Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was meeting last week with representatives from a teachers union in his home state when things quickly devolved.
Before long, Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and questioning why “everybody is mad at me,” “why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do” and slamming his hands on a desk, according to one person who was briefed on what occurred.
As the meeting deteriorated, a staff member moved to end it and ushered the visitors into the hallway, where she broke down crying. The staffer was comforted by the teachers who were themselves rattled by Fetterman’s behavior, according to a second person who was briefed separately on the meeting.
I have had to watch this happen to a close friend.
Back in 2015, I had a buddy who got into a nasty bike accident, and suffered a TBI. He was always a bit of a snarky asshole, but we definitely did see eye to eye on political matters before that happened. But during his recovery, he became a lot more viciously vindictive and outright mean, and also ended up going full MAGA later on. It was weird and depressing to watch a close friend spiral out of control and lash out at people who were previously his very close friends, to the extent that he alienated basically all of them.
It sucks, and it’s very real.
Same happened to my uncle, in his case due to a stroke in the temporo-frontal region when he was in his late 50s. He was a kindhearted man of moderate habits. After the stroke, he went full Mr Hyde, seemingly intent on burning through his retirement in pursuit of cocaine and prostitutes. Luckily for his family, he had another stroke within a year and that was game over.
I wonder how much high school athletics have contributed to conservatism via head injuries and groupthink?
Honestly, probably a lot
its either cte, strokes, or drugs turn into a nutty christian right winger. or if you have something like undiagnosed schizophrenia.
Abuse during childhood can also induce PTSD and increase the risk of MAGAt brain. That’s why fascists are so fond of child-beating and other authoritarian parenting practices: it brings in new recruits.
Uhhhhh yeah I don’t think so. I think you’re seeing former addicts that go hard for religion, and yeah that’s real… But it’s usually not the drugs that do it.
It’s been known for a long time: “I used to be all fucked on on drugs. Now I’m all fucked up on the Lord.”
Already in the early 70s, there were rightwing fundie groups operating in my middle school and high school, ostensibly to “save the souls” of delinquents and burnouts. One was sort of legit but run by well-meaning but misguided fundies. But another of those groups was the Tony Alamo cult. Along with the brainwashing, they regularly raped and beat the kids who got suckered into joining them. I had friends who got involved with them and helped two of them get out-- they got to a commune some friends of mine were in, and were able to go off-grid for a while. One of them got better, the other had a fatal mishap involving PCP a few years later.
Like I said, the pipeline is real. I just think it’s incorrect to attribute it to drugs as the cause.
Total Breakdown of the Id?
TBI = severe bump to noggin
That’s SBN. C’mon, mate, it’s like you’re not even trying.
Thanks!
Oh that was just for other readers. Of course you and I know it’s from the German teurer bescheuerter Irrtum.
Edit: adjective case agreement
It’s teurer bescheuerter Irrtum.
Thank you!
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are a very broad range of injuries involving the brain and central nervous system localized in or around the cranium and cranial cavity referred to as the braincase or brainpan.
For information on medical terms you’re unfamiliar with, first cite a medical dictionary such as the Bantam’s Medical Dictionary or otherwise TheFreeDictionary.com with the medical dictionary tab selected.