Grumpy Old White Men

 

This essay is a caricature  of Trump's  grumpy old white men. A Greek painting depicts Hercules with Geras. Geras is a Greek personified figure of old age. In the painting, the muscular  Hercules towers over the bald, bent , emancipated Geras  leaning on a crooked stick with his reversed genitals. Geras represents Trump's  elderly white male voters .

First , a few  statistics  of  males aged  65  and older:  1.  24.8 million  2.  Median income $35,808  3. 1 in 10  live below the poverty level.  Another 2.6 million near poor  4.  Life expectancy has decreased 1.8 years, largely because of increases in mortality due to Covid -19, unintentional injuries, heart disease, homicide, and  diabetes.  5.  Percentage of divorce and separated spouses absent  has increased since 1980.  6.  76% of persons  were not  of racial or ethnic minority populations 7.  51%  live in Florida and Texas.  8.  10.6 million or 18.9%  were  working,  or actively seeking employment 9.  20%  assessed their health as fair or poor, compared to 27% of the population aged 75 and older  10.  They have at least one chronic health condition and many have multiple conditions.  11.  Leading chronic conditions  include arthritis 47%,  coronary heart disease 14%  ,myocardial infarction 9%, angina 4%, cancer 26% ,COPD, 11% ,and diagnosed diabetes  21% 12.  9% reported they were current smokers, 30% were obese ,12%  prescription medication for feelings of worry, nervousness or anxiety.  11%  prescribed medicine for depression , and 97% reported they had a usual place to go for medical care.  13.  18% reported they could not function at all, or had a lot of difficulty with the least one of six functioning domains.  Specifically, 21%  trouble seeing even if wearing glasses , 29% had difficulty hearing even if wearing hearing aids ,39% had trouble with mobility ,walking or climbing stairs, 8% had difficulty with communication,  understanding  and being understood by others,  20% had trouble with cognition, remembering or concentrating  and 8% had difficulty with self-care such as washing and dressing.

Second,  In my 60s, I completed the  one day 100 mile Tevis ; I  was an age division winner in the one day 100 mile Western States endurance run; and with my partner Jonathan ,my horse Gypsy,  won the  one day  100 mile Swanton Pacific Ride and Tie .Also, the males in  It Has Nothing To Do With Age read were competing in extreme sports at age 65 and older .

Third, further descriptions of  Trump’s white men : 1. They repeat  sentences, questions  and stories over and over which  are associated with  failing short-term memory.  They don't necessarily realize that they are telling the same story again because they don't recall having already told it. Listen to a Trump  when off script .He rambles  with incomplete and run-on sentences and repeats the same  theme over and over again . His verbal presentations are associated with his  failing  brain ..

Fourth, humans grow . The spine extends with resilient  cartilage in the vertebrae as bones elongate . Then gravity takes over. Now,there's  a sagging head , double chin, jowls hanging , flabby skin on upper arms, enormous  belly , and even  earlobes grow long toward the floor.  Trump and his kind  gaze  downward to watch their step while descending the stairs. As the body changes, nastiness also appears with wicked stories , twisted gossip about surgical mistakes, bad doctors, crooked relatives ,scandals, accidents and  finances.  The Geras types also watch the vicious cycle of  afternoon soaps and bizarre pathologies exhibited on talk shows .

Fifth, old people lie awake in the dark, at sleep in the daylight as prescribed  sleep of eight hours dwindles. In earlier years, the involuntary urination did not disturb sleep , but in later years the urge to urinate interferes with sleep , Christian monks who lived in desert caves tried to banish sleep altogether. They believed that pagan powers  approached  pious souls through dreams. In the  United States ,80 different sleep disorders have been cataloged and there are 337 sleep disorder clinics. In our republic , 10% of the population reported nightmares at least once a month.  

Sixth, names of family members merge . It's difficult to put a name to the face ,walk to the right door,  and match a pair of socks .The Geras group have difficulty speaking as an adult ,feeling as an adult and thinking as an adult. 

Seventh, every decade after age 50, the brain loses 2% of its weight; the motor area of the frontal cortex loses between 20 to 50% , visual area in the back loses about 50%; and the physical sensory part also loses about 50%.  Did you remember correctly to take your pills , do you  remember names, dates,and words ?

Eighth, the brain is held responsible for memory loss.  The inability to recall this morning's conversation, last week's visitors are examples that occur while aging . Trump’s people tend to spend more time taking stock of their life in review.  They tend to remember the traits of  parents, who attended the wedding and some things that want to return  from the distant past .Old age gives time to commemorate and embellish  achievements.  There is more of a desire to return to the past and  not to look forward.  Some might argue that forgetting may actually be the truest form of forgiveness and a blessing.

In conclusion, the long term short-term memory issue makes sense when thinking about the slogan Make America Great Again.  Simply put, when  in a Geras state , one compares an earlier time with the present, it's obvious that the past represents youth, growth and thrills. There was once upon a time when an individual “dominated. "   White supremacy ruled without question in every area of our society and culture.  Trump's Apprentice program was designed to represent power ,supremacy and control over others.  The past can be embellished, changed ,and/or  distorted.  But now , come to the present and future.  How many elderly white men are looking to the future with their frailty ,illness ,and incapacities of a failing mind and/or  body ?  Their  future doesn't look terrific when their  present is represented by inadequacy, despair and pain on so many levels.  In other words, for the grumpy elderly white Geras  men ,It's about the past and not at all about the future.

Reference

Hillman, James.  The Force of Character.

Exceptional Women

 

This disquisition pertains to an article in the New York Times  July 7,  2024 titled "Is America No Longer Exceptional?"  This article addressed comments made by US Presidents over the years.  My stand is very different in how I approach the term exceptional.  Exceptional is defined as unusual; not typical with synonyms of uncommon ,abnormal ,freakish ,extraordinary ,weird, aberrant and so forth.  In other words, exceptional can be used in  a variety of ways with somewhat oppositional meanings .

The 2024 Olympics  provided examples of exceptional.  Has the US Olympic team been exceptional in their accumulation of medals?  It would be important to operationally define the number of medals accumulated.  For example, the US team has accumulated an exceptional number of gold medals when compared to Iran, Russia but not China.  However, the US team has statistically accumulated an exceptional number of total medals compared to China.  Some might say the Silver Medal signifies the first loser.  Therefore, depending upon and according to the operational definition, whether or not  the US Olympic team is superior and more dominant than China's Olympic team is questionable.

In sports, the operational definition of exceptional or  number 1 can be easily defined irrespective of opinion or consensus.  For example, college football teams are ranked according to being number 1 prior to the beginning of the season.  These rankings are based on opinion without an operational definition, and therefore are irrational.  However, with all the  division championships and playoffs., the team that wins the final game that season is considered number 1, The University of Michigan beat their opponent in the final college football championship game and as a result finished the 2023 season as number 1. Furthermore, the greatest three point shooter in basketball is  Steph Curry based  upon his number made .  Lebron James has scored the most overall points  and therefore is number one in that category.  Who is the greatest basketball player of all time depends upon the operational definition  . And there can be different operational definitions which depend upon the individual who defines it..

Political figures  express  talking points , opinions, and predictions , often ,without an operational definition of the terms.  For example, Trump fits perfectly . On one occasion he stated "America is the greatest and most exceptional nation in the history of the world" and years later stated, when Biden was president, "We ‘ve become like a 3rd  world nation and it's a shame."  Notice, no operational definition, just irrational  nonsensical opinions designed to suit or bring favor to him politically.

In the New York Times article, Ronald Reagan,in the 1980s ,talked about the exceptional United States by being "  shining city on a hill."  Reagan plagiarized that term from a sermon by Puritan Winthrop’ . Winthrop was referring to the English settlement of Jamestown . He compared  that to the arrivals of the Dutch, French and Spanish . Winthrop's theme pertained to the goodness and godliness of the pilgrims stressing their exceptionalism and self-confidence.  Apparently it's been “forgotten “that the Puritan towns with their own hierarchies demanded submission to the faith and harshly policed their members and potential intruders alike?  Again, one can argue that Reagan didn't define exceptionalism operationally.  Not only that, a number of individuals in his administration were indicted for their  Iran- Contra , HUD rigging, EPA and Saving and Loans misdeeds. Realistically , Regan’ was not comparing his administration  to the goodness and godliness of the Puritans but to the  actual  realities of submission , greed ,exploitation and the hypocrisy of following Christian values .Some members of his administration were exceptionally aberrant, bizarre , inconsistent , deviant, abnormal and criminal as was Nixon and his law breakers  .  Bush’s  weapons of mass destruction  lies was also an example of exceptionally poor judgment with aberrant consequences . So much for that city on a hill for these fraudulent and deceitful Republicans.

The shining city on a hill has witnessed and is associated with the massive slaughtering of native peoples, slavery, expulsions  of Catholics, Mormons and abolitionists, Jim Crow laws, lynchings, segregation, Ku Klux Klan terrorism, prohibition , fascist pulses , political assassinations, depression , and currently the 2025 Republican playbook.  Too many people in this country's history  are associated with  lies, violence, prejudice and  blood .

When using the term exceptional, one can operationally define the term in order to  better statistically differentiate.  To generalize about 330 million Americans is simply irrational as people make up the country.  How can 330 million Americans, or  the country. be  easily homogenized or generalized?   Not everyone owns a gun in this country.  Yet ,we lead the world in accumulation of guns and gun deaths .Therefore, is the United States an exceptional killer?  Or, should just the people that have guns be included in the definition?  Further, our military, judicial, and electoral system ranks lowest among the world's richest nations . Furthermore, satisfaction with the way our democracy is working is the weakest it has been in decades according to Gallup.  

Gallup provides  questions based on their criteria and  receives responses from their selection of  individuals  . Perhaps their  sample in question comes from individuals living in the United States . Their sample or selection of respondents are supposed to represent our entire  country . However, they are generalizing  the respondents' responses with their sample. Statistically, It is not a true representation  of information from  all the individuals in our country because to do so requires the implementation of a universal sample.  Gallup does not employ a universal sample because it's just too  time consuming and costly.  In other words,  only samples of people’ responses  from countries are compared to each other.  And the samples,the answers  collected from the US did not fare well against the samples, the answers  collected from the other countries.

It's clear there are  and have been a number of  exceptional , but not perfect , people such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Lincoln ,Schweitzer, Oppenheimer ,Teller,  Russell , Marx , Freud , Einstein and Chomsky  .  Further, the athletes in "It Has Nothing to Do With Age" and " Bo's Warriors "  also  illustrate exceptionalism . On the other hand, Hitler, Stalin, Putin and Trump can be operationally defined as  exceptionally  bizarre ,deviant and criminal . People can be  operationally defined  as exceptional based on their moral, intellectual and humanistic attitudes and behaviors. Simply stating opinions , lies and beliefs are often  false, irrational, nonsensical and prejudicial. 

PS

Dave H.,  my buddy, is visiting his mom in Michigan and she is an exceptional 99.  Also,  Linda ,turning 91 ,in a few days,has accomplished  so much in her life span. As a teenager.  Linda golfed with professional Babe Didrikson on one outing.  After 18 holes,  Babe  ,impressed, invited Linda to join her on tour.Instead, Linda went hunting with  Ray, her father. Linda initiated a  kids tile project with Mike H .’s assistance . She also  started the H2O  exercise program in the ALT pool ;  was the president of the Silver Spurs equestrian club and began pickleball .  She was an accomplished swimmer, diver, Whitewater guide ,kayaker, skier , mountain biker and fly fisher woman.  She was a talented watercolor painter and worked with clay and stained glass.  Linda is exceptional !

Up Where We Belong

 

When Linda , Teddy and I head out for our morning  run and pickleball excursion, the Bluetooth SiriusXM setup on the Golf cart is tuned to the love songs of the 70s.  Those songs, before Linda ( BL ), are terrific and associated with love, joy  and growth .  During the 70s , I’m in my 30's ,with an enormous amount of psychic energy. This brief essay  is before  BL and pertains  to   some of those  terrific and wonderful memories .

In 1969, I was accepted to the educational and clinical PhD psychology program at Wayne State University.  I learned from a distinguished faculty that included Drs . Kounin, Wattenberg, Collier, George, Miller,Barahal,Ambinder,Lyness , Hillman and others. Kounin was brilliant and was a doctoral student of Kurt Lewin.  My buddies included Denny, Archie, Mary and Wayne.  Back then I had a full beard and wore my hair in a ponytail.. My dissertation advisor Jack George was previously a priest and found a new calling.  

Going into the 70s,  I experienced a heartfelt marital breakup and loss.  Then my  life expanded in leaps and bounds. I left my Assistant Professorship at Oakland Community College.  and friends  and colleagues President Joe H, Dean of Students Don N, faculty members Virgil J, Tom T, Randy, Kathy V, Peggy, Mary W, Wally S, Bob P, Les Moran, Sylvia, Beverly and many others and  visited  my brother  Ron, one summer  in San Francisco, We attended Bill Graham's Fillmore West and watched Creedence Clearwater perform .  Then I met a beautiful ,gorgeous psychologically oriented redhead  at a park near the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.. I fell in love with  Gail B.  Gail was fun , exciting,and musically oriented , The Doors,  Bob Dylan, Ike and Tina  ,Simon and Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye ,,Temptations,, Blood Sweat & Tears,, The Who, ,Guess Who, Chicago, Bread , Cat Stevens, Laura Nyro  etc were  music to my ears. Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Apocalypse Now were memorable .Gail and I spent time in Detroit and then, we spent a couple  of fun and exciting months in Europe like dancing to Joe Cocker ‘s music in a  West Berlin disco , crossing checkpoint Charlie going in to East  Berlin; visiting Denmark, islands in the Mediterranean ; touristing the sites in and around London; catching the red district in Amsterdam and hanging out on the beach in southern Spain  with Frommer’s book guide.. During our glorious stay in Paris ,Jim Morrison overdosed . ..  

I completed my PhD and accepted an Assistant Professorship at Cal State San Bernardino.  There, I fell in love with June T, a faculty member .  She was attractive, psychologically oriented and a terrific lover. We lived in the mountains and had a Blue Jay  mailing address. Also I met Samantha Eggar  at Lake Arrowhead making  a TV  film "Love Story" with co-star Vic Morrow.

We relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and I began another but related career in a Short- Doyle community mental health facility composed of psychiatrists, MSW’s,  mental health technicians, and PhD psychologists.  Clarence T.  Bob S.  Dwight E.  Ed P.  Paul D. Louise B , Don M and the cute seductive Melanie K were some of my  favorite colleagues . 

As it turned out, Jan H.  was the Chief of Service. Actually,  Jan and I attended Denby high school.  On one of my birthdays, I entered the clinic and in front of me was a gigantic blown up  Denby yearbook picture on the wall. What a pleasant surprise. Howard B, Velma D , and Pat H were colleagues as well.  Time at the clinic was  a learning experience, exciting, social and a lot of fun. 

I met  psychologist Ed S.  and we attended training in hypnosis with Michael C.  and became good friends .TI also attended training sessions at the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute where I met Jackie H. Additionally, for the Superior Court, I performed competency to stand trial evaluations of prisoners in the jails and prisons

I bought my first home in lower Piedmont and moved to San Leandro. Real estate was booming and highly profitable.  Jackie H was another one  of my lovers  during that period.  I also started independent practice while at the Tri-City clinic and subsequently left for a full-time practice.  I initially shared  office space with Chuck R and eventually bought a building for my practice as well as becoming a landlord.

Stan R.  supervised me for procuring my California psychology license.  Stan, while attending the University Wisconsin, trained with Carl Whitaker.  Stan  married Noga, an Israeli psychologist.  Aside from supervision, we attended Eagles, the Who and Rod Stewart concerts.  My friend Stan eventually left and relocated to Israel with Noga.  

Completing supervision., I took my licensing exam in LA and stopped a suicide attempt in the process.  After licensing, I started  independent practice in addition to working at the Tri-City Clinic in Fremont.  I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Est by Ken, a psychologist in his residency.  I was also  trained in the art of consultation by Dr. Singh in  Berkeley .

During my time at Tri-City mental health, I consulted with the school psychologists in the Fremont, Union City and Newark school districts ; drug and alcohol programs and school principals.  I also conducted a research study measuring the ego identity of pregnant  high school girls and made professional presentations about my findings.

One week my ex came to San Francisco and we discussed a possible reconciliation.  Later , during the summer, she brought out our two children and we traveled up and down the coast being tourists.  After that visit, we decided  to remain just friends.

I was most productive professionally during the 70s and also began running at Lake Merritt in Oakland.  The distance was somewhere between 5 and 10 km.  There, I competed with many other runners during that time..  Intellectually I grew ,physically. I grew and emotionally I grew with many love  encounters and meaningful experiences.  Listening to 70’s music  with Linda seven days  a week is terrific for my continued well-being.

In closing, there is only one  remaining friend, not counting family, Wayne.  from all those I mentioned that I can  familiarly talk with  about the glorious 70s.  Unfortunately, some of those associations are lost  because of death , while others became severed for a number of reasons.  In essence, what remains are our memories ,along with  one friend and family that remain alive…

PS

Dr. Wayne and I first met at Denby high school.

Do we have the memories !

The Bible

 The Old Testament, the Bible ,has been referred to as the greatest story ever told. Psychologically speaking, the Old Testament most accurately illustrates the frailties of human nature,  mental and intellectual health, pathology , ego needs , barriers, within  internal and external conflicts  This  essay provides a few examples of man’s repetition and  continuity in  his psychological history .

Adam and Eve  are initially described as part of nature but not fully human.  In fact, Eve is nonsensically viewed as originating from God  and derived from Adam’s rib..Biologically speaking,  that depiction is crazy, preposterous  and her  second class standing is irrational and demeaning . However, both demonstrated that an  act of disobedience was a virtue. Both emerged by cutting the “umbilical cord “ ,and human history began . Harmony with nature  took the first step toward independence and freedom.  In fact, they  opened their eyes, and recognized each other as strangers in a  dangerous world .  Thus, their disobedience prompted them to learn ,to rely on their own power and become fully human.  Disobedience is contrary to obedience.  In other words, they had to disobey God and obey their own conscience, laws of humanity and of reason.  If man  only obeys , then he is a slave which  results in acts of anger, disappointment, resentments and repression .

God is represented as an authoritarian.  He represents authority to whom one is eager to please and  afraid of displeasing.  God is the all-powerful moral authority.  God's able to kill the firstborn as in Exodus; destroy all evil in Sodium and  Gomorrah; and flood the world because of man's wickedness.  In essence , God is  wicked and a sadistic murderer if he's not totally obeyed.  His power is unlimited and he answers to no one.

The notion of God's unlimited power to control and destroy is associated with authoritarianism.  Freud's superego, is an authoritarian conscience  and is the prototype for authoritarianism to occur.  The child internalizes the commands and prohibitions of the father , which the son accepts out of fear of rejection and loss of love.  The child is obedient to that power that's outside of himself, because it's been internalized with an identified authority.  That's very effective because the father’s commands become part of an individual 's obedience within the development of an authoritarian conscience. On the other hand, disobedience can be characterized as rejecting consensus, outside thoughts with the internal  power to deliberate, think ,evaluate  and to judge with reason .

An  authoritarian conscience ,with obedience,results in accepting ,being loyal and subservient to the power of God , kings,  queens, emperors, dictators, conquerors and other rulers over man, especially in  a master- slave relationships  This obedience to an irrational authority is based on the interests of the slave and master being antagonistic  toward  one another because what is advantageous to one is detrimental to the other.  It is not based on reason, but is based on an irrational authority that has to use force or suggestion to maintain that power , control and obedience.

Queen Esther  represents a most favorable female description.The beautiful Queen Esther, was reared by her cousin because of the death of parent. She later  charmed her way and  became a Queen and  then convinced the King not to murder Jews and allowed  them to defend themselves. Esther, in the biblical story, represents female strength, excellence, intelligence ,assurance, diplomacy ,faith and courage to intercede against the proposed  tyrannical act. Esther's ego needs of achievement ,affiliation , autonomy, exhibition , are dominant and demonstrates the power and expertise of an important  female to rescue, confront immoral acts, and save the day.  Our vice president , modern day Esther ,is on a path to accomplish that feat as well . 

The story of Samson and Delilah is a familiar one as a beautiful seductive woman used her charms to outwit a most powerful  religious male.  According to Samson, his strength was derived from God.  Delilah learns his secret and Samson was blinded, chained, humiliated and made a spectacle of shame.  However, his hair grew back  he regained strength and yes he kills the bad guys  by committing suicide in the process.  Ego needs of sex ,achievement ,aggression, dominance and abasement are demonstrated in this biblical story. Good over bad, regaining faith and destroying evil  are  universal and familiar themes.

King David is considered one of the three greatest individuals in the Old Testament.  The story begins with his humble beginnings as a shepherd , thus representing a poor,  uneducated boy  but a competent worker.  In a historic occasion, he meets up with a mountain of a man Goliath, an enemy of the people.  In battle we have an underdog versus the favorite . Just armed with just a slingshot., David conquers and kills the giant.  He later becomes King, has an affair with Bathsheba, arranges for the death of her husband as she  becomes pregnant;. David laments the death of his favorite son Absalom ;  then dies at the age of 70 after reigning for 40 years .

On his deathbed , David tells  his and Bathsheba ‘s son  Solomon  “walk in the ways of God and to take revenge on his enemies.”  David's sin of adultery  and feelings of remorse are most human and typical .Expressions of shame, betrayal, revenge, murder, remorse, guilt , adultery,sibling rivalry, favorite son , secrecy, manipulation  and  ego needs of  abasement, achievement, aggression, and dominance, demonstrate the frailty of man ‘s nature’, ruled by his hormones, impulsivity, amorality,  and self gratification . David’s story is  all too common in human history with a belief or not  in God, and not following his commandments . And our VP is ready ,able and intending to slay an amoral  and despicable tyrant. Also, another female  Gabby Thomas ,slayed the field  in Paris.

The repetition and consistency  of mental health and mental illness in the  history of man reflecting his nature are brilliantly depicted in the Five Books of Moses.  As a result, these themes of man that pertain to God ,others ,nature and self are universal and allow one to easily identify with the cast of characters.  For example,there is  the common motivation of revenge, the principle of  reciprocal justice expressed as an " eye for an eye" is familiar , repetitive  and irrational because it’s for actions that have already occurred.and  does not solve or resolve anything. It simply perpetuates the craziness and keeps it alive.  Gandhi said something to the effect that the world would go blind if carried out . Throughout  Bible stories there are good  and evil guys, followed by retaliation  either by God or others.  Additionally, man's motivation of defending himself against evil, committing sins, being manipulated, seduced, believing in or not  believing in God , being the underdog ,  obedience , disobedience, and sadistic cruelty towards others is  common and apparent.  Also, found is a humanistic conscience and love which suggest that man has potential for good and justice as well as  an authoritarian conscience, or a potential for evil, and destruction . The Old Testament  stories have inclusive themes which continue to be repeated  since man is confined , obsessively and compulsively limited by his nature and  with ego needs  that affects his tendency for  either humanitarian or authoritarian principles. .

Denby Tars

 I just received another dose of reality as my good buddy and longtime friend and fellow psychologist Wayne recently informed me of the passing of Larry Hudas.  This important chapter of my life is nearing completion.  because his most recent passing reinforces  life’s reality ,the process of aging , loss and many past  positive memories.  Larry was my teammate on our  most dominant ,most powerful 1957 football team.  This post relates to my teammates on that  exceptional high school football team.

Our Denby Tars 1957 football team was unparalleled  and the  Detroit sportswriters called it one of the best teams in the history of Michigan football.  Ed Rutherford was the head coach and Jack Rice the assistant coach.  Too many of my teammates have passed and that leaves, as far as I know, the following still alive: 1.  Johnny Auld, the center 2.  Dr. Ron Transik left guard and middle linebacker 3.  Dave Banlow ,the left tackle.  4.  Jim Haslip ,the left  end   5.  Roland Kotwicka ,the quarterback 6.  Rudy Nurmi , the safety. I saw Rudy a few times after high school and my mother did as well.  7. Walt Majewski ,defensive tackle.

Those that have passed  include : 1.  Tom Smith the right end.  Tom was my competition at Wayne elementary school and Jackson junior high.  Tom  was an exceptional athlete.  At Jackson, Bob Adams, Tom and I were the best three on three basketball team during that  gym class.  Tom played four years varsity at Denby, was Allstate and later played for Dan Devine at Missouri.  Missouri was a powerhouse and they went on to play in many Orange Bowls.  Tom was killed by a drunk driver when he was a  principal of an elementary school.  2.  Ed Budde was an All-American in high school and at Michigan State University .  He was the number one draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles .He played with the Chiefs for 14 years and was in the first  and their second Super Bowls  Ed attained numerous honors.  Ed set up a series of book signings in Kansas City for my first book.  He invited Connie Dobler to join us.  Incidentally, both of our books were published by the same publisher Triumph Books.  Linda and her sister Bretta joined us at some of the Kansas City Chiefs functions.  Ed's wife Carolyn was extremely hospitable and I met their two younger children as well.  A few years earlier, I met Brad, also  a Kansas City number one draft choice at  an NFL  Alumni function in Southern California.  Ed joined us at our 40th high school reunion, and I presented him with a picture of him and I taken by the Detroit Free Press in 1957. 3.  Dr. George Bletsos became a dentist and  was our  class president .  George played in the defense in the  secondary .  At our  30th high school reunion.  George went out of his way and greeted me along with Sec. Katie Yeager, another friend from Wayne elementary.  4.  Mitch Newman was co-captain and played as an offensive halfback.  Mitch played for Duffy Doherty at Michigan State.  I remember watching a  TV talk show, and one of the guests was Mitch who recently came back from Vietnam.  Mitch wasn't going to attend Denby’s 40th high school reunion, but I pressured him to come and he did   5.  Jim McDonald was an offensive  halfback  6.  Larry Hudas was an offensive halfback, Allstate , Michigan high school athlete of the year ,played for Duffy Doherty at MSU  and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. His obituary tells much more about him. 

Our first football game In 1957 was against Southeastern..  On the first play of the game, at right guard, I  pulled and led the blocking for Larry going around right end.  After what seemed like 50 or 60 yards, Larry was somehow tackled.  I never asked Larry how that happened.  We went on to win the game 41-7.  We were undefeated for the rest of the season scoring a minimum of five touchdowns per game and allowing 2 or 3 touchdowns for the entire   season.  Unfortunately, Ed Hood., forged a doctor's name on his physical examination.  The athletic director reported  it and the games that Ed played  were forfeited.  Southeastern went on to play in the Goodfellow game for the city championship.

The year  prior.  In 1956, I played middle linebacker.  During the season.  I broke my right heel in a  non football injury .  On crutches at Tiger Stadium.  I watched our team lose De LaSalle in the Goodfellow game 26-20.  My friend Ron Transik  was a starting middle guard on our championship team.  However ,before that 1957 season, I impressed Jack Rice with my  strength in physical education class performing countless push-ups and chins.  Also , prior to the season we scrimmaged with Mackenzie high school.  I performed outstanding at middle guard  and  Ron was moved to middle linebacker .  On offense, I was the starting right guard  and Ron was the starting left guard. Coach Rutherford, with the games decided by halftime, moved me to left guard  on offense and kept me in as middle guard on defense .

Losing teammates, especially know , has been difficult as morality surfaces . Although my mandala of life is shrinking , it still remains firm  and non -severable  . During adolescence,the foundation and integration  of  identity  sets in motion a process for  a  continuity  of life . In my  process, my self is composed of  complexes of  affiliation, physicality,  perseverance,  competitiveness, goal achievement,  and  cognitive  growth . These complexes have enabled  me to perform and  have characterized  my  past, present while looking forward  to the  future  . I continue with chin-ups , running  30 to 40 miles per week, reading and writing . With Larry's  passing,most  powerful and significant  memories of triumph, accomplishment , joy,  conflict, disappointment and loss surfaced .  I  acknowledge the past while remaining cognizant of time rapidly passing . There are no do overs. However,  setting goals feels right..

Discrimination

 The history of our Republic is associated with religious, economic, and social discrimination.  Father of our country.  George Washington owned slaves; and representatives to the constitutional convention were slave owners as well.  The Wasp aristocracy wielded power,possession and status.  The religious teachings of Luther and Calvin; and capitalism facilitated ,contributed  and fostered an authoritarian character structure .  Although there was supposed to be a separation of church and state, one particular God, with authoritarian characteristics, became central to the Republic as depicted in our monetary system; Pledge of Allegiance; patriotic songs; religious holidays; and being called a Christian nation.  This essay  briefly describes the discrimination in question .  Discrimination is defined as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability. 

To begin, Luther believed that man  ,by his nature, was rooted in evil and lacked the freedom to choose between God and Satan ; and it was necessary for man to receive God's will and grace with faith. Faith changes his nature when he unites with God.   And Luther’s attitude toward the world was based on hating and loathing for anything or anyone that was not striving for this unity with this outside power.  In other words, man had to submit to God in order to receive salvation because man was powerless ,insignificant and this was the only way to receive God's love, and  deliverance from harm  or loss. 

God's power is good because it's ordained and Luther hated the poor and powerlessness of the masses  which he called rabble . Luther rebelled against the church and spoke and wrote about the gospel because , according to his teachings , man is now prepared for his role in which his life becomes a means and prepares him for life after.  In other words, the powerless and insignificant,  require an external power to protect them . Psychologically,  a powerful authoritarian God or  a father figure reduces anxiety about the uncertainty of  both life in the present and an afterlife  .

Calvin also believed that man was powerless,  insignificant, and it was necessary for man to self humiliate and eliminate human pride because the world was despicable, and one had to devote himself  to God in order to  reach a future world. Calvin  also introduced the concept of predestination.  Predestination means that you were chosen by God before birth  and/or selected to reach heaven and avoid eternal damnation, irrespective of how you lived  your life.  God works in mysterious ways and picks the good guys from the bad guys by demonstrating his unlimited power.  So not only were the Hebrews chosen by God but some of Calvin's followers as well.  This suggests that Calvin also had a deep hatred and resentment toward  all the unfortunate others.

Luther and Calvin wrote and believed that man was essentially evil and powerless, and that  man can achieve absolutely nothing that is good , based on his own merit.  In fact, to love oneself is a sin which suggests the notion of self hatred and that  is one of the greatest “sins” to be found in man. Also ,man was to become an adjunct to an all powerful  authoritarian God.  Man must subordinate himself , find the center and the power or principle that's outside of himself.  Further, man should not be selfish, which in essence is the ability to suppress spontaneity, which affects  personality development.  However, when a man is unable to love himself , he cannot love another. 

England ruled the colonies, economically, politically , socially and religiously and they rebelled.  In the constitutional convention, the motives of the aristocratic  authoritarians  were clear . They had to have slave manpower to further their economic, political and social power. 3/5  of human beings were the compromise. Forget that Christ. Paul ,Mark, Matthew  expressed that man should love his God, strangers and enemies  .

In 1787, the 3/5 compromise was reached.  This decision regarding  the non fully humans affected the number of seats in the House of Representatives; number of electoral votes and how much states would pay in taxes.  The political and economic benefit was obvious:. Free states wanted to exclude slaves because they had no voting rights.  But the slave states facilitated their power in that slaveholders were members in the states legislatures.  One argument was should slaves be included in taxation but not in representation or vice versa ? They were  property .

It was stated "representing men who have no will of their own and these men had been degraded."  This compromise had additional influence that affected the presidency,  and speaker of the house.  The Supreme Court safeguarded southerners in the Senate and electoral college votes with favorable decisions.  The Constitution was a pro slavery document.  However, in the Constitution.  nowhere, did it say that a colored man was forbidden  to vote.

It was given that the slave lacked full personhood, no legal recourse or standing to challenge or participate in any kind of electoral legislation of their own accord.  The black man was not a full person, which meant that his wives were not full persons also.  Since they were considered property , the savages  lacked morals , ethics and were to be watched over and taken care of by the power structure for their own good.  However, why would you permit and allow your most "precious" resource ,children, to be nurtured and reared by a  non person; why would you have non persons prepare  meals;?  Perhaps your most precious resource was not children and maybe it was money, power, dominance and exploitation.  Why would you have intercourse with a non-person ?  In other words, one can meet their egos' sexual needs in a variety of ways and  does not  it require a human partner ?  In any event, it's  crazy hypocrisy and rationalization .Aristocratic authoritarian character structure has the power to rule , possess and discriminate based on their narcissism and conscience.  

With the Emancipation Proclamation, the South  aristocracy rebelled as they were emotionally and physically "attacked" economically, politically,  and socially.  Their whole  authoritarian aristocratic life was threatened.  Someone had to restore it.  Yes, they lost the war and they haven’t forgotten . Repressed hostility still remains  irrespective of all the Southern discriminatory laws that followed.  

The southern aristocratic power structure wanted to  remain supreme , be independent and therefore  favored state rights  . They withdrew from the union  and started a civil war.  After the conclusion of the Civil War, the South had difficulty initially during the reconstruction phase.  Result was the rise of Jim Crow laws that were state and local laws enacted by the white dominated state legislatures. They were able to disenfranchise, remove politically and affect the economic gains accrued to Blacks. They mandated racial segregation in all public facilities such as schools, transportation ,libraries, drinking fountains and so forth.  Result was that Blacks became second-class citizens based on politics. social, and economic disadvantages. Wasp  authoritarian aristocracy rules .  

Under the Jim Crow phase ,their were KKK ,white league redshirts , Texas Rangers and lynchings, as well as  voter fraud  complaints with the authoritarians in power. That sounds familiar . With the authoritarian rule which is directed over one racial group, there was voter registration and electoral rules with their poll taxes, literacy ,comprehension tests, and residency requirements as examples of restrictions and discrimination.  In fact, the grandfather clause permitted illiterate whites to vote but not Blacks. 

 Mississippi, North Carolina, Alabama  have a rich and notable history  in discrimination, exploitation and segregation.  Blacks were not eligible to vote . if they didn’t vote, they could not  serve on juries  or run for local offices.  The mythology was expressed, and that this segregation protects Blacks from adverse feelings, and incidentally is okay for white men to have sex with  a black female but not the other way around. Jim Crow laws glorified ,retained Wasp exploitation and power in the South. The popular novelist John Grisham  writes about betrayals and discrimination in the South.

During our so-called experiment with democracy, the Republic established civil rights and voting constitutional rights  .The assassinations of the Kennedys and Dr. King  followed .Don't forget the bantam rooster George Wallace, Newt Gingrich’s   Contract with America  and other  state rights crazies that  rebelled and exploited the multiracial Republic , by not wanting to pay taxes, reduce power of the federal government ,rewrite US history and eliminate voting  participation with.States rights , Wasp rules with authoritarian tendencies ..

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Then , Pres. Obama was elected president. and the current rebellion  followed with Trump, civil  rights legislation with their "separate but equal" discriminatory Supreme Court ruling. The current Robert’s court  attacks democracy with their prehistoric  Wasp history  rulings of overt  constitutional discrimination .

Psychologically ,not liking oneself is projected onto others, especially when one's emotional ,sensual, social, economic,  political  and entitled sense is threatened.  Envy, jealousy and hatred becomes apparent when "others" are perceived as doing better.  The repression is manifested with so many irrational acts.  The buildup of repression , pervades the whole personality and affects one's relationship to others as well as himself, but is often rationalized in a disguised form.  This continued rebellion, discrimination of wanting to return to white power, is driven by  anxiety , an evil and sadistic repressed hostility .

Feelings of insignificance and resentment destroys confidence and teaches man to despise and distrust himself and others.  Essentially , it makes him a tool before some  authoritarian secular power like Trump that contradicts moral principles and goes against the foundation of  Judeo-Christian tradition.  The  anxiety and human needs of being frightened, uprooted, isolated, and powerless is apparent ..

Within Luther and Calvin philosophy, there's a division , a separation, among human kind because man didn't  only make himself  an instrument of God's will but  to that of the economic capitalistic machine as well. For progress ,he works in amassing the mighty dollar ,to save , to invest and to  be successful . The man who is thinking in terms of his own self-interest becomes "I am what I have, what I possess."   And another way to deal with anxiety, insignificance and powerlessness as well as one's moral standing with God, is  through secular activity.  Secular activity, work,  was important for man to be able to take care of himself and his family.  In fact, man becomes driven to get ahead,and  to succeed . He becomes a workaholic.  There's no one  forcing man  to become a slave  and worship the almighty dollar .The tendency is  an internal compulsion that also pushes , minimizes and provides relief from  anxiety through activity.

Today, if a poor white wanted to attend college, the cost would be prohibitive.  Back in the old days, state college fees  were reasonable and there were plenty of opportunities to work in the automobile industry with its proud middle-class.  Today,  college and professional sports rosters are made up of an inordinate amount of black athletes . Not as many scholarship opportunities for  the white athletes of today.

If we pay attention to the salaries of the superstar black  athletes, it's out of this world.  Brown and Tatum of the Celtics just received  5 year contracts making 60 million per year.  Ed Budde, one of my friends, was a first-round draft choice of the Kansas City Chiefs.  His first year salary was about $15,000.  The point that I'm making is that the amount of resentment, jealousy , rage and repression  of so many white high school educated people is significant.  Their opportunities and expectations are meager. It's no  wonder that Making America Great Again suggests going back to the previous era of white dominance in every sphere.  Not only in sports but in the entertainment , legal, educational, medical ,professional  and political fields, the amount of black  and other minorities , the competency ,superiority, success  and achievement is so apparent.  It's no wonder why  in so many  parts of the country Wasp’s  want to keep Blacks away from the ballot box, restrict their education , ban books with the hope of again subjugating.  The class struggle  continues and is the  American story.  We are no melting pot.!  The struggle between authoritarianism, human dignity and democracy continues.

Reference

Fromm,Erich Escape From Freedom.

Repression

 

I was not surprised by the recent assassination attempt.  Our current political situation  is congruent with our nation's history of  political violence .  The hostile, aggressive and toxic  rhetoric by Trump  reinforces  fear, anxiety, and  enables violence among his tribe .  And, why should he be immune  to the insanity from the crazies?  Further, craziness is illustrated by the following:1.  We have an inordinate amount of guns and  killings’ along  with the rise of anti-Semitism. 2. We also have the largest military budget in the world.  What happened to  moral sensibility ? 3.Too many are gullible to the false, misinformation, conspiracy and hate from domestic and external sources like anti social media. Briefly,  anxiety and fear are associated with aggression.   Four-legged animals, instinctively , either fight ,flight or freeze when threatened.  However,  our superior development and evolution of the cortex with cognitive capacity allows us to repress fear and anxiety as one of our coping and reactive  mechanisms . Additionally, aggression is  also seen as being acquired in that it is learnable based on rewards, punishments and imitation  and frequently as  revenge  for some previous act..  Aggressionhas also been characterized as an ego need and viewed as a reaction to frustration when one's goals or desires are thwarted .  In other words, there are many  motivational aspects and components of aggression. For a more enlightened understanding of aggressive acts, behaviors and consequences , the variable  repression is  significant  and beneficial. This essay is directed at repression , one of the ego defenses. 

Fear is associated with something external like being in an earthquake, being trapped in fire, or encountering a lion with her cubs.  Years ago I was on the trail running and I encountered a mother lion with her two cubs.  I eventually turned around and slowly grabbed a branch while looking over my shoulder, expecting an attack.  I was terrified and so frightened that I had difficulty running after leaving that scene.  

Anxiety is also fear , but it is personal and subjective.  It's shortness of breath, feeling a powerful , inescapable danger and feeling helpless.  In my lion experience I experienced both fear and anxiety.  The anxiety was related to being attacked, mauled and left on the trail just like what happened to other runner years. That event occurred near the 16 mile marker on that  Western States trail.

Anxiety can be hypochondriacal.  It can be a fear of developing some physical  incurable disease, cancer, dementia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc. Anxiety can also be related when there is notice of a fire in your area and receiving information to evacuate.  With anxiety, there are at least two factors always present and  include an overpowering danger , being defenseless against it and/ or not having the ability to be  in control.

Sometimes, the danger ,which is the helplessness , results from outside sources like the potential presidential election of the criminal, a threat to democracy, a lawless society, the threat to the truth, etc.  Anxiety can also be a threat that comes from our own impulses like being fearful to engage in certain behavior, express an opinion, or an impulse to hurt another..  Moreover, it's clear that fear ,the danger in reality , like the lion and the feeling helpless can be conditioned by  that reality and on the other hand, anxiety is a danger generated by intrapsychic factors that go on in the mind like feeling helplessness, which is conditioned by one's attitude, belief, previous experience, and other factors of encountering a lion and being unarmed..

Intrapsychic factors suggest that aggressive or sexual impulses have the  power to provoke anxiety.  This means that the expression,acting out of the impulse would result in a violation , collision that would affect the interest of another person.  That behavioral expression against somebody might be hostile and likely to hurt or humiliate another, the hostile impulse may be  the cause of the anxiety..Examples from growing up include being angry at one's parents or siblings.  The verbal or physical expression of anger or hostility toward the more powerful others may be fearful because of a potential or likely negative reaction by the other.  It's common in childhood to experience anger when things don't go one's way.  An older sibling may take away the toy or engage in some other activity.  To express aggression and hostility toward the older sibling  may result in being beaten up.by them  There are many situations and experiences during the early years where one’s words  or actions are dangerous to express against the more powerful .  When one is fearful and anxious and does not express anger or aggression against another, that is called repression.

The internal experiences of repression, results, and reinforces the already given feeling of defenselessness which means that others can take advantage of the situation.  After a while, one's awareness of one's hostility may be unbearable and conflictual because if one loves and needs the other person, the expression of hostility becomes problematic.  So when one expresses this conflict that one has with the other person how often can one compromise , bite their tongue and just take it .With the buildup and non expression or frustration of not saying a word, often the individual doesn't realize one's own hostility or rage toward the other person.  And what often happens is an explosion or erection that's likely related to some other situation or what seems to be out of the blue.  Someone may be aware or not aware of their own hostility and rage.  In other words, over time, repression of hostility interferes and becomes expressed toward outside sources.  So new anger is constantly generated.

With the buildup of anxiety, anger because of the repression results in a need to get rid of the negative feelings which are basically a threat to one's security.  One way to get rid of the inner turmoil is the ability to project one's own hostile impulses to the outside world.  In other words, with repression one pretends, so to speak, that the destructive impulses come from the outside ,not me  and/or some other source or something else not related..  The projection also serves as a need for self-justification.  It's not me that wants to cheat ,steal , discriminate and exploit  but it’s the criminal justice system, Biden, or  it's the left  that wants to do these things to me..  I'm a good guy .I’m making America great, it's them that are the enemy.  They stole the election for me.  They want to lock me up

In other words,projection is unconscious - they want to do for me what I really want to.do to them.  When repression reaches neurotic proportions, the projections can be directed in many different ways.  In other words, if one really feels hostility towards one's spouse, the projection definitely is not directed towards her. Instead, it’s displaced towards somebody  or something else.  Obviously, the repressed anxiety and hostility is not manifested every time the process takes place over one's lifetime.  Additionally, other activities may serve as a “protection “ against the hostility which might be hitting  that golf ball over and over again or verbalizing , tweeting, lies, hate , being wounded and so forth

Neurotic individuals experience  relentless hostility , anxiety and repression that become interwoven and  experienced. It’s  anxiety  that is commonly  based on the feeling of being menaced . The individual  becomes easily provoked  and  hostility is common  but  is not always expressed in healthy ways.. Examples of  fear, anxiety with repression may include but are not limited to : 1.Excessive amount of high velocity gun purchase 2. Hate and prejudice expressed on  anti social media; 3.Tweets 4, Being bullied 5. Obesity 6, Drug and alcohol  abuse 7.Suicide gestures and completions. 

PS

Linda and I just returned from Donner Lake visiting  lovely Pat and Mike , kayaking , and discussing the past , present and future.  Then we learned about that 20-year-was not old enough to to vote , legally purchase alcohol, but  irresponsible , emotionally sick ,, and intellectually  capable to accurately shoot an automatic  firearm and  committ suicide . That  factual information covers  just a portion of our insane,nonsense  and contradictory laws. He walked  with  a  loaded rifle , dressed in camouflage gear near the presidential rally. That weapon was his father's.  Was that his camouflage gear ?  Who paid for the ammunition, gear and practice at a  target practice facility ?  Did he attend that facility alone? There is a psychological history that's been lost with his death.  Yes, the FBI is going to come up with a limited psychological story at best . Perhaps an irrelevant motive ?  Unfortunately, we won't know the full story regarding this mentally sick kid. This story is  old and repetitive .

Reference

Horney, Karen.  The Neurotic Personality of Our Time.