The weirdo right's penchant for bizarre and comedically questionable insults might be infuriating if it weren't so, well, laughably stupid. In cases like these, I find it best to fight fire with mockery. And in one specific instance, to fight dumbassery with an epic bit of comedy.
Team MAGA has taken to calling Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz 'Tampon Tim' because he signed legislation requiring schools in the state to stock tampons in both girls' and boys' bathrooms. Didn't make anyone use them, mind you. Just made 'em available to young menstruating humans in need regardless of their gender identity. Probably not in particularly high demand in the boys' room, but maybe they served to let young fellas know that their sisters go through some shit on a regular basis.
Tampon Tim is of a piece with the unique comedic insult stylings of a party led by a guy who drops zingers like Little Marco, Crooked Joe, and Kamabla. The moniker deserves about as much note as those.
But it does give us an opportunity to share one of the great bits of lunatic comedy from the legendary run of The Young Ones, which aired on the BBC from 1982-84. Do enjoy Rik's manic stylings here while you ponder how much coke Don Jr. would need to do to make this make sense.
On Wednesday El Presidente DJ Trump gave an exclusive interview to ABC News, one which the The Washington Post calls "stunning," one which The Gheorghe Blogtimes reviewed as . . . well . . . this:
As the Post opines, the interview paints the Commander-in-Chief as a terrifyingly insecure lad "endlessly obsessed with his popularity." As the transcript reveals (don't bother watching it), Trump discusses important matters at length, such as his recent speech to the CIA. An interview to talk about a speech to talk about an inauguration crowd. Have at it:
That speech was a home run. See what Fox said. They said it was one of the great speeches. They showed the people applauding and screaming. … I got a standing ovation. In fact, they said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl, and they said it was equal. I got a standing ovation. It lasted for a long period of time. You probably ran it live. I know when I do good speeches. I know when I do bad speeches. That speech was a total home run. They loved it. … People loved it. They loved it. They gave me a standing ovation for a long period of time. They never even sat down, most of them, during the speech. There was love in the room. You and other networks covered it very inaccurately. … That speech was a good speech. And you and a couple of other networks tried to downplay that speech. And it was very, very unfortunate that you did.
There are fine universities across this country. There are departments within them, some of them dedicated to Psychology. Within those departments are courses, courses with curricula and in many cases, textbooks, either printed or virtual. Within those textbooks are case studies, cases we would call "textbook." This chap in the White House is a textbook case for a great number of things; start with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
I called to the Mayo Clinic to learn more. I had to put them on hold briefly.
Eventually I got through and learned this about narcissistic personality disorder:
Narcissistic personality disorder is one of several types of personality disorders. Personality disorders are conditions in which people have traits that cause them to feel and behave in socially distressing ways, limiting their ability to function in relationships and other areas of their life, such as work or school.
If you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may feel a sense of entitlement — and when you don't receive special treatment, you may become impatient or angry. You may insist on having "the best" of everything — for instance, the best car, athletic club or health care.
At the same time, you have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation. To feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make yourself appear superior. Or you may feel depressed and moody because you fall short of perfection.
DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features:
Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
Exaggerating your achievements and talents
Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
Requiring constant admiration
Having a sense of entitlement
Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
Taking advantage of others to get what you want
Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
Being envious of others and believing others envy you
Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner
Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal and value yourself more than you value others.
Some of you aren't into "reading" or "science." Do you want to learn pretty much the same stuff by watching television instead, perhaps a snippet one of the best British comedies of the 1980's or any other time? Fair enough.
We've highlighted the merits of "The Young Ones" here before, but when I read the transcript text above from Trumplestiltskin, I immediately thought of a certain farcical character and a certain ridiculous scene. And for those who do like equations, "I feel sorry for you!" = "Sad!"
Observe and learn:
It's the same. Except Rick was enjoyable.
This post, trying to be everything to everyone, concludes with something for those who like celebrities before they were stars. A later scene from this same episode features Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, "House" Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and various other people. And Rick is officially named as The World's Stupidest Bottom-Burp, so the parallels to DJT just keep rolling on.
Sad news from the world of absurdist British comedy programs of our youth. Actor Rik Mayall, best known in the U.S. for his portrayal of Rick in The Young Ones, died yesterday at the age of 56. May heaven be full of telescopes with mice in them.
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