From: AlleyCat <katt@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh,can.politics,alt.politics.trump,alt.politics.liberalism,alt.politics.democrats,alt.politics.usa.republican
Subject: Psychological Damage Done Long Before I Came Along
Date: Fri, 23 May 2025 10:48:34 -0500
Organization: AlleyCat Computing, Inc.
AlleyCat is one of the several people who dominate Rudy on a daily basis, keeping their bootheels on his little pencil neck to
the amusement of all.
Rudy's Denial of Reality
Many people, like Rudy deny truths even when presented with irrefutable evidence.
There's an old (and corny) joke, which goes:
What is "denial?"
It's a river in Egypt."
There's another meaning of "denial" in psychoanalytic theory: A psychological defense we all use at times to reduce our anxiety when something feels particularly disturbing.
Finally, there is a particular type of "denial" we are witnessing nowadays:
When seemingly intelligent and sane adults vehemently deny truths despite a body of irrefutable data.
(THAT'S our Rudy!)
This type of denial is akin to Stephen Colbert's "truthiness" in that these deniers adamantly refuse to accept verified facts because they get in the way of their own rigid ideas.
In psychiatry, the word "delusion" means a firm belief in some idea which is known to be false, and it can be a symptom of paranoia or psychosis. While the believers in untruths are mentally ill, they do strongly adhere to their false credos in spite of clear evidence to the contrary which is presented to them, especially if based on scientific findings.
These deniers are indeed "true believers" for whom there is only One Absolute Truth.
The writings of their texts are taken literally or reinterpreted to suit their prejudice and hate.
This kind of closed-mindedness is prevalent in every country of the world. Call it zealotry, bigotry or fanaticism, these ultra-controlling beliefs are dangerous to our civic morale. Worse, they give a quasi-intellectual rationale for a momentum towards control, misanthropy, and hate.