OPINION:
Half the country believes the other half is insane. That is not democracy; it’s a pathology.
“Trump derangement syndrome” may not appear in the DSM-5, but anyone who has watched a reasonable friend or parent dissolve into political hysteria knows something deeper than disagreement is happening. Years of fear-driven media have created a distorted emotional reality that fractures families and convinces ordinary people that those they love are enemies of the state.
Many older Americans, especially those who trust legacy television news implicitly, have become consumed by dread and moral panic. Their world narrows to a single narrative: President Trump is an existential threat, and anyone who supports him must be dangerous or morally defective. This isn’t ordinary disagreement. It is derangement — a mind pushed off its natural rails by relentless psychological pressure from their favorite newscasters.
Political scientists call today’s climate affective polarization: hating the other side more than loving one’s own. It is fueled by two distortions: We believe our own group is angrier than it is, and we believe the other group hates us more than it actually does. These false beliefs create emotional instability.
Yet nothing has fed the panic more than our media. For nearly a decade, Mr. Trump has been described as a dictator in waiting and a threat to civilization itself. Older Americans, immersed in cable news ecosystems that speak in tones of constant catastrophe, absorb this as reality. Fear becomes their baseline.
I will never forget when my mother said, “Katy, I feel like I’m in a marriage with my husband and Donald Trump. Your stepfather is so consumed with hating Trump that it occupies half his mind.” She wasn’t describing politics; she was describing emotional capture.
Fear-based thinking has consequences. When people are conditioned to believe the opposing side is fascist or dangerous, hostility begins to feel like protection. Dehumanization follows in quiet ways, in labels such as “Nazi” or “threat.” Once a person becomes a caricature, hatred feels justified.
But psychology also offers a path back. Research shows that when even a few people soften their tone, the emotional climate of an entire group shifts. Calmness is contagious. Humanity is contagious.
The real danger in America is not one politician. It is the contempt we have been taught to feel for one another based on party affiliation. The first step toward healing is remarkably simple: Choose to see the person in front of you as human, even when you disagree.
KATY BRIGGS
Tampa, Florida
Please read our comment policy before commenting.