Q: Thank you for this talk. I have a question: Around 8:30, Walter mentions projections, but where is the limit of projection? What if projection is also just an idea? Was Hitler evil, or was he just a predatory animal like any other already existing in Nature but with human-kind creativity in killing? Was he evil, or was it just a human projection? And for whom, as for some, he was a savior? And what about Donald Trump, whom you have criticized?
A: You are most welcome. :)
I would not say that projection is just an idea. It refers to an actual psychological phenomenon observable in human beings, so it is a valid idea. Other ideas are nonsense. Discerning the difference makes a difference.
One way to use the word projection refers to taking aspects of oneself that seem negative and relocating them in another person—projecting them into that person where they may actually exist or not. Donald Trump projects constantly. For example, many of Trump’s previous staff say that he is both stupid and incompetent and does little more than watch TV all day, but Trump projects those qualities into President Biden, who, whatever you think of his politics, is well-informed, intelligent, and competent.
Another way to understand the idea of projection is that what you see is you. That does not mean that other humans have no qualities of their own, but that you notice the qualities you notice, while the person standing next to you might see entirely different attributes.
Leaving Hitler aside, Trump is a Hitler wannabe who says that “Hitler did many good things.” Nevertheless, many nincompoops regard Trump as a savior sent by God. From my perspective, including my professional opinion as a doctor of depth psychology, he is a pathologically narcissistic sociopath, and the people who view him as a savior are simply fools who understand nothing about either political history or psychology.
Probably, many of those camp followers are attracted to his message because it permits them to indulge publicly what previously had to be hidden: racism, misogyny, hatred of the "other," etc. Others are like dogs who will roll over and show their bellies to any dog with a fiercer growl. This latter category includes the many politicians who see his defects but roll over anyway. I was born in 1945, and this is the worst I have ever seen.
Whether the qualities we call good and evil exist objectively or are only matters of point of view is a profound question that I won't explore here. The point in the video is this: people who know me personally usually see me as kind, open, and gentle, so if someone finds "Robert" scary, it is most likely my way of regarding their cherished ideas skeptically that is scary, not me personally.
Be well.
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I was born in 1947, in NYC. I think of the past, which has led up to this. We invaded, displaced and destroyed the native population of this country. Building the country on the backs of slavery, we then had a Civil War to challenge that, but then there were years and years of Jim Crow politicis. We interfered with the elections of countries in Central America and the Carribean, leading to destabilizing our nearest neighbors. Then the war in Vietnam. The invasion of Irag by Bush/Cheney, based on a lie, then leads to more destabilization. But, Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a person like Donald Trump could actually become president of the USA! WTF! And then, that he would easily get away with not conceding defeat and go on to run again as the leader of a major political party! Consider, the elected President Biden would then be hounded by the Republican Party and his legitimacy questioned for his entire term! What is next. Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows. Threats of nuclear war by Putin. Great division of all major powers with nuclear capabilities growing worldwide. Don't get me started on Israel! Who knows what will be next. Robert, put this in perspective. Are human beings capable of sanity? In any case we all will die and nothing that has form will last.
I was born in 1948, and this is the worst I’ve ever seen too, all over the globe.