Psychosis is generally known to refer to a mental health conditions where one’s mental state is said to be out of touch with reality and delusional thoughts ensue. One could maintain a strict view of this term to refer only to that which is discussed and determined in the medical field; often accompanied by some sort of medication or treatment program. I, however, believe there is a condition of psychosis involved within the mindset of many Western societies, particularly the United States, and it is being fed by a complex framework of political persuasion and manipulation thus distorting what people think is the “real world.” This is what I consider to be patriotic psychosis and I use United States as an example because I couple the condition known as psychosis with the notion of ‘patriotism’ which is often directly referenced towards American sentiment of love for the nation indiscriminately and unapologetically.
I do not consider all Americans as possessors of this condition of patriotic psychosis. I only refer to those who absolutely refuse to acknowledge the existence of “realities” of the world and this is a considerable factor for why particular views of and from the United States have created national and international discord. There are many dimensions of realities I am referring to and to simply ignore the bulk of them would seem like the rational decision just to be able to move forward, but in my opinion it is the most irrational approach one could take.
The persuasion by politicians of citizens of the U.S. is a clear indicator that this patriotic psychosis is rampant and must be nipped in the bud. For example presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, is seeking to lead the United States through a campaign pushing to “make America great again” by banning Muslims, building a “gigantic wall” along the Mexican border and partially rewriting the 14th Amendment of the Constitution putting an end to birthright citizenship. Trump has caused a stir on many national and international political situations but there is an overwhelming supportive response to his ambition by many Americans which is in direct correlation with the patriot psychosis I believe exists among people like Trump supporters.
It is the voice of people like Donald Trump who become the voices that creep into and feed the minds of those with patriotic psychosis. Their ‘realities’ become a tiresome and aggravating lived experience for everyone else around them who do take into consideration the more complex nature of the real world. Nuanced conversations circling around matters such as terrorism, immigration, citizenship, who belongs, who doesn’t, they all become a platform for the delusional nationalists to profess hatred over courage at the cost of humanity. If patriotic psychosis was indeed a widely accepted medical condition, I would feel a bit more sympathetic to those it consumed and would hope nothing but the best in their search for counselling. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are still some conditions in this world with symptoms without remedy. – Shara L.
About Author
