This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Amazingly, many of those who used to express outrage and disgust at Donald Trump's crudeness and ignorance now wait in sick anticipation for his latest tweet or outrageous usurpation of power. Like chemically dependent addicts, they know he's poison, yet they indulge in him nevertheless.
Yes, many are quick to condemn him, but they're sorely disappointed when he's not the center of the nightly news. His apologists console us by telling us that his tweets are harmless and not to be taken seriously. Just the Donald being Donald. They call him a new breed of politically incorrect leaders. Someone who speaks his mind, unfiltered by convention and tradition. In short, the only one who has the formula to make America great again.
And yet, psychologists have warned that such collective acceptance has the potential for collective madness and that in our need for viewing the spectacle that is Donald Trump we may be learning to accept him. And this could very well be the biggest clear and present danger facing the country today.
Thomas R. Smith
Salt Lake City