Friday Fun: “My Conversation with A Store Clerk” By Anil Shrivastava ‘Musafir’

600-03069406 © Kathleen Finlay Model Release: Yes Property Release: Yes Store Clerk in Gourmet Food Shop Talking on Cell Phone

“Hello! How may I help you?”
“I’d like to return this made in China GPS unit.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“I cannot update the maps.”
“Well. Have you tried to synch it with updates on their website??”
“Yes, I tried several times, but it won’t synch.”
“What happens when you try to do that?”
“It asks for the serial number. When I enter the serial number, it says product not recognized.”
“Did you register the product when you first bought it?”
“No.”
“Okay. Do you have the receipt?”
“No. I can’t find it anywhere.”
“Then I can’t give you a refund.”
“Oh no, you misunderstand. I don’t want a refund. I just want to update the maps on my GPS.”
“Okay. Do you have the original packaging?”
“No. I threw it away.”
“I can’t help you without the original packaging.”
“I don’t understand. Why do you need the packaging?”
“You may find some pertinent information on the packaging.”
“Is the serial number of the product not a pertinent information?”
“Not according to our company policy.”
“Then why do you have a serial number? Moreover, I don’t think that updating map should be that difficult?”
“To do anything I need some proof of purchase.”
“So you’re telling me you can’t do anything to help.”
“Ah well, that’s a problem. How did you pay for it? Cash or card?”
“Cash.”
“If you’d paid on card you could’ve gotten a statement from your bank proving you’d made a purchase here and on what date.”
“Well, I paid cash.”
“Our exchange policy is twenty-one days so you might be out of warranty anyway.”
“I bought it last year sometime. I don’t remember the exact date. So now I just have a useless GPS system forever?”
“Well, you could send it off to the manufacturer with a letter explaining the problem.”
“Well, the manufacturer is in China. I don’t think it’s worth the cost and hassle. Can I speak to the manager, please?”
“The manager’s off today.”
“Then can I speak to whoever’s in charge?”
“You already are. Can I help you with anything else today?”
“I doubt it.”
“Okay. Would you like to open a credit card? It’s completely free and you get five percent off every purchase.”
“No thank you.”
“If you open one today you get a free gift.”
“What’s the free gift?”
“A made in China GPS system.”

Advertisements

Book Review Indra’s Net Author: Rajiv Malhotra Publisher: HarperCollins (375 pages)

I had no concept of Indra’s Net before reading this book of the same name written by Rajiv Malhotra. This was recommended to me by my nephew while I visited him last month (October 2018).

I’d divide my review in two parts: 1. the concept of Indra’s Net and 2. Fallacy in the Western representation of neo-Hinduism.

1. Indra’s Net: Indra’s Net is mentioned in Atharvaveda (Vedas are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism). It states that everything living or nonliving in the cosmos is connected with each other in an infinite web with no beginning and no end. At each node of the net is a jewel, so arranged that every jewel reflects all the other jewels. Thus everything and everyone in the cosmos is interconnected and interdependent on everything else.

The fact that all nodes are simply a reflection of all others implies the illusory nature of all appearances. Appearances are thus not reality but a reflection of reality.

Whatever we do to one jewel will affect all other jewels including ourselves. If we do harm to others, we will also be harmed. Similarly, if we remain kind to others, it will have an infinite ripple effect affecting all the jewels in the cosmos. Indra’s Net touches every jewel, every person in existence.

2. Fallacy in the Western representation of neo-Hinduism: Unfortunately the modern followers of Hinduism seem to be affected by the Western interpretation of their religion which has many fallacies.
According to Malhotra, the first and the foremost myth spread about modern Hinduism by the Western philosophers is that Vivekanand borrowed the ideas from Christianity in defining neo-Hinduism.

Malhotra mentions 8 myths about Hinduism propagated by western academia:

• India’s Optimum state is balkanization
• Colonial Indology’s biases were turned into Hinduism
• Hinduism is manufactured and didn’t grow organically
• Yogic experience is not valid path of enlighten and tries to copy western science
• Western social ethics are incorporated as seva and karma yoga
• Hinduism has no prior self-definition, unity and coherence
• Hinduism is founded on oppression and sustained by it
• Hinduism presumes sameness in all religions.

In essence, the Western academicians have tried to spread the notion that modern Hinduism is an experimental result of colonization and it has nothing to do with ancient Hinduism. It is important for all Hindus to understand this fallacy which is against ancient ideology of their religion. –Reviewed by Musafir

Commentary: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Texting and Emotion by Anil Shrivastava “Musafir”

Texting seems to be replacing direct human interaction and personal warmth. Human communication is not about exchange of information alone. We also exchange our emotions with each other. That’s what distinguishes us from machines.

Humans think about many things in parallel while communicating with each other. We think of past, present and future together. We also try to judge other person’s’ motives. We may have hidden agendas. This is not possible to achieve through limited vocabulary and grammar used in AI. Unlike machines, human communication is not linear. Emotion cannot be fully expressed through very limited vocabulary and grammar in any language.

Why is it important to interject emotions into our communication? If all of our actions were based on logic and rational thinking, then there would be no need for emotional spin. Fortunately or unfortunately, an overwhelmingly large percentage of our decisions are based on emotions. This is a part of human nature. I don’t know if society would become more effective or turn into a cold robotic place if all actions were indeed well thought-out and based on solid reasoning.
We, humans are already failing to communicate properly causing tension and war between our loved ones, communities, regions and countries. If AI can help to clearly transmit our true messages, more power to it.

Texting has several advantages: it allows one to relay the bare minimum of needed information without wasting one’s time in exchanging pleasantries and discussing a whole array of irrelevant issues. It also allows avoidance of conversation with certain people. One can send numeric information such as numbers, address, price of a certain item and time for a meeting without having the other party write it down. One does not have to face emotional reactions from the other party based on the information transmitted. This is adequate for exchange of information, but we don’t live by information alone. We need love, compassion, encouragement, apathy and other human emotions. These things can only be achieved through change in pitch, modulation and sincerity.
This last aspect is also the downside of texting. In fact, the very reason we want to even talk is to share our emotions. It is interesting to note that an entire array of “emojis” that one can attach to an e-mail or text in an attempt to convey emotions is emerging. However, it is obvious that a finite number of these cute symbols would be inadequate to express all of our emotions. How do you distinguish between love and enchantment for example?

We don’t know what the future holds. Scientists are attempting to add emotion to AI language. I do not believe that we can get rid of emotions completely from our exchanges. It remains to be seen how AI would change human-to-human emotional interactions. But I also know that anything is possible. Just thinking!

Current Affairs: “India – The Tolerance and Gentleness of Mature Mind” –Anil Shrivastava ‘Musafir’

India is the largest democracy in the world. It has the sixth largest and fastest growing economy; it’s the second largest nation in population and the seventh largest in land area. It is a nuclear power and a major player in space research and exploration. India counts among the top four military powers in the world, still India is not a dominant force on world stage when it comes to foreign policy and influence.
Why is India not considered an important participant in foreign affairs? The most likely answers that I get from people are because India is marred by poverty, political complexities, regional unrest, etc. Moreover, most of the Indians don’t care much about foreign policy. India is also much absorbed defending itself against its neighbors, Pakistan and China. It has no breathing room to look beyond its borders. So, it is insular on global scene.
It’s true that India is more an inward looking country than an outward looking country. Expansionism and waging war on foreign lands have never been India’s cup of tea. India’s policy always has been to live and let live. It doesn’t have a willingness to play on world stage, though it wants to maintain neutrality without taking sides. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India was a prime mover of the non-alignment movement. Let’s look back at history for a better understanding:
In 1955 Nehru took a lead in organizing Bandung Conference attended by 29 Afro-Asian countries representing one-fourth of earth’s land area. The purpose of the conference was economic upliftment of the newly independent countries and to oppose colonization by any country. This was the genesis of non-alignment towards then American and communist regimes- the cold war era.
The policy of non-alignment meant judging each issue without bias and prejudice. The policy of non-alignment was based on punchsheel, five principles. Those five principles were, mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, mutual non-aggression, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence through economic cooperation.
Compare that with today’s expansionism of powerful countries. Though India has been blamed for dubious stand on foreign policy, how can any sane country align itself with imperialists and chauvinists?
India doesn’t want to be a pushover of the United States. While this is true that India is growing in importance, India is not a primary player in most of the major issues concerning U.S. policy in Asia. Despite its participation in Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the United States, Japan, and Australia, India is not going to join any sort of formal alliance designed to contain China in the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Unlike China, India doesn’t want to use its economic growth into power and influence. This is where India differs from China and the United States. However, India wants to remain relevant to its neighbors, especially in and around the Indian Ocean. Countries in this region have a choice between a canny gift from China and no gift from India. Unlike China, India offers assistance to its neighbors without the debt and political intimidation. This is India’s uniqueness.
Let us not forget that India has regional expertise and political contacts in countries that the United States simply does not. After all, India cultivated the Northern Alliance and other anti-Taliban groups in Afghanistan long before 9/11. India still is the dominant player in South Asia, and has the ability to hold its own without being importunate to the superpowers. Beijing and Washington have long been the dominant powers in Southeast Asia, home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. But the region is increasingly seeking alternative alliances amid unease over China’s rising influence and perceptions of an unpredictable United States. As the colonial ambition of China’s Belt and Road project is becoming obvious, the Asian countries including Vietnam are looking up to India and Australia as potential partners.
Ultimately, foreign policy watchers must continue to be patient toward what they can expect from India. As its economy and military grow stronger, and with the foreign policy ideals of both its major national parties envisioning a large role for it in Asia. India will inevitably become more important and relevant on world stage.

“My Conversation with an Uber Driver” By Anil Shrivastava “Musafir”

On a recent visit to Washington, D.C. area I took an Uber ride to the Ronald Reagan (National) airport in Washington, D.C. Nihili was a middle aged Sinhalese female – quite genial and loquacious. She drove me to the airport from Germantown, Maryland. It hardly took me any time to realize that she was divorced, had two grownup sons and she owned a small townhouse in Colombo (capital of Sri Lanka) where she goes to vegetate every winter.

“From India?” She asked.

“Yes!” I get asked that question quite often which defies all the norms of PC (political correctness).

“I get many Indian customers. They don’t talk much. They are always on their computers or cell phones,” she remarked.

That was a case of blatant micro aggression, but I decided to remain civil despite Hillary Clinton’s recent suggestion.

“Yes, you are right. I come across many like them too, especially in India. Ever been there?” I asked.

“Yes, I go there very often to purge my mind when I store too many stinkers and things to gripe about. I go to Bihar where Buddha got his enlightenment.”

“I am from there, but I trained my mind mostly to be vindictive and quibbler. Are you a Buddhist?” I asked to continue the conversation.

“Yes, I am,” she answered.

“You know that Buddha was a Hindu prince, so how is Buddhism different from Hinduism?” I was curious.

“Buddhists believe in cause and effect which is similar to Hindus’ concept of karma. We suffer also because we constantly struggle to survive. We are constantly trying to prove our existence. We may be extremely humble and self-deprecating, but even that is an attempt to define ourselves. The harder we struggle to establish ourselves and our relationships, the more painful our experience becomes. “

“But cause and its effect will always be there. They cannot be ended, no matter what,” I said.

“We believe that cause of suffering can be ended. Our struggle to survive, our effort to prove ourselves and solidify our relationships is unnecessary. We, and the world, can get along quite comfortably without all our unnecessary posturing. We could just be a simple, direct and straight-forward person. We could form a simple relationship with our world, spouse and friend.”

I wondered how she got divorced despite such a pragmatism. “No matter what you do, misery is a fact of life. How does Buddhism explain that?” I was eager to know.

“We can end suffering through meditation. Meditation is the practice of mindfulness and awareness, we practice being mindful of all the things that we use to torture ourselves with. We become mindful by abandoning our expectations about the way we think things should be and, out of our mindfulness, we begin to develop awareness about the way things really are. We begin to develop the insight that things are really quite simple, that we can handle ourselves, and our relationships, very well as soon as we stop being so manipulative and complex.”

Probably, by handle she meant end. I was a little confused. “That’s wonderful. If the Buddhists are so enlightened, why is there a fight going on between the Tamils and you?”

“Sri Lanka is a very small country. We are just a dot in the ocean. Our population is less than the population of Mumbai, the largest Indian city. The Tamils want to divide our country and be independent. You tell me, how would the Indians feel about losing Kashmir, the Punjab, Meghalaya and Mizoram? Moreover, if you live in a country, you should believe in assimilation rather than exclusion.”

Sensing that things were getting sensitive, I tried to change the topic. I asked, “Do you guys think that the evil king Ravana existed and Lord Rama killed him to get his wife, Sita back?”

“Yes, Ravana and Rama really existed. By the way, Ravana was our king and he was a noble and learned person. Rama was the evil king of India,” she shocked me with her blasphemous statement.

“Come on! I am a Hindu. You are offending me.”

“Alright, tell me why did Ravana abduct Sita?” She questioned.

“I know, but I am interested in knowing your point of view.”

“You know that Rama’s evil brother Lakshmana cut Ravana’s sister’s nose? How would you feel, if someone cuts your sister’s nose? Our king was so powerful that he came to India and abducted Sita as revenge.”

“But you shouldn’t steal someone’s wife.”

“That was just to make a statement. Ravana was so noble that he never ever touched Sita. He kept her in a special palace in a beautiful garden. You can still visit that garden. It is there as a tourist site, she explained to me.”

“So you think that Rama and Hanumana really crossed the sea with their army?”

“Yes, the distance between Dhanushkoti (the southernmost part of India) to the Sri Lankan shore is only 20 miles. I have visited the point. The ocean is very shallow there many sand dunes that can be stepped upon depending upon the ocean current. Not only have that, one can easily travel by boat between the two points.”

“That’s amazing.”

“If you want you can accompany me to Sri Lanka. I am going there next month. I can take you to Sita’s place and to the sand dune bridge,” she offered.

“No thanks! My wife won’t like that,” I replied.

“And know what? Hanumana was not a monkey. He was an ugly aboriginal, so the Indians called him monkey. They were so cruel!”

Her strange strutting was giving painful jolts to my mind and guts. We arrived at the airport.

“Nice talking to you.” I said.

She winked in triumph.

Friday Fun: “Hakuna Matata” By Musafir

Friday Fun: “Hakuna Matata” By Musafir

Words are the most important tools of communication. This is what differentiates us from animals (among other traits). Words possess immeasurable power to shape individuals as well as history. So, what kind of lexicon are we going to create for the future? The prestigious Oxford English Dictionary added 1,400 new words to its expansive word list in its latest update introducing words such as twerk (thanks to pelvis gyrating Miley Cyrus), milkshake duck (white racist), and phubbing (ignoring someone by looking at cell phone).

I can’t ignore their official existence, but do I have to use them? Pooh-pooh (means no). I say so because Words convey love and build trust. They also shape character and tender hearts; certainly we know our words shape our children and if we are wise we choose them carefully. I rather absquatulate (leave abruptly) than be a blatherskite (talk nonsense). I avoid bobsy-die (fuss or trouble) before I cacoethe (do something inadvisable).

You may consider me a woopie (well-off older person), but I don’t want to end up a pilgarlic (bald-headed man with contempt). I know many of you are mouse potatoes (check the spelling Mr. Quayle). That doesn’t necessarily make you a deedy (industrious or effective). We know our words offend and that is why we sometimes bite our tongues.

We can’t always depend on amphibology (grammatically ambiguous). That will not help us when we go for a job interview. We may come across more like an argle-bargle (talking meaningless). Your blatherskite (without making much sense) may create a great deal of bobsy-die (trouble) for a workplace. You should rather join a blind-pig (place where alcoholic drinks are sold illegally) than looking for a job. If you insist, next time when you see me, please bring a dragoman (interpreter) with you.

People have been soothed and comforted by words and cautioned to exercise the angels of their better natures. Words have the power to mend and heal. So, it’s your choice to use them or abuse them.

Here they are, some umbriferous words from the latest addition to Oxford English Dictionary:

(‘fam’, ‘Tarantinoesque’, ‘Nothingburger’, ‘Bergmanesque’, ‘Spielbergian’, ‘Keatonesque’, ‘kaiju’, ‘scream queen’, etc.)

1. Fam –. Abbreviation of family; can mean close friends or relatives.
2. Tarantinoesque – Anything characterized by graphic and stylized violence, non-linear storylines, cineliterate references, satirical themes, and sharp dialogue.
3. Nothingburger – A person or thing of no importance, value, or substance; something which, contrary to expectations, turns out to be insignificant or unremarkable.
4. Bergmanesque – Of or relating to the director Ingmar Bergman; resembling or characteristic of his films or style. (Bergman’s films are known for symbolism and the treatment of existential themes such as suffering, insanity, and death.)
5. Spielbergian – Of, relating to, or characteristic of the films of Steven Spielberg, esp. as having fantastical or humanist themes or a sentimental feel.
6. Trapo – A politician perceived as belonging to a conventional and corrupt ruling class.
7. Dunbar number – A theoretical maximum size of a stable social group in which all of the members know each other (usually considered to be about 150).
8. Kaiju – Any of various giant monsters featured in Japanese films and television programs (or those in a similar style made elsewhere). [The word was made popular by Pacific Rim film series.]
9. Mrs. Robinson – A term used to describe an older woman pursuing someone younger than herself [Word is based on the character of the same name from the 1967 movie The Graduate.]
10. Bedunged – That which has been soiled with or covered in dung.
11. Scream queen – An actress noted for her comedic roles

Use them or lose them! Personally, I don’t care. Hakuna Matata!.

Book Review: “Educated” by Tara Westover and “The American Language” by HL Mencken (1917)

Educated: A Memoir
Author: Tara Westover
Published by Random House (335 pp)

I chose to read Tara Westover’s memoir, “Educated” since I was looking for a quick read and also because the title of the book enticed me. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.
Many of us, especially women, are forced to conform to tradition. Many parents all over the world subscribe to a paranoid patchwork of beliefs beyond practicality or pragmatism.

Westover was the youngest daughter of a fundamentalist Mormon in Idaho. Her father was determined to keep her secluded against modern world in a very crude manner.
Westover was not sent to school, but for Westover suffocating tradition and succumbing to her father’s idiosyncrasy was not an option. She was determined to be liberated from the morbid clutches of her clan. She taught herself enough to take the ACT and enter Brigham Young University at 17. She went on to Cambridge University for a doctorate in history.

Westover who is only 32 years old has described her odyssey that is daring and inspirational. “Part of me will always believe that my father’s words ought to be my own,” she writes. Though defiant, she is always respectful to those (including her father) who wanted to keep her bounded by archaic and cruel tradition.

The American Language by HL Mencken (1917)

Since I find linguistics fascinating, so I was attracted to attempt to read, “The American Language” by H L Mencken (published in 1917). To confess, I am not a philologist nor do I have the stomach to digest the entire book. I read a few chapters only and found it both enriching and fascinating.
To introduce Mencken, he was a patriot and a master of American prose. ” In his day, Mencken was as influential in the US as George Bernard Shaw in Britain.” (Wall Street Journal).

I was mostly interested in the chapters where he compared the British English with American English. Mencken believed that American English was superior to British English. He observed that even the Englishmen favored American English over their own.

However, Mencken also stated “that no such thing as an American variety of English existed – that the differences I constantly encountered in English, and that my English friends encountered in American, were chiefly imaginary”.

Perspective: “Do Something about It” By Anil Shrivastava ‘Musafir’

Perspective: “No Comments!” By Anil Shrivastava ‘Musafir’

Every time I turn on cable TV channels, I notice a bunch of women wearing hat and ribbons talking about women’s rights and equality in symbolic gestures. Then the camera rolls on to rallies and slogan-shouting activists on Main Street America. They expect us to conform to their presumptions and premise through innuendo and fear tactics. Have you ever thought who are those people? They are the army recruited by political action and special interest groups. Many of them are hired hands to participate in those rallies. Folks who really care about women’s elevation are the altruists who work in the trenches. Unfortunately, we all get riled up by media’s hyperboles.

I choose to categorize people and groups patronizing women’s causes in three categories. 1. Some are born great 2. Some achieve greatness 3. Greatness thrust upon them.
Some Are Born Great

There have been many privileged ladies in the past who used their wealth, fame and status to improve and reform women’s condition in the society and world at large. Some of them are mentioned below:

Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin, who died recently, called women to action with her rousing version of “Respect.” The resolute message for respect became a slogan for both the women’s rights and civil rights movements.
Franklin’s another song “Sisters Are Doin’ It for themselves” became an anthem for the emancipation of women from the constraints of a sexist society.

Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony born February 15, 1820 was not allowed to speak at temperance rallies. Bitter from this experience, she dedicated her life to woman suffrage. Ignoring opposition and abuse, Anthony traveled, lectured, and canvassed across the nation for the right of women to vote. She also advocated for women’s labor organizations. Anthony also persuaded the University of Rochester to admit women.

Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was a French existentialist philosopher and writer. De Beauvoir wrote books and articles on ethics, and feminism. In The Second Sex and The Mandarins, she produced an articulate attack on the fact that throughout history women have been relegated to a sphere of passive acceptance of roles assigned to them by society. Her works heralded a feminist revolution and remains to this day a central text in the investigation of women’s oppression and liberation.

Some Achieve Greatness

There are women who were not born with privilege. They silently work in the trenches to serve other women without restoring to symbolism, publicity or any political agenda. Some of them are mentioned below:

Sampat Pal Devi

As founder of the Gulabi Gang, also known as the Pink Sari Brigade, mother of five and former child bride Sampat Pal Devi is one of the most hands-on change agents in India. The Gulabi Gang have been active since 2010 in northern India and are famed for their opposition to domestic and other violence against women. They visit abusive husbands in an attempt to help the men change their ways. To date 270,000 people have joined the cause, in a country where everyday violence against women is a common place.

Sarah Tenoi

Activist Sarah Tenoi is leading the charge against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya. She is a project manager for the ‘Sponsored Arts for Education’ (SAFE) peace program and works countrywide to promote positive social change through peaceful protest and education.

Hajiya Amina Ahmed

Ahmed is a peacebuilder from Nigeria who works across religious and ethnic lines to empower women and build peaceful communities. “Women are typically the most-affected in conflict situations, but are excluded from decision-making processes concerning peace and security. Why is it so? If I am on the receiving end of violence, should I not be included in the discussions to end it? Women are leaders; we are peacemakers. When women are educated and enlightened, we have the potential to become models in our community,” Hajiya says.

Greatness thrust upon ’em

Then we have political mouthpieces, egoists and demagogues who try to take center stage for publicity or are made poster children for a political cause. Some of them are mentioned below:

Madonna

Here is a woman who lectures on women’s rights. In fact, her life and career are built on sleazy self-promotion. She is wanton and has indulged in every passion degrading women. She is lewd and lascivious.

Malala Yousafzai

It was sad that she was shot by the Taliban and condemned by many in her home country, Pakistan. But since then she has been made a poster child for women’s uplifment by the Western media. Malala’s initial goal was to promote equality of education – she hoped to ensure that all children, whether male or female, receive the same educational opportunities and that gender never plays a role in this discrimination.
Yet, somehow, the West managed to contort her intentions to benefit its own perspective, portraying themselves as the saviors of women around the world and war against the Taliban.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton talks about women’s empowerment and comes forward as a savior of women’s rights. However, she was a close friend of Harvey Weinstein and took money from him for her campaign. She took an awfully long time to give support to those women who were coming forward and has still kept the money given to her by ‘Dirty Harvey.’

In conclusion, let’s not get excited by the symbolism shown on TVs. Be a true altruist and work towards the upliftment of women. Start in your own community. Maybe, you can help emancipate women in your area who are battered or enslaved for trafficking. Maybe, you can call the toll free number 800.656.HOPE to report an abuse. Instead of getting impressed by the opportunists on TV, we should be of service to others in need. Remember, “Duty is performed without external gain anticipated at the time of the act.”

Fall 2018 Issue of TheThinkClub Quarterly

Dear Readers:

The Fall 2018 issue of hashtag#TheThinkClub Quarterly is ready for your reading pleasure. Please click below to read the articles and don’t forget to send your valuable input to letters@TheThinkClub.com. http://www.ThethinkClub.com

Click below to read
http://www.TheThinkClub.com

Anil Shrivastava
Partner and Managing Editor
Think Club Publication

Friday Fun: “Trumpophrenia” By Musafir

My friend is very sick. I just returned home after visiting him in a mental ward. I remember he used to be a reasonable guy. Then he retired and got hooked on CNN, MSNBC and (occasionally Fox News). His wife described his symptoms to me as follows:
• He is afraid that Trump may deport him to his old country and place his US born children and grandchildren in concentration camps.
• He gets nightmares that Trump will snatch his children’s toys and confiscate his bank account.
• He fears that Trump will molest female members of his family.
• He often shakes imagining that evil white men (who made laws to give equal rights to all and who sacrificed millions of their own lives to emancipate slaves) will come in mobs and will take away his house and throw him on streets.
• He is obsessed with the thought that Trump is out there to sell the United States to Putin for a hefty price since he (Trump) is such a traitor.
• He suffers from delusion that Trump is out there to ruin NATO by asking the Europeans to pay their share of the enormous cost born by America.
• He sublimates that Trump is involved in a systematic destruction of our economy.
• Sometimes he gets violent thinking that the US economy is in a gutter and the businesses are closing their doors or moving out of America.
• He hallucinates thinking vicariously that his fellow citizens are losing their jobs and unemployment is growing in America.
• He shudders and shakes fearing that Trump is hell bent on engineering a complete meltdown of U.S. trade.
• He gets convulsions thinking that Trump is making the European gods furious and they (the altruist Europeans) are going to isolate us from the rest of the world.
• He rattles imagining that Trump will ban his favorite news channels.

According to the attending physician, “People with Trumpophrenia often run naked on streets. This can make it hard for them to hold a job, run errands, have friendships, and even go to the doctor. Although unlike schizophrenia, it’s not a lifelong illness, one can take medicines and find help to stop symptoms or make them easier to live with.”

He (the physician) told my friend’s wife to make sure that he avoids participating in organized protests where use of marijuana, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, or other stimulants is quite rampant. Recreational drugs may keep antipsychotic drugs from working well. They can also make his paranoia worse.

The silver lining is that once his delusions are under control, counseling, rehab and abstinence from watching news can help him to be accepted in society again since he may be able to get along with others, take care of himself, and have friends again.