. Then we proclaim them nattering nabobs, nitpicking at any crack in our heros’ armor. Eventually they become ghoulish hounds from Hades, hellbent to tear down everything beautiful in this world. And then… …when the pressure from the ludicrous obviousness of the whole situation builds to unendurable amounts, then there is a psychic explosion within the ranks of the faithful. They separate into two factions. There are the Eternal Idolators, who would drink deep from the anal sphincter of their Hero, as if it were from the Fountain of Life. Nothing He (or She) does will ever, ever be wrong. No fact is to great to be overlooked when opining about their Savior Incarnate. Others become the Bainsidhe Incarnate. Admitting their prior blindness, they turn into the polar opposites of the Idolators. No mitigating circumstances are relevant with regards to that living Satan figure. Anything he did in the past, everything he does in the future are only Svengali-like attempts to lure in more souls for the pyre. It’s all part of human nature. It will keep happening again, over and over, for any polarizing figure. Calling these folks insane is labelling the entirety of humanity one Haldol away from the looney bin. Not that we aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/82 "2004-10-09T04:42:59Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > There is something about the human psyche, where we raise our idols up onto pedestals, refusing to find any fault in them. Admitting that these figures might have feet of clay is close to admitting that we, ourselves, were fooled by them. We could be otherwise intelligent, rational people, yet still our faith endures. And as the evidence piles up, the stakes get higher and higher. > > . I think you are right. It may akin to ‘basking in reflected glory’. If our heroes are tarnished, and we had argued for them, then we are tarnished along with them. Or it could be as simple as not wanting to admit that those sumbitches on the other side were right about _anything_… ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/83 "2004-10-09T06:35:42Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > …when the pressure from the ludicrous obviousness of the whole situation builds to unendurable amounts, then there is a psychic explosion within the ranks of the faithful. They separate into two factions. > > There are the Eternal Idolators, who would drink deep from the anal sphincter of their Hero, as if it were from the Fountain of Life. Nothing He (or She) does will ever, ever be wrong. No fact is to great to be overlooked when opining about their Savior Incarnate. > > Others become the Bainsidhe Incarnate. Admitting their prior blindness, they turn into the polar opposites of the Idolators. No mitigating circumstances are relevant with regards to that living Satan figure. Anything he did in the past, everything he does in the future are only Svengali-like attempts to lure in more souls for the pyre. > > It’s all part of human nature. And yet, I for one, find myself in neither category with regards to Clinton. I think his economic policy was excellent (for a President). As for his fling with Monica, it was foolish and reckless. Maybe I’m just a wonk, though. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/84 "2004-10-09T10:24:32Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > Hey, you are my Psychic Friend, you ask 'em. Mmkay, lemme look… I’m getting an image. Yes! It’s getting clearer. I see you, **Brutus** … with your head up your ass. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/85 "2004-10-09T10:28:44Z")
Great thoughts, **Punoqllads.** ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/86 "2004-10-09T11:00:44Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Mmkay, lemme look… I’m getting an image. Yes! It’s getting clearer. I see you, **Brutus** … with your head up your ass. I bet you’re hoping that ‘remote viewing’ ain’t real, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/87 "2004-10-09T11:40:18Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > I bet you’re hoping that ‘remote viewing’ ain’t real, huh? Or, rather, I should like like to keep things remote, in this case. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/88 "2004-10-09T21:48:14Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > Heheh, a mad nutter that believe in ‘ghosts’ and ‘remote viewing’ is now diagnosing _others_ with ‘severe mental illness’? Irony, thy name is **Aeschines**. I’ve disagreed with you in the past, **Brutus** , but I did a brief investigation on this “remote viewing” thing and Aeschines and all I want to say is :eek: Irony indeed. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/89 "2004-10-09T22:18:34Z")
There’s a wonderful quote from _Gone With the Wind_ that belongs in this thread, only I can’t find my copy of the doggone book. Howsomever, Rhett Butler says something closely approximating “All wars are sanctified by leaders, otherwise no one would be willing to fight them”. He also said war is always about money. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/90 "2004-10-09T23:36:00Z")
> [@yosemite](#): > > I’ve disagreed with you in the past, **Brutus** , but I did a brief investigation on this “remote viewing” thing and Aeschines and all I want to say is :eek: > > Irony indeed. Heh heh. In that thread I was like Neo versus all those Agent Smiths in the park. Without friend or ally, I beat back the waves of skeptic clones–for awhile. Unfortunately, I ended up getting my ass handed to me. My proudest moment on SDMB? Heck no. But you won’t find any evidence of nuttiness or insanity therein. If you can find anything, feel free to quote it here. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016/91 "2004-10-10T08:54:58Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > My neighborhood appears to be fully infected. At a recent picnic, persons in attendance made mocking statements about Kerry out loud, as if it were a given that, while Kerry deserves contumelious dismissal, Bush is worthy of uncritical support. Sounds very much like the SDMB, except you switch Kerry and Bush. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-bush-a-severe-mental-illness/268016.md?page=4)