Part 1: Willful ignorance and privilege help the Right forget that they snapped during the Obama years. 

NEWSFLASH: 

Long before the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome” got batted around conservative media circles to gaslight the left, some left-leaning media pundit coined the phrase “Obama Derangement Syndrome.” Yeah…those geniuses at Fox News, the type of minds that created the Half-Hour News Hour, aren’t as crafty and original as they seem.

As a term, Obama Derangement Syndrome described people hell-bent on destroying the country just to spite the nation’s first Black president. It referenced the drastic and racist changes in some individuals, an irrationality and insecurity within them that didn’t exist at earlier points in time. When this ODS idea got started, the United States economy teetered on the edge of a complete breakdown and the people who inspired ODS wanted to exploit the economic chaos—to the point of making it worse—as long as it hurt Barack Obama’s ability to govern. Ruining their own futures became acceptable as long as it negatively impacted Obama. 

Remember how the Right wanted their very own white-skinned authoritarian so badly that they happily believed rumors about Putin wrestling bears? Obama Derangement Syndrome drove them. They dangled teabags from their faces to signal to the world that they were starting a new political movement. Why? Obama Derangement Syndrome. 

If you watch the media coverage today—even Trump-criticizing outlets—they fail to mention the fact that this term existed. They tell the viewers and readers that such a “derangement” only materialized after the 2016 and only left-leaning Americans are guilty of such behaviors. 

Sorry, bros. Our side created the idea. To describe your paranoia. Many of your fellow whites felt ashamed to share skin colors with you. 

The shameful acts of supremacy from the Obama years don’t get talked about much these days—not as much as they should. We act as if white America never openly advocated for America’s failure, just so Obama could be blamed for it. We forget that the country’s powerful impeded our 44th president every chance they could. 

The nation’s top earners demonstrated their Obama Derangement Syndrome when they downgraded the credit of the United States in the Spring of 2011. The Right proved that they were afflicted with Obama Derangement Syndrome when they questioned his birth certificate, freaked out that he flew on Air Force One without getting their approval beforehand, never accepted the First Lady of the United States because she was Black, told horrible lies about his family—this list of specific incidents could go on. Feel free to add your own. 

White America snapped when Barack Hussein Obama got elected. 

For the 2020s, let’s admit this fact.

Let’s quit pretending to be stupid about it. 

This isn’t my only post about this subject. Also read Can’t outsmart ’em? Outdumb ’em. and Smirk through the pain.

Check out the story site for my #scifi series. 

Revolutionizer Alpha. Stagnation is dangerous. So is progress.

I also post at Medium.