Thursday, July 12, 2012

President Obama, Narcissism, and Psychology


Obama Psychology 101

Glenn Beck’s audience gets a Psychology lesson on President Obama from a caller.

Narcissism, by Michelangelo
Narcissism
Beck: Obama has a few predictable patterns: blaming George W. Bush, overspending, and making it all about him. In a 25 minute speech President Obama used the word ‘I’ 113 times – that’s once every 13 seconds. After hearing this, Steven (a psychologist from Indiana) called into the radio program to give Glenn and his radio audience a little lesson in Obama Psychology 101.

This morning on radio played an audio reel put together by CNS News – a compilation that highlights how much emphasis President Obama puts on himself, his opinions, and his beliefs in his speeches.

“He only said it [I] 113 times in a 25 minute speech,” Pat pointed out. “That’s only once every 13 seconds.”

“That’s incredible,” Glenn responded.

Glenn went on to point out that this is a personality trait with Obama, and pointed out the danger that it can lead to if the American people aren’t careful. Glenn noted that the main reason communism usually outlasts fascism is because fascism typically centers on the personality of the dictator – that can only last a lifetime. Communism tends to be about having a dictator. A dictator is replicable, a personality isn’t. Communists can create the illusion that everything is about the people. Glenn noted several examples of how a cult of personality has built around the President and the patterns history shows us repeating.

“Remember when he first, when he was first running?” Glenn asked. “Everybody was like, ‘Okay, let’s not put the seal on the edge of the desk and make it into yours?’ That’s why, when he did become the president elect, he decided that, “I can just change the seal of the presidency and make it the seal of the president elect of the United States.” I’ve never even seen that before. It’s why his followers put his face on our flag – you didn’t see that with Ronald Reagan. Did you see Ronald Reagan’s face on the flag when he was running? No. Of course not, because it was about America. It was about the workers. It was about the people. It was about the ideas. A good leader will never make it about him. He’ll make it about the ideas. Why would the 9/12 project outlast any other of these grassroots? If it would outlast, it would outlast because of the values and the principles. Make it about the values and the principles. Not the personalities. Not about the election, not about let’s get this guy out, but the values and principles. The values and principles are the only thing that will ever last. That’s not what this man is creating.”

Glenn pointed back to audio he played earlier in the show of Obama senior campaign advisor Robert Gibbs spreading lies about Mitt Romney in an interview with Candy Crowley on CNN. This administration knows that their followers are not going to look up the facts, and that’s all that really matters to them.

After hearing this, Steven, a psychiatrist in Indiana, called into the show and told Glenn and his listener how well known this behavior is in the world of psychiatry – it would be too uncomfortable for Obama’s followers to find out their leader was lying to them.

“I agree with you that the truth is the heart of what we need to point out, but when the truth is not being told, what the people are telling from the Obama administration is, ‘You need to believe, believe, believe, believe. Believe me, I was just handed a can of worms that I couldn’t possibly turn the ship around in less than four years. I didn’t know how bad it was. Believe me.’ The word “believe” means there is no proof,” Steven pointed out. “He says the word “believe” more than any president I’ve ever hold, and I’m an old man, I think.”

“It’s disturbing how much he says ‘believe me’,” Glenn added, “and ‘trust me.’ I learned early on from my grandfather anybody who says ‘trust me, don’t trust them.’”

The caller also pointed out the other key factor about using terms like “trust” and “believe” is that they can’t be looked up.

“You cannot look up, “Is there a god.” I mean, if you use the truth and honesty and facts, I always say to people never let facts get in the way of a good argument but, you know, I mean, the fact is Jesus should never have been crucified. It was left up to the people. And the people at that time went with their gut. And that’s what’s happening with our country. We go more with the gut than we do the fact,” Steven said.

Next, Glenn put America on the psychiatrist’s couch. “We’re a patient. You know, the United States of America is a patient that walks into your office and says, ‘I believe in this guy. He’s not abusing me. He tells me he loves me.’ You as a shrink, how do you get them to see the truth and lead them there so they become a stronger person?” Glenn asked.

“It’s more personality, and that’s one thing that Romney has to get involved in is developing his personality that he becomes likeable,” Steven answered.

He [Steven] later added, “In going away from somebody who’s abusing you, you’ve got to first look at the fact that there is an alternative. Is there something else out there and why would it attract me. And so you’ve got to become attracted to the individual, the idea, and that’s what happened with Obama back in 2007 2008. Everybody got attracted to hope and change. Believe, you know. As you said, the use of the free election heel on his plane was a genius. It was almost like he was preordained to become our minister, our savior, our president. So he was a genius at psychology.”

Note: As Glenn pointed out, this is an example of personality cult. Some people, like Romney, don't have exciting or celebrity personalities, but they have better character. This is important to keep in mind. For a great study in character, read Being George Washington, by Glenn Beck. ~CD

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Christianity, Traditions, and Values



Passing on Christian Traditions and Values

Dinner Topics for Friday


From American Family Association
By Randall Murphree

Mother and author Cricket Albertson recently talked to AFA Journal editor Randall Murphree about principles for discipling children.

AFA Journal: Why does this issue need to be addressed? Has it not already been done?

Cricket Albertson: The more people we have speaking with and about a passion for Jesus Christ, the better. I am a fourth generation Christian and many of my friends and family are in full time Christian service. Since becoming a mother, my question is: How do we prevent a generational slide that results in a limp and lukewarm faith?

AFAJ: Don't Christian mothers have an innate capacity to pass their faith along to their children? And where is Dad in all this?

CA: I was given opportunity to share my testimony at Come to the Fire Conference, a wonderful holiness women's conference. This book came out of that opportunity, so it is written by a mother to other mothers, but I believe the principles in it apply to fathers and grandparents as well. 

The temptation in our culture is to have our children, settle into parenting, and begin looking for the next adventure: ministry, food, exercise or other things to bring fulfillment. And the early commitment to be an opportunity for God in the home wanes a little bit.

Fathers may be the most important spiritual influence in the home because they represent the love and security of God the Father. If they image Him well, children are blessed, and if not, children are deeply wounded. But I do believe that mothers have a vital role to play in daily nurturing their children in the faith.

AFAJ: Do we get absolute promises from your book?

CA: No, it is not a "how-to" book. In fact, my children are 12, 10 and 8, so we are very much on a journey of joy as we seek God's design for our family. This book simply records some of God's teaching and dealings with our family.



Want to pass on your family values to your children?

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Parenting Value: Integrity


Honesty and Integrity: Parenting Value for July



Dinner Topics for Thursday

Honesty

Integrity with other individuals, with institutions, with society, with self. The inner strength and confidence that is bred by exacting truthfulness and trustworthiness.
Introduction
How can we teach our children to develop the inner strength and confidence that is bred by exacting truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity? How can we help our children avoid the common childhood tendencies to stretch the truth, to exaggerate, to rationalize, and to tell the little lies that often lead to bigger ones? Can small children develop the early integrity that will help them become honorable, dependable adults? Can elementary-age kids learn the direct, look-you-in-the-eye truthfulness that will win them respect and confidence? Can adolescents communicate candidly with parents?

"Parenting-by-Objective"
Review the activities and stories that go along with this months value. Make sure everyone in your family understands the value so they can see how they can apply it in their own lives and situations.
Talk about the Monthly Value every morning and remind your family to look for opportunities to use the value throughout the day. They may also observe how others don't understand the value. Get your children to share their experience with the value each day at the dinner table or before you go to bed. Be sure to share your experience each day as well. It will help your children know that you are thinking about the value too.

Monday, July 2, 2012

American Revolution: Compare to French Revolution


Tale of Two Nations

World History: Compare American Revolution and French Revolution


Dinner Topics for Independence Day

The Americans went on to create a Constitution that is a model of liberty for the rest of the world. This Constitution provides maximum freedom, limited power in the national government, and the majority of the power to the states and people. The success of the nation has been in proportion to the degree of fiscal responsibility and law-abiding character manifest by the elected government officials. 

Charles Dickens’ powerful novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is set during the French Revolution, involving characters in the cities of London and Paris. This moving tale gives one pause to consider a tale of two nations—the differences between the French Revolution and the American Revolution.

Only a few years before the French Revolution, colonial America had rebelled, not against poverty, but against the increasingly tyrannical rule of the British. In America, it was men of property and education, not the poor, who rebelled. For liberty, they invested their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Ironically, it was the French nobility who stepped in with naval support and saved the American Revolution from the brink of failure. 

The purpose of the American Revolution was to change the ruling laws, not to kill the king. Many colonists, including Benjamin Franklin, had close ties with England. Franklin was the leader in trying all possible avenues of diplomacy; revolution was the last resort. George Washington scrupulously avoided abusing military power by consistently deferring to the directives of the civilian government, and he always put the needs of his men before his own. He refused to be king. Noble of character he was; greedy and power-hungry he was not. American leaders did all they could to avoid anarchy. They sought the help of God in their endeavor, and received miraculous help when it was needed.

The French Revolution, on the other hand, appears to have been driven by vengeance and hatred. Without a doubt, terrible injustices existed, as vividly depicted by Dickens and in Victor Hugo’s magnificent novel, Les Miserables. The French peasants were at a great disadvantage, because their poverty seemed insurmountable, and they lacked education and money; therefore they had no power to exercise influence on their oppressors. It is unfortunate that they resorted to terror. The mass murder of innocents resembled the ethnic cleansing of evil regimes in the twentieth century. The mindless killing thoroughly disqualified them from any divine assistance. By killing the upper class, and their families, and their servants, and anyone remotely related, they also purged the society of education, law, culture, and other refinements necessary to civilized society.  Only anarchy resulted from their efforts. The old oppressors were merely replaced by a new tyrannical regime, more brutal than ever. It was bad enough that some even looked to figures like Napoleon to save them, but that really didn’t work well, either.

The Americans went on to create a Constitution that is a model of liberty for the rest of the world. This Constitution provides maximum freedom, limited power in the national government, and the majority of the power to the states and people. The success of the nation has been in proportion to the degree of fiscal responsibility and law-abiding character manifest by the elected government officials. Because America was free, she became prosperous. Like many other European countries, France learned the best governing principles from the United States Constitution, only after long years of struggle.


Copyright 2011 © by Christine Davidson