Toxic Tuesday

Law professor Robert Tsai and author Deborah Lipstadt have explored how the press minimized the potential threat of Adolf Hitler during his rise to power in Bavaria. In the 1920s, the New York Times reported on Hitler’s popularity while minimizing his anti-Semitism. Again in 1937 the same newspaper humanized Hitler with a day-in-the-life profile describing him as a bohemian with an artistic temperament. Much has been written about Hitler by historians though most biographers have not been sympathetic toward the dictator.  

Back in 2016 a Harvard scholar examined similarities and differences between President Trump and Hitler. Since then a lot has happened and the comparisons persist. Donald’s father Fred instilled in his son a win at all costs world view, encouraged him to act like a killer and king. Sons learn a lot from their fathers, both directly and indirectly. Fred was a successful yet racist and controversial real estate developer. He was arrested at a KKK rally in 1927 and was thought to be a Bund supporter and Nazi sympathizer. Fred suffered from Alzheimer’s during the last 6 years of his life and died of pneumonia at age 93. Fred’s father Frederick was born in Bavaria in 1869.  After immigrating to North America, he operated a restaurant, hotel and brothel in British Columbia before settling in Queens, NY. Frederick died of the flu during the 1918 pandemic at age 49.

Why the history lesson about Hitler and Trump’s family? Mainly to illustrate the point that some people previously considered harmless eventually do bad things, and a few people like Hitler do very bad things. Also, to explore the white supremacist beliefs connecting the two men. In 2020 Trump is radicalizing the pandemic to incite a culture war to  cover up the fact he trusted false information. He is doing this in a bid for power, to bolster his reelection campaign. 

Until recently I have tried to tell myself that President Trump was more meaningless than malignant, more incompetent than evil. As the hypocrisy of his policies continues to emerge, it’s getting harder to ignore his malicious intent. Whether they realize it or not, Trump and his administration are becoming increasingly toxic. Instead of draining the swamp, they are turning it into a cesspool of corruption and death. 

Trump White House toxic memes above, German call to action below 

Trump refuses to wear a mask in public and told his followers that masks should be a personal choice rather than a requirement. Yet a recent White House directive requires all staff and visitors to wear masks. Furthermore, the CDC recommends masks be worn in public to help slow the spread. By choosing not to wear a mask, Trump is setting an example for his followers to disregard one of the easiest and simplest measures to minimize the spread of infections. One particularly angry mask hater in Texas was fired after he tweeted threats to anyone who tried to enforce mask wearing policies. How many more people like him are there in America?!

mask hater rage tweeted threats, then was fired by employer

Trump said any American who wants a test can be tested but that was a lie. Trump also said that wide spread testing was not needed; another lie. White House staff are now tested daily despite US testing capacity for most citizens still falling short. Trump clearly has a testing strategy to protect himself, but not for the rest of us.

Trump spent Mother’s Day rage tweeting; he sent or shared more than 100 messages by 4pm. Did he not spend any quality time with his wife or children? Is he no longer playing golf due to political optics? Well, I would personally volunteer to be his caddy if it would keep him off twitter and the tv for a few hours.

toxic behaviors

If Trump were a friend or family member, I would minimize contact with him as much as possible. That’s how I cope with a variety of toxic behavior. Trump is the president and I’m writing a blog about coronavirus so I can’t avoid him altogether though I do try to limit exposure most days. Instead of watching his press conferences and public relations events live, I read about them later along with fact checks. The less I see his face or hear his voice, the better.

Is it enough just to ignore Trump and his followers? What about armed protestors and self proclaimed militia? Many “Good Germans” remained silent during the Holocaust; they did not resist Hitler or the Nazis in a meaningful way. I don’t want to be a “Good American” like that. I don’t want to sit idly by while our democratic institutions are dismantled and undermined, while vulnerable people are exploited amid public distraction or indifference.

Forrest Gump coronavirus meme

Like Noam Chomsky, I believe Trump is culpable for the deaths of thousands, and I see clear parallels between Trump and Hitler. I want to do more than simply cast my vote in November. I want to help prevent any more needless deaths. By calling out toxic behavior, I am taking a stand and exposing the hatred and ignorance I see around me. Sometimes it's good to be neutral like Switzerland. Now is not that time.  

Noam Chomsky meme

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

• Aggressive chicken terrorized bank customers in Louisiana, and more weird news.
• Brian May of legendary rock band Queen ripped his gluteus maximus in gardening accident.
• Daily Show: Trump’s grand reopening extravaganza.
• Neighboring during pandemic facilitates friendships, feuds, and trash talk.
• NSFW: Vic DiBitetto responded to McConnell after blue state attack.  

Daily pandemic update:  

The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed for more funding to accelerate vaccine development for about seven to eight "top" candidates. The US has reported more than 80,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to John Hopkins University. Meanwhile, China's health authority said the reappearance of local clusters of coronavirus cases in recent days suggests that counter-coronavirus measures cannot be relaxed yet.  Aljazeera.com timeline

12 May 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
13:36 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	4,215,483	4,286,765	284,680	288,209	1,506,240	1,544,662
US	1,369,157	1,387,407	80,807	81,909	256,345	262,225
NY	345,406	347,151	26,812	27,003	58,100	58,363
CT	33,554	33,765	2,967	3,008	65	65
NC	14,945	15,273	565	575	1,808	1,808

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news: 

• 23 year old died from coronavirus after being sent home from Chicago hospital twice. 
• Children diagnosed with pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome could be connected to coronavirus.
• Coronavirus response sheds light on invisible racial contract in America, back to roots of white nationalism. 
• Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest rose sharply in April as country prepared to send troops to curb illegal logging and mining. 
• Economist Thomas Piketty explained coronavirus pandemic and inequality in historical context. 
• Fauci to warn senate of 'needless suffering and death' if country reopens too quickly. 
• FBI and Homeland Security warn that hackers and spies from China and other countries are working to steal American research in the effort to develop vaccines and treatments for coronavirus.
• FL residents in Clearwater protested gyms being closed by exercising outside a gym.
• Guy Fieri partnered with National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation to raise $20 million for Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. 
• If 80% of Americans wore masks, COVID-19 infections could plummet. 
• Industrial animal farming has caused most new infectious diseases, risks more pandemics. 
• MA pastor said he is holding church services to stand up to tyranny.
• Mexican border town is using sanitizing tunnels to disinfect travelers from the US.
• NC coronavirus antibody study at Wake Forest Baptist Health enrolled 7,194 participants.
• #RacistInChief and #TrumpMeltdown trended following press conference which ended abruptly. Claiming America leads the world in testing, which is not true, Trump said. “We have met the moment and we have prevailed.”   
• SC barbershops, hair salons, gyms, pools and other close contact businesses will be able to open in a limited capacity Monday May 18. 
• Senate republicans do not support Trump’s call to investigate Obama.
• Thousands of ex-prosecutors urge Flynn judge to question Barr's move to drop case. Barr said “History is written by the winners.”
• Trump offered to send ventilators to Russia and Putin agreed to accept them.
• Twitter announced it would label disputed COVID-19 tweets, event those posted by politicians. Facebook and Google have similar systems in place.
• TX Senator Ted Cruz got a haircut at salon whose owner flouted stay at home orders. 
• UFC could provide blueprint for return of other sport leagues.
• UK PM Boris Johnson’s new ‘stay alert’ coronavirus warning was criticized as ‘confused’ and ‘nonsensical’; parody went viral.
• US coronavirus patients and businesses are attempting to sue China over outbreak.  
• US meat exports to China soar despite dwindling supplies and sick workers.
• While support is growing among democrats to fund additional stimulus payments, conservatives want to limit the deficit by offering loans in lieu of delayed social security benefits.
• White House staff were directed to wear masks, keep safe physical distance, and take daily coronavirus tests. However, Trump still refuses to wear a mask.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• Police in Long Island NY helped woman celebrate 91st birthday.
• WI veteran leaves hospital after battling coronavirus for 50 days. 
• Whole Man Ministries gave away face masks, food boxes, toys and household goods.

In my personal life…

Technically people are not toxic though they/we can exhibit toxic behaviors. I readily admit I’ve been guilty of toxicity myself. Like all personal problems, the first step is recognizing your own negative traits and responsibilities, and then taking steps to do better.

I think most people are unintentionally toxic in that they aren’t aware of the impact they have on others. People rarely behave badly on purpose. I know I’ve accidentally hurt Greg’s feelings a few times and didn’t know when I was doing it. Fortunately we’ve learned over time how to hold each other, and ourselves, accountable for our behavior in a mostly loving way.

When you encounter a person who makes you feel bad in some way, it may take a while to figure out exactly why. And then there is the dilemma of whether or not, and how, to speak with them about it. Some offenders might apologize while others might reject perceived criticism. Confronting toxicity could help your relationship improve, or it might tear you further apart. I’ve seen it go both ways.

If a person reacts with rage or indifference, you might be dealing with a narcissist. In that case, the relationship may not be worth saving. But if a person reacts with compassion and remorse then there is hope.

Mirror theory hypothesizes that when we observe and analyze the behavior of other people we discover ourselves in them. Negative traits in our selves are like a subconscious shadow. If someone exhibits a behavior that bothers you, it can be helpful to objectively consider if you might demonstrate that same behavior at times. Again, I’ve been guilty of this.

One of the hardest aspects of dealing with toxic behaviors is figuring out how long to keep trying to repair a relationship versus when to walk away. It can be very difficult to repair or end a toxic relationship, and even harder to do so without feeling guilty.  

There are some people in my life who sometimes trigger negative feelings in me, but they are otherwise good people so I overlook their shortcomings without delving too deep. These are predominantly superficial relationships, not close friends.

Anyone who is a true friend or close family member, I try to be open and honest with them for the most part. Some conversations are easier to start than others; it depends on the person, the transgression, and the relationship dynamic. If a relationship truly matters to me then I usually prefer to resolve our differences rather than pretend everything is ok when it’s not. Usually, but not always.  

There are some people in my life that I care deeply about that have hurt my feelings. A few I’ve talked to and we’ve worked it out. Others I have not spoken to or I botched an attempt. I tried to have a conversation about healthy boundaries and peaceful coexistence with my dad but he reacted with anger so we haven’t communicated since. I feel sad that we don’t have a relationship, but I don’t feel guilty because I honestly tried.

The people who consistently trigger more negative feelings than positive are not currently active in my life. Through social media it’s easy to block, unfollow or unfriend someone to minimize conflict. In real life, blocking or ignoring someone is  more complicated.  


For readers who may be turned off by recent posts which have been kinda heavy and negative, I want to end today on a lighter note. Saturday we had Scotch eggs for breakfast, then grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus for dinner. Sunday we enjoyed chicken pho from Amazing Thailand, plus Greg's creme brulee for dessert. Monday I drank a Carnation breakfast mixed with milk followed by a mid afternoon snack of cashews. For dinner we had meatloaf (prepackaged frozen entree, meh) with homemade potato cakes (made from left over mashed potatoes and shredded cheese with chives from the garden, yum) and salad picked from the garden (lettuce and spinach mix). For dessert I had a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with sliced strawberries. Greg made himself a bowl of smushed strawberries with sugar sprinkled on top. 

Edgar meme from Men in Black

The polar vortex has given us overnight freezing temperatures so we've been covering our tender plants utilizing a combination of landscape fabric, sheets, towels and lightweight blankets. Most of the plants seem to be ok though the heat loving watermelon do not look good. Temperatures are on the rise and the high is supposed to be 81 by Friday so hopefully they will rebound. If not then we have time to try again with new plants.