As Trump is flouting mask-wearing in public; punishing states with threats of holding back aid until they get in line with his views on voting at home;  pushing for stadiums filled with people wearing no masks;  bullying the press; insulting women and minorities; encouraging packed churches--comparisons to despots of history come to mind.  I've always wondered about the psychology of such a man--and of those who like him, vote for him, stump for him, put up signs with his name on them.

The idea of wearing a mask to protect other people is impossible for him to grasp because he doesn't care about other people.

So as I was reading Why Fish Don't Exist, a fascinating read, my eyes landed upon this passage:

"Every age gets the lunatic it deserves," British historian Roy Porter once wrote.
        So what will become of us? 
        This nation programming its kids to ignore reality when convenient. To whisper anything they need to keep themselves going.  Is there any downside to living life behind rose-colored glasses?

Of course, I wonder what did our nation do to deserve this particular lunatic? And why is he hell-bent on keeping people from voting from home--as he himself does?

A few pages later:

        "Aggressors often think very highly of themselves," Baumeister and Bushman write, "as 

evidenced by nationalistic imperialism, 'master race' ideologies, aristocratic dueling, 

playground bullies and street gang rhetoric."  Odd, too, how many people who might score high 

on tests for positive illusions share a peculiar quirk with David Starr Jordan [the taxonomist 

she tracks throughout the book] a believe that they can control Chaos with their very own 

hands.  Fidel Castro once proposed building a shield around Cuba to protect it from 

hurricanes.  Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov wanted to stop snowfall by spraying a chemical mist 

of cement upon the clouds.  And speaking of cement barriers, there was once a man of some 

power in this country who wanted to build a "physically imposing" wall   made of concrete or 

steel to protect against a force as inevitable, as enriching, as wind.