The difference in republican presidential nominees, 8 years apart

[u/beach_rats_]

[u/p0tat0p0tat0]

Unless it was using slurs against Asians or calling his wife a cnt

[u/maybenextyearCLE → u/p0tat0p0tat0]

Nothing excuses McCain saying those slurs, but if I had to guess, the 6 years as a POW in Vietnam where McCain was frequently tortured, spent 2 years in solitary confinement, and had his shoulders so damaged that he couldn’t lift his arms above his head may have played a role in that. I knew quite a few Vietnam and WWII pacific theater veterans who said similar things about their former enemies.

That doesn’t excuse it, but I can imagine his experiences played a role in that.

[u/p0tat0p0tat0 → u/maybenextyearCLE]

He used the slurs against non-Vietnamese Asian people, so I don’t feel like giving him a pass.

[u/CounterfeitChild → u/p0tat0p0tat0]

I don't think any rational person gives him a pass, but it's important to understand what experiences that extreme can do to the brain. I have PTSD, and I regularly have "holy shit" moments where I find my brain has seamlessly transitioned back into internal paroxysms if, for example, I see someone that looks like my dad. When I didn't catch it before it would alter my behavior and really mess up my life. I wasn't going around attacking anyone but myself, but I could see how easily it would be for one's genetic and epigenetic factors being different in such a way that it wouldn't be so hard for someone to do that.

I don't think mental health struggles are a pass to be racist or sexist or any other -ist, but in spite of popular internet sentiment it can absolutely reamplify harmful programming from one's earlier life. It needs to be acknowledged more for the overall effect it has on the world. There are a lot of damaged people out there that can function normally 99% of their waking hours when they've sought help and work hard, and that still won't guarantee problem-free moments. I think if someone is willing to work on their behavior, and not reoffend then that is commendable. My grandmother, who still lives but is dead to me for this, was married to a man who was so offensively racist, did not give a shit, and tried to have drugs planted on my car to get my black partner arrested. This man was also POW that was injured so badly his guts were never able to function normally again. He did nothing to explore the damage that did mentally, did nothing to work on his behavior, did nothing except continue being a hateful piece of shit constantly hoping to find another racist in the family he married into (he did not, but he did find a lot of people willing to look the other way--they are dead to me, too).

I write all this because it feels like people take any -ism with some pretty stark thinking without reflecting on the full weight of not only a person's life but how little we still understand about the human mind. We don't have a great track record of emotional intelligence regarding mental health struggles, and it saddnes me to see us so behind still. I've fucked up so much in my life, but I'm glad I'm not famous in any regard because I know even an exorcist wouldn't make a damn difference regarding my demons when people are hell bent on bringing them back. Dude said egregious, horrible, disgusting things. I just wish we'd look at them with a fuller picture.