“His leg is caught in a veritable bear trap in his Iran war…He needs you to lose because that’s the only way he knows he’s won.”
Folks, it’s not that we are the wife (FFS), it’s that in Trump’s head we are.
fuck trump but this is a wildly ridiculous and insensitive analogy
Not sure why you find it ridiculous, I find it fairly fitting. This part was especially poignant:
Going back to 2015, people who’ve lived with chronic abusers recognized [Trump’s] type — palpably, intuitively, from experience
I couldn’t agree more. Before I had experienced domestic abuse, I struggled to understand how he got people on board the Trump train. Then I landed in an abusive situation, and after I was out, I wanted to understand what in the actual fuck was going and (and is still going on for those who are/were still in that situation), so I did a shit ton of reading, research, etc., until I finally could grasp how the dynamics and patterns in these situations work. And then at some point, looking at the whole Trump thing, it suddenly clicked - those are the same patterns, just on a much, much larger scale. Especially after noticing how a softball interview with him triggered something pretty bad in me.
Going back to 2015, people who’ve lived with chronic abusers recognized [Trump’s] type — palpably, intuitively, from experience
My wife’s mother is an abusive narcissist, so my wife had to learn how to placate her to try to keep the angry beatings to a minimum. She’d be a pro at playing to Trump’s ego, as would anyone who’s learned how to survive living with a narcissist with power over you.
I mostly agree with you. I don’t know if you read the article, but the metaphor is that his powerlessness is being exposed on the world stage, so he inflicts his rage on those closest to him. The metaphor of domestic violence is off putting, but in the sense of striking out at those closest to you I suppose it’s apt. I get what Marshall is trying to say even if it’s awkwardly stated.
It’s very weird to describe nextdoor neighbors as husband-and-wife.
Canadians can’t “divorce” the US, because we’re “married” in any real sense. We’re stuck next to each other for geographic reasons, not romantic ones.
Yeah, the relationship is more like a bad neighbour who refuses to stop throwing dog shit over the fence.
then they complain when it rains and the shit they threw over leaks back under the fence
I think a better analogy is the US is a bully of an older brother.
nah better analogy is the US is the crack smoking racist downstairs neighbour that complains we make too much noise.
A downstairs neighbour is too impersonal. It’s relatively easy and consequence free to just ignore them or move away.
If we narrow my analogy to teenage brothers, it works even better. You are pretty much forced to actively deal with a older brother if you are both still living with your parents, whether you want to or not, and there’s nothing you can do to get out of it.
so, much the same way you gotta deal with a downstairs neighbour in a duplex with a shared yard
A battered spouse can’t always leave either, due to threats or reliance on the terrible partner
Rather bold of America to assume Canada is in a relationship with them. They’re just neighbors. Canada might move if it could.
We all know Quebec wants to nuzzle right in there next to France—who definitely wants nothing to do with Quebec.
Trump is the neighbor next door yelling all night and listening to Kid Rock albums too loud. His dog shits in your lawn. Maybe that’s not his dog.
