Trump - Alleged Poor Empathy

[RavenSky]

Are you really that bereft of understanding?

Am I?

Try this:
"Your son is a hero who voluntarily put himself in harm's way for the greater benefit of his nation. It is sad beyond words that he paid the ultimate price for his courage."

Again, the mother crudely interrupts: "Tell me something that I didn't already know before, or was constantly afraid of hearing later from some jackass like yourself!"

WOW!

You are almost as good at blaming the innocent in defense of Trump's bullshit as Trump is himself.

 

[sharon45]

Am I?

Try this:
"Your son is a hero who voluntarily put himself in harm's way for the greater benefit of his nation. It is sad beyond words that he paid the ultimate price for his courage."

Again, the mother crudely interrupts: "Tell me something that I didn't already know before, or was constantly afraid of hearing later from some jackass like yourself!"

WOW!

You are almost as good at blaming the innocent in defense of Trump's bullshit as Trump is himself.

Again, where am I blaming the innocent here, and somehow definding Trump yet again? I am blaming this whole childish system that both of these camps are forced to play nice in.

 

[bilby]

Kind old King George
sent mother a note
When he heard that father was gone.

It was, I recall
in the form of a scroll
With gold leaf and all.

And I found it one day
In a drawer of old photographs,
hidden away.

And my eyes still grow damp to remember
his majesty signed with his own
rubber stamp.

- Pink Floyd, When the Tigers Broke Free.

 

[Crowcause]

I'm surprised that he didn't conclude the call like he did when dealing with some of the people in Puerto Rico - "Have a wonderful day!"

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

And there's more. Trump offered a grieving military father $25,000 in a call, but didn’t follow through

President Trump, in a personal phone call to a grieving military father, offered him $25,000 and said he would direct his staff to establish an online fundraiser for the family, but neither happened, the father said.
////
Trump said this week that he has "called every family of somebody that's died, and it's the hardest call to make." At least 20 Americans have been killed in action since he became commander in chief in January. The Washington Post interviewed the families of 13 and found that his interactions with them varied. About half had received phone calls, they said. The others said they had not heard from the president.

​He did what?!?!

There is a context and muddled one at that. The son named his mother the beneficiary of his death payment ($100k clams). The father complained about that. So was it an oversight by the son or did Trump ignore the wishes of the son, and the spiting was intentional? Won't ever know that one. And of course, Trump claims he'll write a check from his own money... sure.

Meanwhile:

Lee said the president spoke to them about "how impressive my brother was, how he had read the reports, reading everything about Weston, and he could tell how amazing he was. And talking to us, he could tell how strong we were and how strong he must have been. We were all pretty devastated.

"It meant something, the leader of our nation calling us and showing the honor and respect to my brother that I feel my brother earned," Lee said, his voice cracking.

They actually believed that Trump went through all the documents?

 

[iolo]

Well, he's a dreadful man, supported by dreadful people, so what did we expect, decency?

 

[funinspace]

You are so, so kind to FFvC, I ,mean really kind. Yes, it is alleged, but since Don the Con is such a habitual liar and has the empathy of a cockroach, that this story is quite believable. Though I doubt this will have much impact upon the Trumpsters, even as it cements further distaste of him among the middle/independent voters.


Duh! FFvC is a classic narcissist, so yeah 'whats empathy'. The widower is simply a prop...while he needs to be showered with praise.

My point was more that if the Representative wanted to make something up, I doubt it would have included such nuance. The alleged statement is exactly what a narcissist would say.

And now we have more reports backing up the allegation that FFvC doesn't seem to even know how to fake empathy:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/politics/white-house-crisis-niger/index.html

Cowanda Jones-Johnson, a family member who raised Johnson, told CNN that Wilson's account of the call was "very accurate."

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

My point was more that if the Representative wanted to make something up, I doubt it would have included such nuance. The alleged statement is exactly what a narcissist would say.

And now we have more reports backing up the allegation that FFvC doesn't seem to even know how to fake empathy:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/politics/white-house-crisis-niger/index.html

Cowanda Jones-Johnson, a family member who raised Johnson, told CNN that Wilson's account of the call was "very accurate."

blastula posted a link indicating that Trump hasn't called all the families at all (could it really be that hard by this point? Couldn't he just call in between holes?). But he has been better on the phone with some people, although, based on the tells, he was making shit up while talking to the family, but the family didn't notice... which explains why they supported him.

 

[Malintent]

I'm surprised that he didn't conclude the call like he did when dealing with some of the people in Puerto Rico - "Have a wonderful day!"

actually, he said, "have a good time". Because that is all he knows about PR.. vacation. The vast majority of his travel experience is to resorts and such... "have a good time" is practically embedded in his brain as "see ya later".

 

[ideologyhunter]

I am second to none in my loathing for Donald. Also, I disagree with friends who say that it's a bore to complain about him anymore -- we can not afford to normalize his speech and behavior; he needs to be called out on every single lie and abnormal comment.
AND YET.....
I gotta say, when the consternation over "He knew what he was signing up for" began, I heard it on MSNBC, and I was taken aback for a minute. Because, in Donald's mind, it might have been the core nugget of a thought he wanted to convey about a fallen hero; i.e., 'He showed great bravery and outstanding devotion because he knew at the outset that he was taking on great danger.' In other words, in a better context, there's a thought there that may not be calloused and ignorant. But our president isn't empathetic at all and doesn't know how to pay respects -- so of course he botched it. It's not easy to speak to bereaved people, whose emotions are absolutely raw and vulnerable -- it's best to express your concern and sympathy in a few friendly words. A President has, or should have, a stockpile of official-sounding sentiments, that's just how it is. Trump is too dumb to know this (so he actually offers one father a bunch of money. What a shmuck.)
My point is, it would not necessarily be out of line or unfeeling to express to a grieving mother that her son took on great peril when he entered the service, and that the country honors him for it. Our narcissist-in-chief has no ear for the sensitive requirements of condolence.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Well, it IS a fact that he knew what he signed up for.
I mean, my youngest son also knows what he's NOT signing up for. He's NOT joining the service exactly because Trump's at the helm and he doesn't know where that might lead.

But, yeah, this is not what you say to the recently bereaved. Courage, honor, commitment, will be missed, will not be forgotten, sure. A less jealous president MIGHT have asked someone, 'what did the last guy say on these calls?'

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Are you really that bereft of understanding?

Am I?

Try this:
"Your son is a hero who voluntarily put himself in harm's way for the greater benefit of his nation. It is sad beyond words that he paid the ultimate price for his courage."

Again, the mother crudely interrupts: "Tell me something that I didn't already know before, or was constantly afraid of hearing later from some jackass like yourself!"

So what if she interrupts. Let her. She's grieving. Holy Fuck.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Am I?

Try this:
"Your son is a hero who voluntarily put himself in harm's way for the greater benefit of his nation. It is sad beyond words that he paid the ultimate price for his courage."

Again, the mother crudely interrupts: "Tell me something that I didn't already know before, or was constantly afraid of hearing later from some jackass like yourself!"

WOW!

You are almost as good at blaming the innocent in defense of Trump's bullshit as Trump is himself.

Again, where am I blaming the innocent here, and somehow definding Trump yet again? I am blaming this whole childish system that both of these camps are forced to play nice in.

So now everybody is the problem.

 

[Elixir]

So now everybody [else] is the problem.

FIFY.
A card from up Cheato's sleeve, played daily in DC, and now on TFT.

 

[KeepTalking]

"I know you must be hurting bigly..."

And that's when the mother quickly snaps back: "How dare you think you know anywhere near what I feel!" "Hey, did you even have to bury a son, let alone one who was killed in combat serving this country with a president as cold-hearted and arrogant as yourself?"

This isn't about her response, it is about Trump's inability to speak to her with empathy. If she didn't blow up at the lame brained, non-empathetic, narcissistic thing that Trump actually said, why would she blow up with something that is essentially the same, but with empathy? Sure, there are tons of emotional responses a grieving person can shout out in the moment, even when empathy is being expressed towards them, but your response here shows that you just don't get what we are discussing at all, and you are lashing out in a feeble attempt to score points for your side. This shouldn't even be an issue with sides, and no one here should be tallying up the score.

 

[Elixir]

... no one here should be tallying up the score.

With trump and his suckers, EVERYTHING is about (claiming) "The WIN".
Asking them not to tally points denies them their very raison d'être.

 

[Treedbear]

... no one here should be tallying up the score.

With trump and his suckers, EVERYTHING is about (claiming) "The WIN".
Asking them not to tally points denies them their very raison d'être.

That's exactly the problem. We have little in the way of verifiable context for the conversation. It may have been simply misunderstood by the wife, or by the congresswomen, or people might be misunderstanding her reaction. So the only context we have for what Trump meant by "...he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt." is from when Trump has a press conference and starts making excuses by blaming past presidents and then whoever he stabbed in the back by inferring they had been the ones who told him. So his sentiments are actually pretty clear.

 

[sharon45]

Am I?

Try this:
"Your son is a hero who voluntarily put himself in harm's way for the greater benefit of his nation. It is sad beyond words that he paid the ultimate price for his courage."

Again, the mother crudely interrupts: "Tell me something that I didn't already know before, or was constantly afraid of hearing later from some jackass like yourself!"

So what if she interrupts. Let her. She's grieving. Holy Fuck.

Again, who said that she couldn't?

 

[blastula]

With trump and his suckers, EVERYTHING is about (claiming) "The WIN".
Asking them not to tally points denies them their very raison d'être.

That's exactly the problem. We have little in the way of verifiable context for the conversation. It may have been simply misunderstood by the wife, or by the congresswomen, or people might be misunderstanding her reaction. So the only context we have for what Trump meant by "...he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt." is from when Trump has a press conference and starts making excuses by blaming past presidents and then whoever he stabbed in the back by inferring they had been the ones who told him. So his sentiments are actually pretty clear.

View attachment 12809

It could have been misunderstood, but then Trump still denied he ever said it.

 

[sharon45]

Am I?

Try this:
"Your son is a hero who voluntarily put himself in harm's way for the greater benefit of his nation. It is sad beyond words that he paid the ultimate price for his courage."

Again, the mother crudely interrupts: "Tell me something that I didn't already know before, or was constantly afraid of hearing later from some jackass like yourself!"

WOW!

You are almost as good at blaming the innocent in defense of Trump's bullshit as Trump is himself.

Again, where am I blaming the innocent here, and somehow definding Trump yet again? I am blaming this whole childish system that both of these camps are forced to play nice in.

So now everybody is the problem.

No.