Yes, Virginia, There is an Insanity Clause

Recently, I saw the following exchange on TwiXter, and it caught my eye – mainly for being very funny by a public figure being attacked, but also for what it said on a larger level about social media today.

Democratic senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii had posted a blunt, but polite comment in support of immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, whose lives he noted were put in danger by Trump's racist lies that verged on domestic terrorism.  Which he ended by saying, "Kids deserve to go to school safely."  Being TwiXter, that of course immediately brought about a retort.  To be clear, it wasn’t remotely bad by Twixter standards, just unnecessarily obnoxious and ad hominen.  Of course, the person could have explained, even angrily, why they thought Sen. Schatz was wrong.  But instead he just wrote dismissively --

“How did you get to be a senator?”

Now, there are many ways Sen. Schatz could have responded.  Including ignoring it, which is what I expected.  What I did not expect was that he not only did write back, but replied --

"I was appointed. And then re-elected a few times."

I still laugh when I read that.

As I said, the slam was benign by social media standards.  But it was so petulantly unnecessary – especially when you’re actually addressing a United States Senator and have the opportunity to get across your point of view to him in front of many others.  But instead you waste it just being snarky with a stupid, meaningless, personal insult.  And something you’d never say if you had the same chance in person.

Once upon a time, I enjoyed responding about politics on social media. A give-and-take of ideas based on policy and personal standards.  But that's long since passed.  Even personal snark is rare.  But meaningless, empty foolishness is pushing its way to the norm.  Lest I be misunderstood, no, this is not a complaint about the "lack of decency" and treating people kindly.  Not at all.  This is TwiXter, I get it.  Rather, it's something else entirely.  It's noting that we've gotten to the point where so much from the MAGOP today is pretty-much literally insane. I don't mean that hyperbolically, but in every sense of the word.  "They want to abort a baby after birth." "They're stealing pet dogs and cats and eating them." And this recently from Elon Musk.  (Or "Leon," as Trump called him the other day.)

Once, it was just a part of the base that was delusional ("JFK will come back to life and run for vice-president with Trump."  "Anderson Cooper eats babies").  But now, this is coming its leading and official voices.  Add this week's "They can control the weather" from Marjorie Taylor Greene to the treasure chest of MAGOP insanity.

Perhaps it's the natural progression of blindly following a leader who psychologists and psychiatrists say shows signs of dementia.  But how do you even get to that point?  And getting to “that point” doesn't even include that he has been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable (twice) of rape and found guilty of fraud.  And said he wants to be a dictator.  And said he wants to terminate parts of the U.S. Constitution. No, we're not even talking about any of that.  Just the "He has dementia" part.  How do you blindly follow that???

But dementia is merely the starting point, because that's only Trump.  "JD Vance" doesn't have dementia, and he's the first one on the MAGOP ticket who began raising the fake and insane story about eating pets.  And even proudly admitted he made it up to get attention.  Musk -- the richest man in the world -- doesn't have dementia either (though it does seem like something is seriously off with him), and he's going on insanely about Democrats want to take your children.  Not to mention his range of crazed anti-Semitic theories, including that George Soros "hates humanity" and "wants to erode the very fabric of civilization."

By the way, a slight digression here, but just so that we don't forget it was actually the Trump administration that literally took children from their migrant parents and put them in cages, and then made next to no effort to reunite them.  So, if Elon Musk wants to be rightly outraged about such things, perhaps jumping around on stage with Trump last weekend wasn’t the best way to show it.

But back to the issue at hand -- when things like this are what today's MAGOP party is arguing... how in the world do you rationally debate that???  This list is long – from Trump, elected MAGOP officials, public figures and the base – and so often is dancing on the edge of insane.  Again, I’m not talking about a difference of opinion.  I mean, making insane points. 

Just yesterday, there was Trump saying CBS should be "investigated" for their interview with Kamala Harris.  (Note to self:  remind free speech "advocate" Elon Musk of this.  He might find it troubling.  Well...okay, it's Musk.  He's very flexible with his standards.  So, make that, "He should find it troubling.")  The day before, Trump lawyer Alina Habba was on Fox saying, “Dead babies are floating in the water.”  You know she crossed far over the line when even the Fox anchor questioned that.  Though the host thoughtfully accepted Habba's explanation, “Yes, we’re hearing stories.” 

Pro Tip:  If you listen to a base that gets its information from a literally anonymous Q source and believes that Anderson Cooper eats babies…you will “hear stories.”

For a while, I would respond back on social media to this insanity -- not to convince the person and win an argument, that's not possible with delusion, but to try and stop the insanity from spreading.  But eventually I realized that isn't possible.  Insanity is not an infectious disease, but it does love company.  And spreads easier than mayonnaise. 

So, I have a new standard for social media:  I will not debate insanity.  The best I can do is reply, "This is not true" -- and refer it to good medical care.

Not long ago, I liked debating politics on social media.  (And elsewhere, but social media is really the core problem here, for its breadth.) But we've reached a point where so much from the MAGOP is almost literally insane. "They want to abort a baby after birth." "They're eating pet dogs and cats." “They’re stealing your kids.”  “JFK is alive and will run as vice-president with Trump.”  “Anderson Cooper eats babies.” “Dead babies are floating in the water.”  (Babies seems to be a big deal among the insane.)  "They can control the weather."

And we're only talking the insanity here.  The flat-out, ridiculous untrue like “FEMA is only giving $750 to people, and just as a loan” doesn't qualify here.

And it's not just from the base anymore, but its leading voices.

And from their leader with dementia.  Which is pretty much the one thing, the only thing that even comes close to making it understandable.

But even if close to understandable, I will not any longer debate insanity.  I have my limits.

Tell it off, though, that's another matter entirely.

Have fingers, will type.