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Bloviating Zeppelin: The Worship Of Obama: Does History Repeat Itself?

Bloviating Zeppelin

(in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

Monday, March 29, 2010

The Worship Of Obama: Does History Repeat Itself?


Seldom do I find it important to, essentially, duplicate an entire article or post from another source. In fact, now, I find it remarkably important to do just that.

TexasFred's recent post about Mr Obaka's recess appointments -- and examination of the similarity of circumstances between the rise to power of both Obama and Adoph Hitler -- deserve scrutiny. While easy to simply dismiss this contrast as bigoted pap, I engaged the reference article. I found the mindsets, background, core philosophies, formative years and goals shockingly similar in many ways.

As such, I present this article in whole. Please read it completely and then think: is history repeating itself?

I submit: there is much to recommend this argument.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -George Santayana

The Hitler Factor: Is It Fair To Compare?

By Roberts, Matthew Edward

Since World War II there have been many political candidates who have been compared to the likeness of Adolph Hitler. This was the case for George Bush, Al Gore, and both Bill and Hillary Clinton; to name a few. Try as we might to modify graphic images to resemble the physical appearance of Hitler, any attempt to make a genuine comparison using these pictures crumbles when we face the ugly truth about Adolph Hitler’s personality and actions.

Some have attempted to make the comparison of Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler. This kind of thing has been done so many times before that people no longer think it credible. The shock value is gone and people almost expect such comparisons to be made during the election campaigns. The smear attempt which aims to anger supporters hardly gives them cause to raise an eyebrow.

This situation of being resistant to the “Hitler Factor” could eventually become a dangerous thing for the voting public of any country. How would citizens recognize another Hitler-type politician in the future if they have become resistant to the idea of making the comparison? If citizens are accustomed to instantly rejecting any comparison of a candidate to Hitler, will they be able to apply the lessons of history in order to prevent electing another one like him in the future?

What is it about Hitler we should remember so as to prevent electing another similar candidate who appears to be following in his footsteps? Many believe Adolph Hitler had Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), which is a documented mental disorder. People who have NPD have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. They believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings.1 It is not hard to see these traits when we view images or videos of Adolph Hitler.

In the general population only 0.5-1% of people are thought to have NPD2, although many will remain undiagnosed and untreated for their entire lives. People may interpret lower levels of expressed narcissism as mere conceitedness, selfishness, or arrogance.
Given narcissism is centered around the idea of self-importance and the need for adoration from others, it should be no surprise to find narcissists are often attracted to those things which feed their emotional needs for recognition and adoration. They may, for example, pursue careers as movie stars or politicians in order to gain elevated social status and popularity. Nothing screams “elite” and “fame” like celebrities and politicians attending red carpet events.

Rarely do the minor expression of narcissism cause any real damage to anyone, but in a position of influence things can go awry very quickly for someone with a severe case of NPD. Adolph Hitler showed us just how bad things can get under that kind of leadership.

What exactly causes NPD? One expert and author by the name of Dr. Shmuel Vaknin offers the following explanation, “The onset of pathological narcissism is in infancy, childhood and early adolescence. It is commonly attributed to childhood abuse and trauma inflicted by parents, authority figures, or even peers. Pathological narcissism is a defense mechanism intended to deflect hurt and trauma from the victim's "True Self" into a “False Self” which is omnipotent, invulnerable, and omniscient.”3

It must be said here nearly all children are born with narcissist traits and Sigmund Freud believed that to be normal.4 However, the development of NPD as a pathological disorder is thought to be rooted in childhood neglect and abuse. Adolph Hitler certainly had a qualifying childhood which would have contributed to the development of NPD.

Adolph Hitler was born to a communist father who worked as a government employee who had several other children with multiple women. His father was considerably older than his mother and they conceived their famous son prior to getting married. His father was not interested in child-rearing, abused alcohol, and the future German leader would reside in several different residences in his early years. The young boy felt alienated from his father. He would attend several different schools, including a catholic school run by strict priests and nuns.

A teacher would later describe Adolph using these words, “... reacted with ill-concealed hostility to advice or reproof; at the same time, he demanded of his fellow pupils their unqualified subservience, fancying himself in the role of leader, at the same time indulging in many a less innocuous prank of a kind not uncommon among immature youths."5

If there were no bias against the name “Adolph Hitler” one might actually feel sorry for this young boy who grew up in such a dysfunctional family and knew so much instability, turmoil, and sorrow. It should come as no surprise how someone like Adolph could develop pathological NPD as a means of deflecting years of emotional trauma. He clearly had a childhood which could have contributed to the development of NPD. Given the comment of his teacher in later years it is clear Adolph was exhibiting signs of having NPD (see definition in the last paragraph of page one).

As a self-defense mechanism, Adolph imagined himself to be all-powerful and invincible, but that was contrary to his true personality as “nervous and awkward”.6 The fantasy aspect of his invincible “False Self” was becoming deeply rooted in his mind and even overshadowing the personality traits of Hitler’s “True Self”. Eventually, Hitler wouldn’t be able to separate fantasy from reality and Hitler’s “False Self” would totally convince him that he could conquer the world.

So, in getting back to the comparison of Barack Obama to Adolph Hitler, one could say there are some similarities. However, there are perhaps hundreds of thousands of children who share some of these similarities. Having a childhood similar to Hitler does
not mean a person will grow up to develop NPD, as only 1% of the general population would do so.

Like Adolph Hitler, Barack Obama was born to a communist father who worked as a government employee who had several other children with multiple women. His father was considerably older than his mother and they conceived their famous son prior to getting married. His father was not interested in child-rearing, abused alcohol, and the future leader would reside in several different residences in his early years. The young boy felt alienated from his father. He would attend several different schools, including a catholic school run by strict priests and nuns.

He was described by peers who would later say, “He used to be a naughty boy particularly among his female seniors. Once he destroyed the school’s fence which made from bamboos.’ ‘In a creative writing lesson, other students said that they wanted to be a doctor or pilot, but Barry claimed that he wanted to be a president.”7 His childhood friend, Keith Kakugawa said, "He is such a people person now, it's really amazing because he was a very, very shy -- I wouldn't say introverted -- but he was just a very shy, cautious kid".8

Unlike Hitler, Obama did not experience the death of his father at the age of thirteen. However, Barack Obama did see his father alive for the final time at the young age of only ten. It does seem many things about Obama’s early years are quite similar to those found in Hitler’s childhood. Barack Obama had no control over these matters so there is not a single person who would dare hold these things against him. However, we must also understand that Obama was affected by these experiences. It is, therefore, possible that Barack Obama, like 1% of the general population, could have dealt with those emotional issues by developing NPD. According to the comment of his teacher and childhood friend, it appears he was expressing signs which are associated with NPD. Both Hitler and Obama were considered to be shy/awkward while also desiring power.

However, it must be clarified at this point that neither Hitler nor Obama were officially diagnosed as having NPD. Suspicions can arise as a result of observing their behavior, but conclusions would nevertheless remain inconclusive. The best we can do is to compare the history, behavior, and interests of Hitler to see if a political candidate followed a similar path. Merely having a childhood which is similar to that of Hitler is not sufficient to make a comparison. We all know how Hitler turned out, so we should be wary of someone who had similar childhood experiences, seems to show signs of having NPD, has similar interests and ideas, and appears to be retracing Hitler’s footsteps.

So what are Adolph Hitler’s historical footsteps?

At the age of 35 Adolph Hitler would write a book called, “Mein Kampf” (translated as “My Struggle”). It would be an autobiography containing insights pertaining to his early years, political ideas, and thoughts on race.

At the age of 34 Barack Obama would write a book called, “Dreams of my Father”, also an autobiography highlighting his early years, political ideas, and thoughts on race.

Hitler’s “Zweites Buch” (translated as “Second Book”) contains a deeper understanding of his political ideas. The same can also be said about Obama’s second book, “The Audacity of Hope”.

Both Hitler and Obama used their books as a springboard to further their political careers. The title of Obama’s second book was based on a sermon of Reverend Wright and was the foundational basis of the speech he gave at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. It was that speech which caught the attention of the media and the public, both of whom propelled him to political stardom. He further expounded on those ideas to publish his second book in 2006, just before announcing his run for the Presidency. The book was on the New York Times best-seller list for 30 weeks.

Ok, so they have a similar childhood and they both wrote two books around similar themes. So what? Well, we suspected both might have had NPD too. Let’s talk a little more about NPD to see if there is really a connection to be concerned about here.
Criteria for narcissistic personality disorder to be diagnosed include9:

  1. Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
  2. Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power or beauty
  3. Believing that you are special and can associate only with equally special people
  4. Requiring constant admiration
  5. Having a sense of entitlement
  6. Taking advantage of others
  7. Inability to recognize needs and feelings of others
  8. Being envious of others
  9. Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

I would be willing to speculate that a person who feels the need to write an autobiography in their mid-thirties might be entertaining an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Both Hitler and Obama felt their life was worth documenting for the public even before either had started their political careers.

As mentioned earlier, both Hitler and Obama were described by others as being shy or awkward children with dreams of being in powerful positions of leadership. Both followed that dream, perhaps because they were preoccupied with fantasies about success and power?

As I go down the list of nine NPD criteria I can see a number of them which could be applied to both Obama and Hitler. This should be a concern because we know the outcome in Hitler’s case, but we don’t really know all that much about Barack Obama. He hasn’t released the vault copy of his birth certificate, records of his activity logs while in the Illinois State Senate, SAT scores, college transcripts, thesis paper, medical records, tax returns, list of clients he worked for as a lawyer, etc. Like Hitler, Obama has distanced himself even from childhood friends10 (see below right), not to mention other controversial associates such as William Ayers, Reverend Wright, Tony Rezko, Frank Marshall Davis, etc.

Without full transparency people must look at documented history and recorded actions to learn what this man is all about. Does Obama hold the same or similar convictions and/or associations as Hitler?
Abortion (Infanticide)...Yes

Universal Health Care...Yes

Gun Control...Yes

Anti-Semitism...Yes
(Jeremiah Wright, Rashid Khalidi, Samantha Powers, Robert Malley, William Ayers, Louis Farrakhan, El-Hady)
Left-Wing Radicalism...Yes

Communism...Yes

Socialism...Yes

Ok, so they have a similar childhood, show some signs of having NPD, wrote similar books at the same age, pursued a career in politics, respect many of the same radical political ideas, have similar associations in their relationships; but we are talking about two totally different time periods in history. Yes, that is true, but you may be surprised to know the signs of the times today are very similar to those in Hitler’s era.

At the time Hitler was rising to power after WWI, Germany had a bad reputation in the eyes of the world. The actions of the country were seen as an act of dishonesty, betrayal, treachery and a war crime. Hitler promised to correct this. Americans are also seen in similar ways for the way we justified and proceeded with an invasion of Iraq. Barack Obama has promised to correct this.

The Germans felt deceived and humiliated after WWI and had just entered into the Great Depression. Hitler capitalized on this feeling by offering hope and change. Americans also feel deceived and humiliated by their own government which allowed the current financial crisis to happen, followed by their passage of a $700 billion bailout plan. Americans have just experienced the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and Obama is also capitalizing on this feeling by offering hope and change.

There was weakness in the ineffective German Constitution which angered many German citizens while few freedom-fighters remained to resist change. Hitler was seen as one who would resolve Constitutional issues while being capable of dealing with resistance. Many Americans have a few problems with the U.S. Constitution, namely the Second Amendment. Obama offers a solution which claims to respect tradition while also allowing for gun-control laws. He will have to deal with those who resist infringement on Second Amendment rights.

The financial contributions of private supporters enabled Hitler to fund his campaign. The same can be said of Obama, for he has collected record-breaking funds from private donors.

Hitler promised something to everyone, just as Obama is doing today.

The Nazi propaganda machine convinced people Hitler was their last hope. In a similar way, the media is supporting the idea Obama represents the only hope for change from the policies of President Bush.

Hitler was an excellent orator, community organizer, and politician who could motivate and inspire huge crowds. His self-confidence was instrumental in convincing voters to elect him. The public viewed him as their savior. The same can be said of Obama11.
Hitler realized there was strength to be found in the young. Hitler Youth were extremely dedicated and instrumental to his success. I am sure we have all heard about the Obama Kids singing songs of praise to their leader. Obama’s own website offers the following encouragement for youngsters to get involved in his campaign:

“Do you feel like you want to get involved in the political process but you don’t know how? Do you feel like there’s something important coming up in the Presidential elections? Get involved in KIDS FOR OBAMA! Studies have shown that kids can affect their parents and their siblings’ opinions and even change the opinions of older family members . . . including those of voting age. Are you still with me? Great, Let’s get started!” (http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/kidskit)

Beyond children, Obama is receiving an incredible amount of support from college students and young adults.

Hitler held extremely leftist ideals. Barack Obama has been called one of the most liberal Senators in Congress12.

Obama and Hitler can even be compared on having similar preferences, such as their desire to give their major speeches against a backdrop of Greek-style temples.

Where Hitler gave a speech in Vienna, Austria, March 1938 (above left)
Hitler giving a speech, date unknown (above right)
Where Obama accepted the nomination in Denver, Colorado, August 2008 (below left)
Where Obama announced Biden as his running mate in Springfield, IL (below right)


“Obama is the hope of the entire world.” - Louis Farrakhan
“Hitler was a very great man.” - Louis Farrakhan


Barack Obama is fully aware the nation’s problems are helping pave the way for him to be President. His poll ratings went through the roof during the bailout mess, so he obviously wants to talk more about the economy to make even more political gains. On October 22, 2008, Obama gave a speech in Virginia which included the statement, “I feel like we got a righteous wind at our backs here.” He may not be able to fully explain why he is having such great success in his campaign, but I’m not entirely convinced “righteous” was the appropriate word to use since it taps into religious overtones. Like Obama, Hitler claimed to be a Christian too, but I doubt anyone would believe his election success was a result of divine influence or intervention. The fact of the matter is both Obama and Hitler have the right qualities and message which influenced the right people in just the right way at just the right time. The question is: What will they do when elected?

We need to be cautious when we see historical experiences, thought processes, behavior patterns, courses of action, belief structures, personality traits, and career goals in a candidate which are found to be strikingly similar to those of Hitler. Combined with lack of transparency we have a serious red flag waving before us. We absolutely cannot afford to be wrong about this. With 12 million total deaths, the holocaust was simply too tragic for anyone to allow it to happen again. It might hurt our pride to vote for another candidate, any other candidate, when we want to pull that lever for our beloved candidate so badly. He seems so promising! Yet, so did Hitler. We would suffer much worse if that candidate proved to be something we never anticipated. I can only imagine how many Germans eventually came to regret casting a vote for Hitler.

This article was written as a reminder we need to continue being wise in judgment and unafraid to make comparisons when necessary. Turning a blind eye and responding with anger in defense of our preferred candidate can be quite dangerous. Some might choose to insist Obama would not be one who would take us through another holocaust. Indeed, they may be right, but few can deny the many similarities between Obama and Hitler. I would rather not take the chance of being proven wrong later on in life. I, for one, will always consider “The Hitler Factor” when choosing which candidate will receive my vote and hope others will do the same so we may always learn from our past mistakes.

    1. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652
    2. "Narcissistic Personality Disorder". Personality Disorders - Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Armenian Medical Network (2006).
    3. http://samvak.tripod.com/npdglance.html
    4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism_(psychology)
    5. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/father.htm
    6. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/father.htm
    7. http://hubpages.com/hub/barrack-obama-indonesia
    8. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=2989722&page=1
    9. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic‐personality‐disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=tests‐and‐diagnosis
    10. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=2989722&page=1
    11. http://redstaterusa.blogspot.com/2008/10/obama‐messiah‐has‐spoken.html
    12. http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/

______________________________________


Further Links:

- Understanding Obama, by Ali Sina;
- Does Obama Have NPD?;
- Dems & Hitler Analogies;
- The Hitler Meme, by Virginia Heffernan;
- Who Is This?;
- Obama's Economic Ideas, by Warner Huston;
- Obama, Hitler, Healthcare at CFP;
- Comparisons, by The Humble Libertarian;

BZ

25 Comments:

Blogger Always On Watch said...

Recently, one of the classes I teach had a guest speaker: a German woman (Christian, not Jewish) who grew up during the time of the Third Reich. She has pointed our many similarities between BHO and Hitler. And she should know!

We're hoping that she speaks to all the classes next year. As you might know, she's quite elderly. We need her to speak to young people so that they understand what's going on with the BHO administration.

Mon Mar 29, 05:58:00 AM PDT  
Blogger shoprat said...

If I believed in reincarnation I would say Hitler is back. The similarities are eerie indeed but in the end we have to concentrate on rendering him powerless before he destroys this nation.

Mon Mar 29, 06:30:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Bd said...

More fact I'm sure you want to keep from your readers:

At this point in his Presidency, Bush only had 5 appointees being held up by the Dems. Obama still has 200 the GOP is blocking. 200! So, by using the standard practice of recess appointments of only 15, he's Hitler"?

C'mon now.

Mon Mar 29, 06:34:00 AM PDT  
Blogger TexasFred said...

Brain Dead, you're wasting your time, I am NOT a nice person where idiot libbers are concerned, you'll be deleted and banned every time....

How's the weather in Buffalo Brain Dead?

Thanks for the HUGE hat tip BZ, when we stir up fudge packers like Brain Dead, we MUST be doing something RIGHT!!

Mon Mar 29, 07:09:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Chris said...

I hope my wife weighs in on the discussion of obama having NPD. She is highly educated in the field of physical and mental disabilities, as well as psychological disorders. She will be able to tell if the issue with Hitler and his brother Obama is legitimate. She has a masters degree in a difficult field, and deals with disabilities and disorders on a daily basis. She might be able to give some good imput on the post.

Mon Mar 29, 11:23:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Chris: please, have her read the information and weigh in. I'd very much like to read her thoughts here.

BZ

Mon Mar 29, 11:48:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Old NFO said...

It is a point of fact, sadly, few will admit to it, or look any deeper...

Mon Mar 29, 02:05:00 PM PDT  
Blogger TexasFred said...

I write about Obama being Hitler yesterday, BZ posts it today, Brain Dead gets all pissy and comes to MY blog trying to call names and make silly accusations and Glenn Beck does a show on ALL of it about Hitler, Stalin and Company and the comparisons to todays Washington, D.C...

Go figure.. It's not like I write Beck's stuff folks, honest...

Mon Mar 29, 03:02:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bushwack said...

First rule of liberpukes...BUSH DID (Insert whatever here)...

Lets not discuss the POST or come up with facts to support why the post is wrong... BUSH did it....LMAO, or the ever present "You are RACIST!" I'm rollin over the liberpuke whining and crying game....

Great post BZ truth makes its way around again...Open your eyes America

Mon Mar 29, 03:04:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bd said...

TexasFred: Yeah, and we all know what Glenn Beck says HAS to be the truth. Ding, cuckoo, ding, cuckoo. Beck is always comparing Obama to some crazy from the past. Beck is a loon!

Bushwack: No one is blaming Bush. I pointed out how stupid it is to equate Obama to Hitler when he did 15 recess appointments while the GOP is blocking 200 more. At this point in his Presidency, Bush had only 5 blocked.

Mon Mar 29, 03:41:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bushwack said...

BD, you really are an ignorant twerp...You can't let the fact that BUSH is not president anymore go.. Your hero makes Bush look like the second coming of Christ...And that's REALLY SAD.

I am not a fan of a LOT of GWB's policies and have been very outspoken about them, so has BZ, Fred and many others... That would be "Credibility" say it with me son "Credibility"... that is developed by being against ALL things bad for the country regardless of political affiliation. Something you liberpukes don't get. Obama walks on water no matter what he does in your warped little mind and that's why we are where we are....Hows that Hopey changey thing workin out? See in November.

Mon Mar 29, 04:03:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

I submit that Beck is remarkably prescient. TF and I occasionally hit on similar veins because we tend towards Conservatism with a capital C and NOT the GOP necessarily. I think TF and I would agree that Bush spent horribly, underutilized the power of his veto, spent unnecessary billions in Africa, almost turned our ports over to foreign powers and apparently couldn't care less about securing our southern border. He was NO ideal Conservative by ANY stretch of the imagination.

Reagan wasn't perfect but I suspect he's the best we'll see for quite some time, unless we can convince Paul Ryan or Tom McClintock to run for President AND acquire the backing of the GOP and allied groups.

Here's the way we ALL must judge ANY candidate for ANY political office from now till some distant time in the future: if they're all about SPENDING, then they need to be immediately DISCOUNTED. We've already spent ahead of the next generation; we're about to make debtors of the generation AFTER that.

BZ

Mon Mar 29, 05:02:00 PM PDT  
Blogger TexasFred said...

I submit that Beck is remarkably prescient.
***************
His writers are...

Bush lost ALL respect as far as I am concerned when he took his eye off of the ball, Afghanistan, and insisted that we traipse off to Iraq, but here's the thing, some little chowderhead like Brain Dead, and another dipstick libber that posts here lately, seem to think I love Bush... They are terribly wrong in that assumption, as anyone that reads my blog, or has for a long time as you have knows BZ...

Bush compared to Obama? I'd take Hillary over either of them, at least you know, pretty much, what that tired old bat is gonna do...

Reagan?? Less than perfect indeed... The Reagan amnesty program had many ready to tar and feather him, especially those that worked the border, Central and South America and the like...

But, when you're a moonbat libber, all you have is YOU LOVED BUSH, BUSH LIED, YOU HAVE A SMALL PEE-PEE and other assorted juvenile renditions...

Mon Mar 29, 05:16:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Talking points posted on the web, TF. Talking points.

The current GOP is SO afraid of Conservatives. ACTUAL Conservatives. With a capital C.

BZ

Mon Mar 29, 05:39:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Ed Bonderenka said...

A great post like this starts out having some thoughtful comments. Then they degenerate into back and forth name-calling. I see it everywhere. We let these loons distract us into a foodfight and the discussion of the post fades away.

Mon Mar 29, 05:59:00 PM PDT  
Blogger A Jacksonian said...

You don't actually have to go that far and look back into history. Just look at one of his cabinet members and see if some of the traits start to line up. These things are subjective, of course, as no one can rightly diagnose anything at a distance nor look to see what evil lurks in the hearts of men... and women.

I make no claim to have the powers of The Shadow, who knows these things, and as I see no evidence of that personage in our life nor of those walking around with halos over their heads, I truly do doubt that one can tell at a distance what is in the hearts of others. Thus by their actions I do judge them. Those are more than telling enough for me.

Mon Mar 29, 06:21:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

So Ed:

What would YOUR comments be regarding this post? Please elucidate.

BZ

Mon Mar 29, 07:10:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Law and Order Teacher said...

BZ,
Epic post. Your links have me reading like crazy. I'm in the middle of a book and now I lost my place. It's one of the Judge's books. I'll finish reading and be back. Well done.

Mon Mar 29, 07:39:00 PM PDT  
Blogger One of the Moons said...

Enough to scare the b'jeepers out of you. Joseph Smith was also a known narcissist but with far less influence; he died young. Come to think of it, Hitler was fairly young, too, wasn't he?

Would someone please explain to me what Bd is talking about?

Love your blog, BZ.

Love

Granny with a Pitchfork

Mon Mar 29, 07:43:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Ed Bonderenka said...

BZ, I really don't have much to add beyond what I've read here. I would say that I read Liberal Fascism when it came out and was immediately struck by the similarity between Hitler and Oama's rise to power, but the post was more about their personalities, not tactics.
Thanks for hosting the posting.

Tue Mar 30, 03:46:00 AM PDT  
Blogger lindsaygreen said...

My husband (Chris) asked me to look and comment on this. There is no doubt that Hitler and Obama have similar characteristics. It may not even be unreasonable to say they share more things in common than not. However, from a psychological standpoint (and only that... taking aside all the ill feelings I get when I hear people mention the name Obama, Obama-care, etc. etc. etc.) I would have to say I think NPD is a little far fetched. Not to say that he does not carry many of those characteristics- but so do many of us. I have always been trained to not use the DSM IV as a checklist, and to do so could be extremely dangerous. Psychiatric disabilities are all exaggerations of the norm. Meaning that most, if not all of us have some characteristics of just about any mental health disabilities at some point of time in our life or another. How many times have you caught people whispering and wondered if they were talking about you, or had some start speaking in a different language and wondered the same thing. Most of us have at some point of time in our lives; to say you haven't just isn't human. But to take that to the extreme; and you may describe someone with schizophrenic disorder. Or having those days where you can't sleep and stay up all night working on some project or a great idea you've had envisioned, etc. you may have described someone with Mania. What I’m saying is that we all have these things, and some people may have more of a degree of it than others. The individuals that I have worked with (and to give you an idea I have over 300 people on my caseload that I counsel) those that have NPD are RARELY if ever able to hold down employment, let alone full time employment. It significantly interferes with their daily activities. They usually feel that they are being cleaver if they can find a way to 'not work' as many feel they're too good for it. Just an example of the extreme that individuals need to be at when being diagnosed with NPD, I have a young man who has severe medical problems as well as NPD. He REFUSES to go to the doctor to get an MRI (even though our agency would pay for it) and REFUSES to get treatment because he feels that he knows more than the doctors do, and if he can't fix what is wrong, there is no way they would be able to.

I'm sure I’m babbling at this point. I certainly agree that Obama is 'out there' and has some very scary plans for this country. But to say that he has NPD, I feel, is jumping the gun. He has a marriage, managed (somehow) to become president, has held steady employment, school etc. etc. Unfortunately, there are just 'bad' and 'irresponsible' people in this world; and I think that he is just one of them.

((On a side note, and not to offend anyone, society tries to label 'bad' people as having some sort of mental health diagnosis. To do so is a shame, and actually continue to prejudice beliefs that people have for individuals with disabilities. We see it all the time in the media and movies (As Good as it Gets for example) that often shows a misrepresentation of individual with disabilities. From what we've seen from Obama, he does things on his own agenda, oftentimes with no regard for the rules, laws, etc. But that doesn't mean that he has a personality disorder or any other kind of mental health condition. My opinion, he is simply irresponsible and makes bad choices, and to blame that on APD would be making an excuse for his behaviors.

Thu Apr 01, 06:48:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Chris said...

I hope my wife's imput can help your readers understand the clinical diagnosis of a mental or physical disability. If a person actually meets someone with NPD, you'll know that something is up. It effects their normal living situation, and their lives. As you can see my wife and I are advocates for people with disabilities. We both believe Obama is a little abnormal, but in order to show signs of a mental disorder, it has to interupt his daily activities and live, which as president now, didn't effect him in that manner.

Thu Apr 01, 04:13:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Lindsay: first, thanks to Chris for asking you to weigh in. And, of course, thanks for taking the time to reference your training, education and experience with regard to the possibility of NPD.

A full blown case of disabling NPD may in fact not hold. But I submit that the difference might be the line between functionality and non-functionality. Obviously, as you so clearly point out, Mr Obaka functions within the structure of society to include normal personal relationships, daily activities, and the like. And, of course, as you so logically point out, there are many occasions in which each one of us appear to come close to other forms of mental disorders; yet they pass and generally do not continue with regularity.

I don't know how holy you hold the "current" 1994 DSM IV -- I tend to use it for reference yet let my personal experiences rule, such as they are. How is it that I would even know of or consult the DSM? Via law enforcement. My background is criminal and mostly oriented towards interrogation. I schooled under the FBI BSU with California's DOJ and then learned under Roy Hazelwood and adjunct with Douglas and Ressler, the originators of applicable profiling -- mostly with regard to rape and homicide. I expanded to kinesthetics and proxemics. I used my education in the real world areas of my assignments in Child Abuse, Robbery, then Homicide. I finally ended up teaching classes in interview and interrogation.

Mr Obaka is clearly a functional human being. He "fits" into the segments with which he chooses to associate. Perhaps not strictly and clinically warranting a DSM diagnosis of NPD, he exhibits many of the continuing symptoms one nominally finds under NPD, in my opinion. I don't base this belief as predicated on doctorates or masters in psychology, but upon the hundreds of suspects I've personally been tasked to face in small interrogation rooms, where I have to suss and sell the Truth to those person who are not only not Buying, but are and have been actually psychotic and with whom the words guilt and conscience have no meaning or the most remote frame of reference. Forensic psychology does, in fact, intrigue me and would be attractive if I were not in the twilight of my soon-ending career.

I have interrogated persons who are similar to Mr Obaka before. I recognize many of the traits he displays in the persons I have faced, less than three feet apart.

Mr Obaka scares me, which prodded me to this post, because he proffers certain gestures, phrases, head, arm and hand movements, and certain uncontrollable micro-expression series.

Which led me to ask: is history in fact repeating itself due to similar economic and political/societal circumstances?

In any event, thank you kindly, Lindsay, for lending clinical experience to this discussion! Much appreciated!

BZ

Thu Apr 01, 04:46:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Chris said...

Thanks again for responding to my wife BZ. She thought it was pretty cool how you can understand where she's coming from with this. She follows the DSMIV to the T because of her job. With your knowledge of human behavior, much like with my wife, I find it amazing how you guys can do your jobs. You both deal with people with disorders in a different way, due to your career paths, and yet you both understand the difference between normal and abnormal behavior. Shes shy about writing on here, so I just wanted to say thank you for making my pride and joy feel welcomed here. It meant a lot to her.

Thu Apr 01, 07:36:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Chris & Lindsay: always a pleasure, and I mean that. Thanks Lindsay, again, for bringing a fresh perspective here!

BZ

Fri Apr 02, 02:16:00 PM PDT  

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