Fear In America

Before the election, some people worried out loud about our new President’s ability to steer with a steady hand. There were few who had the courage to speak out then, and their impact small.

Today, there are even fewer. And, that is not because the President has assuaged anyone’s concerns. Quite the contrary. Today, there is even greater fear on the part of many that this President could easily create a major incident that could threaten our country, the world, our very existence.

Throughout, America’s psychiatrists have been particularly silent. At a conference held at Yale Medical School recently, however, mental health experts came together finally to weigh their role in warning the public about the dangers posed by this President. It was surprising that the meeting took so long to happen, given the potential import of their professional judgment. But happen, it finally did. And, the outcomes were even more alarming, not so much for what they discussed, but for what they were unwilling to say.

A number did speak up, arguing that the symptoms were visible to all, professionals and the least informed; that it was the duty of mental health professionals to warn the public of very real danger. But not all spoke up. A good many hid behind an outmoded Goldwater Rule, insisting that they could not speak out.

But, what was most pronounced at the meeting was fear itself. Fear of speaking the truth. Fear that the President is now so powerful and that he can and has already been ruthless to those who dared to speak out against him.

And, so the silence is even louder today. Psychiatrists who have never been very bold are cowering even more today. They have let us all down, worried most about their own hides, they are unwilling to share their informed assessment of the seriousness of the President’s illness. Gripped by fear, they are letting the country and the world down, standing by in silence for fear of retribution.

That’s what happens in situations like this. That’s what happened in Nazi Germany: fear took complete hold and silence reigned.