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{Editor’s Note: “Stop covering politics,” some of our dear readers cry every time we post something relephant. Look: politics are life. Equal rights, empathy, fair economy, healthcare. We can’t ignore what’s happening, and you shouldn’t either. Disagree? We’re happy to share your experience here. ~ ed.}
“TDS”—Trump Derangement Syndrome.
It’s a term that’s popping up more and more in online comments, often used to immediately dismiss those that disagree with Trump supporters.
When I first saw the acronym, my original thought was someone must have mistakenly left a comment of jumbled letters. When I saw it again on a State Representative’s Facebook page, I recognized it had to be an acronym. Once the search loaded on my screen, my jaw dropped. My blood felt like it was boiling as my brain screamed, “Is this real life?”
In my personal experience, the “MAGA supporters” in my circle have often been the same people who dismiss mental illness and therapy. So the question is—why fabricate a mental illness to rationalize their behavior and loyalty?
That’s exactly it: to explain away their unquestioning devotion and extremely divisive, dismissive behavior.
The term was first coined during the Bush administration by a Washington Post columnist in 2003. I was 16-years-old and I do remember much opposition to Bush’s presidency all over the news—but this is much, much different.
It’s easier to label those who don’t agree as mentally ill rather than confront their own actions. It’s the simplest approach. It’s difficult to confront the stories we tell ourselves, but that doesn’t make those stories true. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things to do: deprogramming and undoing the narratives we’ve grown so comfortable with.
Many of us are trying so deeply to understand.
One of the biggest problems could potentially stem from a lack of comprehension. According to US reading statistics, an average American adult reads at a 7th-8th grade level, and 54% of adult Americans read below the 6th grade level. Most of those who need to read this won’t—and even if they do, they may not understand it.
Saying “The TDS is strong with this one.” is a way to immediately dismiss truth, disengage, and continue to support what’s happening in the United States as something that is perfectly reasonable. A way to remind us that there’s a strong barrier for us to chip away; we’re left still waiting for a concrete answer to how anything happening could be for the good of the human beings that reside on this soil. That’s where “TDS” becomes more than dismissal: it’s a label that dismisses disproportionately marginalized communities and valuable voices.
I can confidently say, none of us have heard that concrete answer yet, nor did we for the first term. Many of us wish we could say we have.
I see countless MAGA supporters online expressing the pain of losing family relationships over politics. “How could they turn away from me like that?” they ask. But the answer is simple: You chose to consume information from sources that foster hate and division. All while claiming to “love” the country but refusing to see the struggles of marginalized groups. The chaos. The worst nightmares coming true for so many undeserving people.
Many of these supporters don’t realize that they’ve been influenced by media narratives designed to foster division, and making it harder for them to see the damage they’re causing in their relationships and communities.
It takes a lot to come to terms with being wrong about something as big as that—though, I can say, whenever I catch a former “MAGA” member admitting they were wrong online, those comments?
Overflowing with love and support. Immediate forgiveness. Applause for having the courage to stand up and speak up about their misguided path, righting that path, and attempting to help others do the same.
A brilliantly made documentary, The Brainwashing of My Dad, tells the heartbreaking story of a man who was once described by his family as loving, kind, goofy—but after years of consuming conservative media due to the rise of talk radio paired with a new job and a long commute, he became bitter and angry.
It wasn’t until near the end of his life that he finally said, “Obama is a really good man.”—all due to his wife and daughter unsubscribing him from extremist newsletters and resubscribing to ones that are driven by truth while he had a hospital stay.
It was painstaking to feel the emotion of his daughter, who finally got her dad back—after losing him for decades. Simply because of one thing: News sources that were blatantly lying and clearly proven to do so. Talk radio news leading to TV news following the same style of narrative, and nothing but.
This heartbreaking story isn’t just about one man—it reflects a much larger issue of how biased media can radically change the way people view the world. It highlights so well how some well-meaning individuals can be swayed by toxic narratives, while the goodness of the world stays hidden from them.
On a larger scale, changing their minds may feel impossible.
But we can remind ourselves we’ve avoided these traps; that standing in truth is powerful. “TDS” isn’t a real diagnosis, but many of the real ailments MAGA dismisses as “fake” are. We can continue being the safe place for all and take all the peace you can from that.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to cooperate with the good, that it may prevail. ” ~ Helen Keller
Making our country great means first acknowledging ailments like Autism Spectrum Disorder, PTSD, ADHD, and many others. Addressing these systemic issues should be the first step.
Urgency in research, reframing those ailments as a part of systemic errors that have been made since we existed as a nation instead of “mental illness,” making connections between them, helping the public understand them, releasing the stigma, increasing resources, making help accessible to all, and especially, laying off of the old narrative of “back in my day” and saying boldly, “we are not back in those days”—that would seem to be much, much more productive than coming up with a term to explain why half of the United States doesn’t stand for what’s happening in our country and the domino effect worldwide.
Mental health is real, and help should be easily attainable. But it’s not. Bottom line.
And here’s the kicker: If this administration ultimately proves us wrong and manages to “save” America, those who didn’t agree would be the first to acknowledge it—with relief, even. But if things go wrong, we can be sure they’ll point the finger at “those d*mn Democrats.”
And the irony: Anyone who has ever done the hard work to rise to the best versions of themselves knows that blame is a waste of precious energy and keeps us all from so much.
“He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey.
He who blames himself is halfway there.
He who blames no one has arrived.”
~ Chinese Proverb
The most disheartening part is that, yes, we’re seen as being angry that we lost. We know it stems from seeing so many people being deceived and hurt needlessly. Many of us are feeling anger we’ve never thought we’d feel in our lifetime, a collective anger for all of humanity. We want to save our MAGA friends, not just for our sake, but for the sake of all. For the sake of humanity. We’re infuriated that anyone, especially someone we love, believes that our savior has arrived while he is causing irreparable harm to our country, our people, and our allies.
Their anger, on the other hand, is fueled by slurs and labels—empty insults that get regurgitated over and over. Hatred towards people they’ve never met. Disgust towards anyone different from them. Fixations on purely hypothetical issues and also a lot of completely fabricated issues. It’s not the kind of anger or concern that drives positive, necessary change. Protect yourself from it as much as you can.
The takeaway:
- Consider sending this to a conservative friend or family member that you care about. They may not read it, and it may not make an immediate impact, but at least you’ll know you tried. Plant the seeds, but don’t expect immediate results.
- Do not fall into the trap of thinking you can sway someone with one conversation—put the pressure on your State Representatives instead. Write the letters, make the calls, attend the town halls if you can.
It’s also helpful to remind yourself that if you’re going to engage in those comment sections—don’t find yourself arguing needlessly. Educate if you must, then disengage. You need to save your energy.
As I tell my daughters, the bad guys never win. Even if it seems like they’re winning—in the end, good will always overcome.
We must remember how fortunate we are that we are not the first to go through these issues that should be laid to rest by now. We have so many that paved the way and showed us how it’s done.
They set the foundation, it is up to us, only us, to build upon it as they intended. It’s the best way we can show supreme gratitude to the men and women that came before us, holding visions for a world where everyone is rightfully treated as having value.
In my very strong opinion, the idea that anyone on this planet shouldn’t have each and every basic need met (and beyond) is what led us to here and now. A world of divide.
A world where tax breaks and cheaper groceries matter more than human rights for all.
And if it’s the “TDS” that led me to write this article, so be it.
I’ll gladly accept the label if it means standing for truth, human rights, and accountability—and I will wear it with pride.
~
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