Latest news with #post-Trumpatic
Montreal Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Hateful comments in med-school group chat shocking
Re: ' Racist, sexist posts flood group chat for Quebec med school applicants ' (The Gazette, May 13) It is shocking that a Discord channel used by Quebec medical school applicants was home to misogynistic, racist, homophobic and antisemitic posts. How did such vile sentiments infect young people planning to become physicians dedicated to helping people? It's so sad that this is happening in our backyard and in our educational institutions. Do we now need to worry that a medical professional might act out their prejudice against those they deem unworthy of treatment? This is beyond the pale and downright dangerous. Goldie Olszynko, Mile End Time to take a break from Trump Re: 'Surefire coping methods for current U.S. presidency' (Josh Freed, May 10) What I enjoy most about Josh Freed's commentary is that, while full of satire and humour, its underlying message is stone-cold true. As much as possible, I try to remain apolitical. But after years of Donald Trump dominating the news, I believe Freed speaks for all of us: We need a break. One person should not be occupying this much space and time in our minds. We should all turn off our electronic devices and TVs, grab a good book and a beverage, and sit outside in the sun. This may be the cure for our collective 'post-Trumpatic stress disorder' (PTSD). Nick Di Cino, Ahuntsic-Cartierville Sentence exposes flawed system Re: ' Judge reluctantly agrees to impose 7-year term for attempted murder ' (The Gazette, May 14) A man stabs his ex-girlfriend multiple times and pleads guilty to attempted murder. The judge says he 'profoundly disagrees' with the joint sentencing recommendation by the Crown and defence but feels 'bound' to accept it because the Court of Appeal had reversed three of his previous harsher sentences. This seems like a glaring example of the inherently terrible failures of our justice system allowing violent offenders to get off too easy and putting the public in potential danger. Gerry Raven, Hampstead Opinion page hits close to home Four sujets de jour, all on the same page, all hitting close to home with me. It could be because I am a proud Canadian who has lived most of my life in my beloved Montreal. Or because I am a Jew familiar with the horrors of the Holocaust. Or because I am a retired longtime EMSB employee with profound admiration for FACE. Our special neighbours to the south should never be placed in the embarrassing position where they feel the need to apologize for their president's destructive and degrading behaviour toward a friend and ally (but we thank you anyway). Prospective American tourists to our world-class city should never feel hesitant about travelling to any Canadian location for fear of reprisals (you are always welcome here). I have no doubt that Holocaust education must be included in all schools to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the dangers of antisemitism and hate. And any permanent dismantling of FACE would put an equally permanent stain on those responsible for carrying out this decision. I know all this makes me sound like my late father when I say: 'What is this world coming to?' Lori Rubin, Hudson Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Montreal Gazette
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Freed: How to overcome post-Trumpatic stress disorder (PTSD)
I've recently developed an odd condition that many people seem to share. It's a scary new version of PTSD, called post-Trumpatic stress disorder. Among its symptoms: I cannot watch Donald Trump on TV. I can't even bear his voice on radio without getting aggravated. As a news junkie, I read exhaustively and exhaustingly about what Trump has done, said, threatened or lied about — but I can't actually look at him. If I'm watching the news and he appears, I instantly flick channels, or press the mute button. If I'm in a café and he's speaking on a nearby TV, I flee. It's not a conscious decision. I just instinctively can't bear his look or sound. I'd rather listen to a sink being scratched with a screwdriver. For all I know, Mark Carney feels the same way and that's why he put off meeting Trump for so long. The headlines describing their recent meeting say Trump was relatively polite and 'friendly,' but that was mostly due to Carney acting like a calm parent overseeing a presidential toddler. I was always eager to watch other Republican presidents, from Nixon and Reagan through Bush 1 and 2. They had political ideas that differed from mine, but that was just a difference in policy. This is a difference in humanity. I cannot listen to Trump's insulting remarks, or 'Me! Me! Me!' bragging, or blabber about making our country the 51st state. I know some readers like him, but I'm sorry: to me it's like watching a horror movie — and I never watch them, either. I guess I'm in denial, pretending he's not really the president and the most powerful man in the world, elected by my neighbours. Yet I'm far from alone. I have friends who can't even read about Trump and have decided to sit out the next four years of news. Others won't speak his name, they just say 'him.' Try to start a conversation about 'him' and they'll say: 'Please, not that!' and switch to something they find less disturbing, like the measles outbreak. We obviously need a PTSD support group, or online app with an early warning system. 'TRUMP ALERT! The U.S. president will appear on air shortly. You have 13 seconds to leave the room ... 12 ... 10 ... 5 … 3… RUN!' If you, too, suffer from post-Trumpatic stress disorder, what else can you do? Try these therapies, as I have: Find an escape hatch: Throughout COVID I watched the chirpy soccer fantasy TV show Ted Lasso to distract myself from the gloomy times. Similarly during Bush's Iraq War, I watched the West Wing because TV president Jed Bartlet was a well-intentioned, wise, modest man dedicated to world peace. We need a new version of the West Wing offering an alternate reality White House, starring an honest, modest, smart TV president we can pretend is the real one. Please NBC, Bring back Jed Bartlet as president. Take a Trump cleanse. Give yourself a Trump-free day, week or year in which you don't see, hear or read a single story with his name. When consuming news, stand on guard for the T-word. When you glimpse it, scroll quickly to the next story, or next, until you finally see a safe headline about something obscure like space travel (unless it involves Musk). Or about the latest wondrous scientific health discovery (unless Trump just cancelled its funding). Build a digital wall by watching nothing but local news in your own area code, or even in your own postal code. It's also safe to watch children's channels … so far, until Trump puts his 11-year-old grandson in charge of educational TV. Avoid dinner parties. Someone will inevitably say: 'You know it's been 17 minutes and we still haven't discussed you-know-who!' Then it will be all Trump all night. If you must see other humans, be prepared for this moment and ready to intervene. For instance, you can cause a distracting commotion by 'accidentally' spilling wine on the rug. Or fake a heart attack and when you miraculously recover moments later, say it was heatstroke. Then steer everyone into a 'safe-space' conversation on Japanese ikigai wellness. If it's an all-anglo crowd, mention you've recently become a Quebec separatist. That should change topics and relax things. Focus your attention elsewhere. Try the latest, safest, most cheerful topic around: Canada! In truth, Carney's election is the most successful (accidental) achievement of Trump's first 100 days in office. Alternatively, find another more relaxing, boring country to follow obsessively, instead of the U.S., such as Belgium, Brunei or Bhutan (many boring countries start with B). These are the Nytols of nations where nothing very interesting ever happens, like Canada was before Trump suddenly made us too interesting. Go someplace utterly remote for the next four years, where no one talks about Trump. For example: a silent monastery in Nepal. Or look for another tourist space shuttle, then apply. With luck you'll get stranded in space like NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore and won't be able to return until Nov. 2028. By then, hopefully, U.S. voters will have returned to Earth, too. P.S. The Vermonters whose anti-Trump rally I spoke at last month are driving a large convoy to Jean-Talon Market Saturday, May 10, at 11 a.m., to spend their U.S. dollars at par and protest the tariffs against Canada. Please join them.
