The term BDS refers to a purported tendency by some American liberals to blame President George W. Bush for virtually every ill in the world. It also purportedly refers to opposing a position advocated by the President just because he supports it.
Last night a story broke about a liberal radio talk show host,
Bernie Ward, former priest, being indicted and arrested for charges related to child pornography.
Reactions varied but what brings me to the title of this post is Bush Derangement Syndrome affects the mental capacity of individuals and clouds their minds from any rational thought process.
Let me clear here, I am not saying anyone that disagrees with President Bush on issues has BDS, I have often disagreed vehemently with some of the things he stands for, it is not about disagreement, it is about the completely irrational desire to blame the President for every wrong in the world, if it rains, or even when they stub their toe.
It is always Bush's fault in their eyes.
One such example was found as a comment on a
liberal blog in regards to the arrest of Bernie Ward:
This is nothing but a political stunt by the Dumbya Regime. The ones that should be in court are the top executive branch goons like Dumbya. Of course Little Dick Cheney has his own branch of government, he isn't in the executive branch, he is in the nutty neocon branch. Anyhow he deserves another term and so does Dumbya -- LIFE IN PRISON!
Notice how they cannot even focus long enough to address the issue, which was Ward's arrest, or the charges of having child pornography.
They are so obsessed with Bush that they cannot think clearly.
Which brings us to the "paranoia" portion of the BDS disease,in another comment on that same thread:
Holy S---! Bernie of all people. From what I have read so far this prosecution stinks. What a novel way to remove one of the most vocal and credible voices against this corrupt administration from the air. Even if proven false the stigma this will carry may silence him. Just the fact that he has been indicted will turn many against him, no matter what the facts are. If this is a malicious prosecution being used to silence him, then anyone who raises their voice in opposition should be very afraid.
Those two are simply examples of BDS, two out of hundreds that can be found on almost every site that has open membership.
Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) is a pejorative political term coined by the American conservative political columnist Charles Krauthammer in a 2003 column. The term has been used in newspaper columns and editorials, on talk radio, by commentators on FOX News, and other mainstream press, including The Washington Post, the New York Times and in the conservative and liberal blogosphere.
Krauthammer, a former psychiatrist who earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, defined BDS as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush".
Which brings me to another Doctor, M.D. (Psychiatry / Aerospace Medicine),
Pat Santy, who goes into the psychology of Bush hatred in detail:
This psychological defense mechanism is referred to as "displacement". One way you can usually tell that an individual is using displacement is that the emotion being displaced (e.g., anger) is all out of proportion to the reality of the situation. The purpose of displacement is to avoid having to cope with the actual reality. Instead, by using displacement, an individual is able to still experience his or her anger, but it is directed at a less threatening target than the real cause. In this way, the individual does not have to be responsible for the consequences of his/her anger and feels more safe. ...
So, the next time you are discussing the weather with someone, or the latest crime, or any subject that doesn't involve politics and an individual starts spewing hatred towards Bush in an unrelated manner, do not get angry, do not get frustrated, this has developed into a disease, a sickness and these people cannot help themselves.
The best thing you can do with these emotionally fragile people is to not engage with them and see to it you leave them the name of a good shrink before you leave their company.
By engaging in their madness, you are helping them move further into their delusional state when in reality, what they need is mental help.
