As a fellow physician, despite being in the bone carpentry wing of the field, the psychology of what is going on is impossible to ignore. I found myself completely dumbfounded from the beginning as to why people were reacting the way they did. I simply could not wrap my mind around it. Watching the hysteria grow and seeing that those afflicted were truly immune to any rational thought, analysis, truth, and the basic tenets of science, has been horrifying.
And I am specifically referring to my fellow physician colleagues. The abdication of the fundamental principles of medicine and patient care that were hammered into us during our training has been something I thought would be impossible to happen.
It shows me that education and intelligence are NOT traits which protect us from being indoctrinated into a cult.
I have wondered why is it that some of us, right from the beginning, saw through this bullshit and were able to keep ourselves psychologically intact?
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your strength, wisdom, and warrior spirit in fighting the satanic cult. This is a war; good v. evil. So far we have been getting our butts kicked, trying to be nice and expecting eventually people to come around. That time is done. It is time to go on offense. Hold the line, whatever that takes.
You are correct in that it has little, if anything, to do with intelligence or education. Germany was very intelligent and well educated.
It has everything to do with the ability to question authority. If you don't question authority you will become its victim. For me questioning authority has been a full contact sport since I was a teen. Thank goodness for George Carlin's influence on me.
Even if we mostly trust authorities we should be free to have an open debate without accusations of "You're killing me! You're killing grandma! You have no compassion (Talk about projection!)
I am a retired RN. The few nurses I know are awesome individuals. What I found was my husband's family were all vaccine thirsty and they found me to be offensive because I did not believe in the masking or the vaccines. I thought the whole thing was rubbish. I still do. It was all fabricated to control mankind in my opinion. My husband's family wanted nothing more to do with me if I refused to wear a mask in their presence. Eventually, my husband threw me out of our house. I told him if he wanted me to leave, he had to buy me my own house and he did. Our divorce was final a month or so ago. I was never happy with him. I believe he married me because he wanted my kids and grandchildren. Even though they are married with children of their own, they still see this man. So now I live alone with a female Maltese puppy. I lost my Mom, my best friend, a few months ago to old age. She wouldn't take the shot either. I took her out of the nursing home when I saw what they were up to. She wanted to go back to California and live with my brother(her only son) so he came and took her back to California where she stayed until she passed away of old age at 92.9 about 2 years later and is now buried next to my Dad. I'm doing my best by myself and waiting for Jesus to come get us. He can't come too soon for me.
I suffered from chronic respiratory infections my whole life. I found salvation in high dose vitamin C. I got a severe flu just when I started a new job in 1980 and was terrified I would lose it. After numerous doctors visits, I ended up recovering with a glutin free, non dairy diet, high dose vitamin C, thyroid, high protein low carb diet. My husband and I started listening to Gary Null who counseled us to avoid all environmental toxins including gasoline, perfume, formaldehyde (new carpets), secondary smoke, AND vaccines like the flu vaccine. It took me almost 2 years before I eventually recovered. But I remember Gary warning us that flu vaccines are not effective and elderly people can't make antibodies that would help them avoid this infection. So when mRNA vaccines were getting released, I wasn't skeptical---I was terrified. I also have blood clotting disorder in my family (both mother and brother suffer from Leiden V clotting disorder) So to me the Covid vaccines would render me dead, permanently disabled, or disabled for years. People are now complaining about long Covid. I had severe problems recovering from all my respiratory illnesses: pneumonia (at least 3 times), bronchitis, flu, colds. Everyone I know complains that a cold lasts 3 or 4 days until it's gone. My colds last about 4 or 5 weeks. Long enough that a new cold can start right as the old one is ending--and my life seems to be just one long cold infection from which I have trouble recovering. I didn't see through all the bullshit. I thought, as usual, I'm a rare outlier--but please don't inflict your goodness on me. Now, of course, I'm so grateful for those of you who put your careers at risk to speak out against the church of perpetual boosters and to show compassion for those who endured shame and rejection for not going along with it. God please you all!
FB censored my comments from the video where you shared this info. Here they are:
When children are raised with violence, abuse, oppression, they often grow up to re-inflict on others. People are not born sadists. They learn it either by witnessing the abuse of others or by receiving it at the hands of others, and they will often and easily join into it when it is happening.
When humans are made to feel powerless, they often find a sense of power, which feels pleasurable to them, by causing others to feel powerless. Unfortunately rather than learning self-empowerment through positive life experiences and others modeling self-empowerment; (kindness, compassion, self-responsibility, etc.), they have been conditioned to seek a sense of power by finding ways to hold power over others.
Thank you for speaking to this issue, Dr. McDonald.
"When humans are made to feel powerless, they often find a sense of power, which feels pleasurable to them, by causing others to feel powerless." - This sounds like a lot like what a bully does.
The left has been practicing social bullying for years and years. They gaslight any who dare to have an opinion; project their crimes onto quiet conservatives and it culminates in cruelty.
I think this sums up the current state of affairs for some in the population today. The intolerant in society used to have to keep their thoughts in check due to societal norms while they outwardly preached tolerance. In today's climate those same individuals simply discarded that filter because it's not only unnecessary but considered virtuous in many circles.
This has managed to allow people to reveal themselves for who they really are inside. In many ways I'm thankful for that because I've discovered who my true support system consists of and why. My true friends are all reasonable in both thought and action. How could anyone draw close to individuals that exhibited the characteristics described in this article and not question their own character?
On a sidenote, Dr. McDonald's book "United States of Fear" is a recommended read and complements this article perfectly. I particularly like the last chapter about what men like myself can do to accurately understand what's happening and act accordingly. There's a lot of very good information that all would do well to take note.
Thank you, Gary, for your thoughtful comment, and for reading and recommending my recent book United States of Fear. Expect more commentary here in 2022.
Thank you for your interview by Del Bigtree at The Highwire. I went to your website and would like to purchase your book, however, it directs me to Amazon for the purchase. I don't purchase anything from Amazon because I don't approve of their practices / control when it comes to some of their workers. The same reason I stopped purchasing from Whole Foods when Amazon bought that brand. Is there an alternate source I can purchase your book from?
Also, you mentioned meeting in person with others that don't live in fear. I am moving to SoCal in the next few weeks and would invite the opportunity to do the same. I don't recall ever hearing of the approach to combatting this virus by strengthening our immune system. If people lived and ate in a way that supports a robust and resilient immune system, this virus would not have taken the toll that it did. I don't hear that truth being spoken in mainstream media which is sad and does not impel people to make necessary changes to be a healthier version of themselves. Because of your interview and your writings here on Substack, I decided now is the time I start my own Substack account and started writing and will publish soon. It is the next step I am taking in creating a new life and new direction for myself. This lockdown got in the way of that process but I am moving forward now.
I look forward to a possible interview of you by Joe Rogan. Is that already coming down the pipe?
Try Barnes & Noble. I understand your concern about Amazon, but for many writers who are not "big time," without Amazon, no one can read them. By boycotting Amazon, you're also withdrawing support from them. Once an Amazon alternative arrives, the choice will be much easier.
Supporting natural immunity is what all my colleagues have been preaching for the past two years, including Dr. Jeff Barke. Their voices are censored, because their message gets in the way of the universal "vaccine" campaign.
I am in talks with the Joe Rogan show staff now--if "mass formation" is the #1 Google search term, I should be the one to talk about it. I introduced the concept of mass delusional psychosis in mid-2020.
Right now I prefer working with a professional publisher and editor--Bombardier Books, an imprint of Post Hill Press. I focus on the writing and leave the rest to the professionals.
Found you with Del on Highwire, welcome to Substack glad you're here!! It's been quite a wild trip here in NYC and totally agree about finding your own kind which is easier when you just need a face, lol. The biggest gen for me was in your remedies & knowing curiosity can break through fear where no mountain of data can.
I will argue it is not only sadism, but masochism, in that the currency of victimhood is encouraging the grievance that leads to the sadism, that the two are in tension. I also hypothesis, that the social justice cult preferences passive aggression, but that is spilling over. As one of the other commenters noted, I too have seen the masks come off, the social masks. One of my biggest angsts is seeing people who I respect acting horribly. I really have lost faith in humanity. I feel the only thing to do is double down on my liberal values and make sure my moral compass stays true, I do not go to their level and I try to find the good in life. I am done playing nice though, I have hardened boundaries around the behavior I will allow in my life, but alas, being selective also means being lonely.
Related question: HOW to deal w the absolute rage I feel at the world? In so many areas, not just COVID, but in my area, homeless response, chronic pain patients being denied medications, discrimination and all the things I devoted my life to eroding before my eyes? Last year I ran for office as a prosocial outlet, and I have projects planned for this year, but I am worried. I do not want to be consumed, but I am just constantly ANGRY AF. I have NEVER had anger issues, if anything, I was avoidant. I commit to decency of conduct...I refuse to treat others poorly, but I am just done.
My suggestion is to cultivate relationships with those who share your values. That will provide comfort. Then direct your anger into action, in concert with them.
thank you! I am working to rebuild in that manner! I plan to have monthly salons for the resistance :). It is hard to find people here in Olympia, but not impossible. It doers take effort.
In a way I’m grateful for the removal of the social masks. Now that I’ve seen who some of these people really are I do not need to waste any more time on them.
Over the years I’ve gained and lost many social networks through illness, divorce, cancer and more. These experiences have taught me to be selective about the energy in my life. I’ve also learned to find strength within and to develop a spiritual perspective.
Now with this current insanity, I’m particularly grateful for those earlier experiences.
I too at times have felt rage, but I know it doesn’t get me anywhere. And I always adhere to the philosophy of “Don’t argue with stupid people. They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience every time!” Try it; it’s true! :)
My saving grace has been an optimistically oriented podcast that looks at how people handle life’s bumps, using them as a pivot into a more conscious and meaningful life. Through this, I’ve met amazing people around the world who have great stories to tell. And I’m turning it all into a book (which has become a much bigger project than I ever anticipated!). But it keeps me on a journey of joy and discovery and human possibility that resonates for me, for these times.
Fully agree--the upside of this two-year display of ugliness is the ease one now has in quickly filtering out and dismissing the dregs of humanity--and there are many--to better focus on the remainder who deserve our attention.
This is right on the money. I have always attributed the push against our dissent as tribal and an assault aimed at "other"...primarily fear driven. But I think what McDonald says here is broader...if it were only about attacking "other" through tribal competition and threat there wouldn't be the "pleasure" element to it as McDonald points out here. When I think about the times I have been verbally assaulted there is an ugly pleasure in it...a pleasure in saying "I hope you get Covid and die"...sadistic for sure...and now scarier than I thought!
Dear Dr McDonald, I know what you're writing about, because I live in Italy and we have the same identical phenomenon here. I want to escape, but it seems that is a world wide psychosis, so I don't know what to do. Someday I am angry, some other days I am depressed. I am paralyzed by this hate which is supported by politicians and governors. Fear is now what drives the people against each other. I am unvaxxed and all my family are vaxxed. I didn't went to visit them at Christmas because I don't want to see them, to listen to them, to feel that they think I am a crazy conspiracy theorist, which I am not. Many people I know that had thre shots are now sick, either with covid, or other illnesses like chronic pain, viral reactivation or cancer. I don't know if it's caused by the vaccine. I've had covid, I treated with early treatment (HCQ) and I was just fine after 7 days. I don't fear covid at all, I fear the new totalitarism around me, so much I can't no longer sleep at night. What can we do?
Yes, the problem is worldwide. I focus on the American expression of it in my book United States of Fear, but all developed countries (and many undeveloped) are affected. I'm now writing my second book, which will be a recovery plan from fear. Perhaps it will serve those who are considering moving on but don't yet know how to.
I feel for you. We are going through the same things, to slightly varying degrees. We are closer to Italy here in California than Florida is. It has been a challenge to keep the mind from going to dark places from the constant see saw of rage and depressive emotions. Even for some of us very strong willed.
I have had to double down on physical exercise which helps, and as Dr. McDonald points out, contact with like minded people is truly an antidote.
I also recite to myself daily this quote from Solzhenitsyn: “The first and simple act of a courageous individual is to not take part in the lie.” Those words have sustained me through many bad days.
Wow. Love it. God bless you. I bought your book. Thank you. Saw you on the highwire w Del and in Infowars. Today in San Antonio Tx at 1pm we will be peacefully protesting the panic porn w mask, vaxx etc. we are not just sending emojis to friends we are TAKING ACTION 😎
Doctor McDonald, I just finished your brave, magnificent book. How refreshing to read ideas that are at once, well-considered and measured, while at the same time, betray no deference to the prevailing mores of our current social and cultural zeitgeist. Your thesis that the mass psychosis underway in our civilization can be traced to a socially enabled female neuroticism, a manifestation of untempered anxiety, rings true and adds to my own understanding of the phenomenon at hand. My own thesis-in-progress can be seen as conceptually adjacent to yours, and was sparked in particular by a pre-pandemic interview of Eckhart Tolle (by Dave Rubin) from 2019 in which Tolle theorizes that our current civilization's psychological pathologies, seen most broadly, can be understood as a society "in the grip of excess Yin," an extreme pendulum swing away from the pathologically masculine personality structure that led to so much aggression and war throughout history. Situating Tolle's thesis next to Jordan Peterson's belief that the Devouring Mother archetype, what he also has referred to as the "pathological feminine," is behind much of today's cultural and social disorders, I had located the source of these hysterias and delusions, from Trump Derangement Syndrome, to BLM, to the COVID phenomenon, as a manifestation of a pathologically feminine personality structure, but my conceptualization of this structure was fundamentally oriented around "protection," taken to its pathological extreme, industrialized on a mass scale. Your analysis, in noting that anxiety and protection are deeply psychologically intertwined, has shifted my perspective. The recent notoriety of Mathias Desmet's Mass Formation thesis seems to further support your contention that female anxiety, rather than the protective instinct per se, is at the root of it all. Perhaps these impulses are so deeply connected as to be essentially the same psychological process?
And are men failing to assume their evolved role as a salve to these anxieties or are they acting them out themselves? When I see so many of these Democratic male politicians it's difficult to tell whether they are motivated to embody the anxiety or the protective ethos?
Thoughtfully analyzed and beautifully written. My observation is that as men abandon their protective role, female anxiety increases, leading to mass hysteria. Rather than appropriately criticize this mass female hysteria as pathologic, men are bullied into acquiescence, further depriving them of their masculinity. And the vicious cycle continues...
The only way I believe this process can be arrested is for men to stand up and reclaim their masculine role, push back against the rise of female hysteria, and offer the necessary containment women require to successfully embody their femininity. This requires courage--the rarest of qualities today.
Very interesting observations. I can't say I'm a fan of Eckhart Tolle as his worldview and mine don't match. But abdication by men as the root of many of our problems in society is something I agree with completely.
Same thing happened to me. Signed up for town yoga class thinking it was a good bargain. After sign up received email - masks are required. I am thinking - it’s yoga, Buddha loving types. I get there and some lady is pointing to her mask like a mute. I wave hello and start the class without a mask and a good 10 ft away from any human. At some point she left the class to narc me out. Next thing I see a pair of construction boots standing next to my downward dog. I ignore. The security guards (I guess Buddha needs security guards now) demand my attention and tell me I must put on the mask. I put the mask hanging over my ear. They keep checking and disturb the whole Buddha loving class and demand i put on my mask. I said it was not required when I signed up. Well. Teacher was pissed. Class stopped so I asked for a refund and started to leave as all the peace loving types said buh bye. Get out you disgusting human being who likes to breathe air. I hope the 12 step program for demasking is an option instead of meditation that follows yoga class
Dr. McDonald, I am delighted that you have opened a substack! Informed Dissent is one of my favorite podcasts, and your interview today on Infowars was a tour de force. I also live in West LA and have boggled at the same phenomena that you have. United States of Fear was one of the most enlightening reads of the entire pandemic. Thank you not just for inspiration, but for articulating the practical advice that I am implementing every day, with significant effect. When this hysteria is history, we and our children will never be caged again. That will even redeem the awful sacrifices of the past two years.
Have you researched the measles “outbreak” in Samoa in 2018? It was literally a micro version of the entire Covid saga to date.
They rushed in vaccines. Many say the vaccines arrived BEFORE the outbreak (since the vaccine does cause the spread).
The Samoan population is historically low in Vitamin A due to diet preferences. Measles happens to be cured by Vitamin A.
A man, Edwin Tamasese, was jailed for going door to door with Vitamins. He was banned from social media and threatened. He literally saved lives. He got vitamins to people who were very sick and their survival rate was outpacing hospitals. People were locked in their homes against their will.
This triggered the “scary measles babies halloween costumes” of 2018. We were being primed for hysteria.
The world didn’t care. We didn’t care about Samoa’s lockdowns because it didn’t affect us. We didn’t care about the Vitamins being withheld. There are timelines showing that the outbreak did not happen until after the vaccine campaign got into play. The media was silent (no surprise). The vaccine skeptic community was beside itself knowing this was the practice run for the world.
Here we are. They’ve pushed us so far we have encouraged sadism.
I have not heard about the incident in Samoa. Much of what we should know about has been suppressed. I think it's time everyone with a conscience stand up and call out public cruelty. Make it shameful again.
I just read a really repulsive article today from, of all places, AARP on Facebook about people firing their “cleaning ladies”, barbers, dentists etc, because they were unvaccinated. The whole article had a preening and disgusting tone, about warning them, but ultimately having no choice but to banish these evil entities from your life. It was actually horrifying. I left a vehement comment that I would never have anything to do with this organization for the rest of my life. It felt good being angry. If anything, I think your attitude is too nice, but as a doctor I understand this. But now it is time, I feel, to push back. I called New Yorkers scared mice on Facebook. Ooh. That didn’t go over well. Guess what? I don’t care. No more Ms. Nice Gal. Why pretend if we are unclean that others aren’t cowards and ignorant. Journalists who publish the type of piece I mentioned need to be shamed for not even acknowledging the obvious, that the vaccines don’t prevent transmission. Kind of basic.
The AARP has been pushing leftist ideology for ages. Totally sold out. Ironic since the Left functions on a Utilitarian philosophy which inherently does not value the old and sick. Fools
As a fellow physician, despite being in the bone carpentry wing of the field, the psychology of what is going on is impossible to ignore. I found myself completely dumbfounded from the beginning as to why people were reacting the way they did. I simply could not wrap my mind around it. Watching the hysteria grow and seeing that those afflicted were truly immune to any rational thought, analysis, truth, and the basic tenets of science, has been horrifying.
And I am specifically referring to my fellow physician colleagues. The abdication of the fundamental principles of medicine and patient care that were hammered into us during our training has been something I thought would be impossible to happen.
It shows me that education and intelligence are NOT traits which protect us from being indoctrinated into a cult.
I have wondered why is it that some of us, right from the beginning, saw through this bullshit and were able to keep ourselves psychologically intact?
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your strength, wisdom, and warrior spirit in fighting the satanic cult. This is a war; good v. evil. So far we have been getting our butts kicked, trying to be nice and expecting eventually people to come around. That time is done. It is time to go on offense. Hold the line, whatever that takes.
Phil
Yes, my profession of medicine has profoundly disappointed me--it is simply a herd of sheep now.
You are correct in that it has little, if anything, to do with intelligence or education. Germany was very intelligent and well educated.
It has everything to do with the ability to question authority. If you don't question authority you will become its victim. For me questioning authority has been a full contact sport since I was a teen. Thank goodness for George Carlin's influence on me.
GC was a prophet in retrospect. I do agree fully with questioning authority. I think that is an offshoot of a genuine mistrust of it.
Even if we mostly trust authorities we should be free to have an open debate without accusations of "You're killing me! You're killing grandma! You have no compassion (Talk about projection!)
I am a retired RN. The few nurses I know are awesome individuals. What I found was my husband's family were all vaccine thirsty and they found me to be offensive because I did not believe in the masking or the vaccines. I thought the whole thing was rubbish. I still do. It was all fabricated to control mankind in my opinion. My husband's family wanted nothing more to do with me if I refused to wear a mask in their presence. Eventually, my husband threw me out of our house. I told him if he wanted me to leave, he had to buy me my own house and he did. Our divorce was final a month or so ago. I was never happy with him. I believe he married me because he wanted my kids and grandchildren. Even though they are married with children of their own, they still see this man. So now I live alone with a female Maltese puppy. I lost my Mom, my best friend, a few months ago to old age. She wouldn't take the shot either. I took her out of the nursing home when I saw what they were up to. She wanted to go back to California and live with my brother(her only son) so he came and took her back to California where she stayed until she passed away of old age at 92.9 about 2 years later and is now buried next to my Dad. I'm doing my best by myself and waiting for Jesus to come get us. He can't come too soon for me.
The last three years have revealed some very ugly truths about those closest to us.
I suffered from chronic respiratory infections my whole life. I found salvation in high dose vitamin C. I got a severe flu just when I started a new job in 1980 and was terrified I would lose it. After numerous doctors visits, I ended up recovering with a glutin free, non dairy diet, high dose vitamin C, thyroid, high protein low carb diet. My husband and I started listening to Gary Null who counseled us to avoid all environmental toxins including gasoline, perfume, formaldehyde (new carpets), secondary smoke, AND vaccines like the flu vaccine. It took me almost 2 years before I eventually recovered. But I remember Gary warning us that flu vaccines are not effective and elderly people can't make antibodies that would help them avoid this infection. So when mRNA vaccines were getting released, I wasn't skeptical---I was terrified. I also have blood clotting disorder in my family (both mother and brother suffer from Leiden V clotting disorder) So to me the Covid vaccines would render me dead, permanently disabled, or disabled for years. People are now complaining about long Covid. I had severe problems recovering from all my respiratory illnesses: pneumonia (at least 3 times), bronchitis, flu, colds. Everyone I know complains that a cold lasts 3 or 4 days until it's gone. My colds last about 4 or 5 weeks. Long enough that a new cold can start right as the old one is ending--and my life seems to be just one long cold infection from which I have trouble recovering. I didn't see through all the bullshit. I thought, as usual, I'm a rare outlier--but please don't inflict your goodness on me. Now, of course, I'm so grateful for those of you who put your careers at risk to speak out against the church of perpetual boosters and to show compassion for those who endured shame and rejection for not going along with it. God please you all!
FB censored my comments from the video where you shared this info. Here they are:
When children are raised with violence, abuse, oppression, they often grow up to re-inflict on others. People are not born sadists. They learn it either by witnessing the abuse of others or by receiving it at the hands of others, and they will often and easily join into it when it is happening.
When humans are made to feel powerless, they often find a sense of power, which feels pleasurable to them, by causing others to feel powerless. Unfortunately rather than learning self-empowerment through positive life experiences and others modeling self-empowerment; (kindness, compassion, self-responsibility, etc.), they have been conditioned to seek a sense of power by finding ways to hold power over others.
Thank you for speaking to this issue, Dr. McDonald.
Agreed!
"When humans are made to feel powerless, they often find a sense of power, which feels pleasurable to them, by causing others to feel powerless." - This sounds like a lot like what a bully does.
exactly
The left has been practicing social bullying for years and years. They gaslight any who dare to have an opinion; project their crimes onto quiet conservatives and it culminates in cruelty.
Sadly, most people are narcissistically wounded, becoming the abuser.
I even see this among those who question the narratives.
Humanity has been mostly domesticated by a harsh owner.
Those of us still human are seen as the threat to their Utopia/dystopia.
Probably true. Nevertheless I personally have had enough of understanding these bullies. What usually works is a good (metaphorical) kick in the ass.
I think this sums up the current state of affairs for some in the population today. The intolerant in society used to have to keep their thoughts in check due to societal norms while they outwardly preached tolerance. In today's climate those same individuals simply discarded that filter because it's not only unnecessary but considered virtuous in many circles.
This has managed to allow people to reveal themselves for who they really are inside. In many ways I'm thankful for that because I've discovered who my true support system consists of and why. My true friends are all reasonable in both thought and action. How could anyone draw close to individuals that exhibited the characteristics described in this article and not question their own character?
On a sidenote, Dr. McDonald's book "United States of Fear" is a recommended read and complements this article perfectly. I particularly like the last chapter about what men like myself can do to accurately understand what's happening and act accordingly. There's a lot of very good information that all would do well to take note.
Thank you, Gary, for your thoughtful comment, and for reading and recommending my recent book United States of Fear. Expect more commentary here in 2022.
Thank you for your interview by Del Bigtree at The Highwire. I went to your website and would like to purchase your book, however, it directs me to Amazon for the purchase. I don't purchase anything from Amazon because I don't approve of their practices / control when it comes to some of their workers. The same reason I stopped purchasing from Whole Foods when Amazon bought that brand. Is there an alternate source I can purchase your book from?
Also, you mentioned meeting in person with others that don't live in fear. I am moving to SoCal in the next few weeks and would invite the opportunity to do the same. I don't recall ever hearing of the approach to combatting this virus by strengthening our immune system. If people lived and ate in a way that supports a robust and resilient immune system, this virus would not have taken the toll that it did. I don't hear that truth being spoken in mainstream media which is sad and does not impel people to make necessary changes to be a healthier version of themselves. Because of your interview and your writings here on Substack, I decided now is the time I start my own Substack account and started writing and will publish soon. It is the next step I am taking in creating a new life and new direction for myself. This lockdown got in the way of that process but I am moving forward now.
I look forward to a possible interview of you by Joe Rogan. Is that already coming down the pipe?
Try Barnes & Noble. I understand your concern about Amazon, but for many writers who are not "big time," without Amazon, no one can read them. By boycotting Amazon, you're also withdrawing support from them. Once an Amazon alternative arrives, the choice will be much easier.
Supporting natural immunity is what all my colleagues have been preaching for the past two years, including Dr. Jeff Barke. Their voices are censored, because their message gets in the way of the universal "vaccine" campaign.
I am in talks with the Joe Rogan show staff now--if "mass formation" is the #1 Google search term, I should be the one to talk about it. I introduced the concept of mass delusional psychosis in mid-2020.
Thank you. B & N does sell it. I support you and thank you for being willing to put yourself out there and call this out for what it is.
Have you looked at lulu.com?
Right now I prefer working with a professional publisher and editor--Bombardier Books, an imprint of Post Hill Press. I focus on the writing and leave the rest to the professionals.
Thank you for the suggestion. I checked and I don't see that they sell it.
It's sold at B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/united-states-of-fear-mark-mcdonald-md/1140518087?ean=9781637583197.
Also available here: https://conservativereaders.com/shop/.
Found you with Del on Highwire, welcome to Substack glad you're here!! It's been quite a wild trip here in NYC and totally agree about finding your own kind which is easier when you just need a face, lol. The biggest gen for me was in your remedies & knowing curiosity can break through fear where no mountain of data can.
So true!
I will argue it is not only sadism, but masochism, in that the currency of victimhood is encouraging the grievance that leads to the sadism, that the two are in tension. I also hypothesis, that the social justice cult preferences passive aggression, but that is spilling over. As one of the other commenters noted, I too have seen the masks come off, the social masks. One of my biggest angsts is seeing people who I respect acting horribly. I really have lost faith in humanity. I feel the only thing to do is double down on my liberal values and make sure my moral compass stays true, I do not go to their level and I try to find the good in life. I am done playing nice though, I have hardened boundaries around the behavior I will allow in my life, but alas, being selective also means being lonely.
Related question: HOW to deal w the absolute rage I feel at the world? In so many areas, not just COVID, but in my area, homeless response, chronic pain patients being denied medications, discrimination and all the things I devoted my life to eroding before my eyes? Last year I ran for office as a prosocial outlet, and I have projects planned for this year, but I am worried. I do not want to be consumed, but I am just constantly ANGRY AF. I have NEVER had anger issues, if anything, I was avoidant. I commit to decency of conduct...I refuse to treat others poorly, but I am just done.
My suggestion is to cultivate relationships with those who share your values. That will provide comfort. Then direct your anger into action, in concert with them.
thank you! I am working to rebuild in that manner! I plan to have monthly salons for the resistance :). It is hard to find people here in Olympia, but not impossible. It doers take effort.
In a way I’m grateful for the removal of the social masks. Now that I’ve seen who some of these people really are I do not need to waste any more time on them.
Over the years I’ve gained and lost many social networks through illness, divorce, cancer and more. These experiences have taught me to be selective about the energy in my life. I’ve also learned to find strength within and to develop a spiritual perspective.
Now with this current insanity, I’m particularly grateful for those earlier experiences.
I too at times have felt rage, but I know it doesn’t get me anywhere. And I always adhere to the philosophy of “Don’t argue with stupid people. They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience every time!” Try it; it’s true! :)
My saving grace has been an optimistically oriented podcast that looks at how people handle life’s bumps, using them as a pivot into a more conscious and meaningful life. Through this, I’ve met amazing people around the world who have great stories to tell. And I’m turning it all into a book (which has become a much bigger project than I ever anticipated!). But it keeps me on a journey of joy and discovery and human possibility that resonates for me, for these times.
Fully agree--the upside of this two-year display of ugliness is the ease one now has in quickly filtering out and dismissing the dregs of humanity--and there are many--to better focus on the remainder who deserve our attention.
This is right on the money. I have always attributed the push against our dissent as tribal and an assault aimed at "other"...primarily fear driven. But I think what McDonald says here is broader...if it were only about attacking "other" through tribal competition and threat there wouldn't be the "pleasure" element to it as McDonald points out here. When I think about the times I have been verbally assaulted there is an ugly pleasure in it...a pleasure in saying "I hope you get Covid and die"...sadistic for sure...and now scarier than I thought!
Thank you for your thoughtful comments--the regression to tribalism is a critical element in this new display of sadism throughout our society.
Dear Dr McDonald, I know what you're writing about, because I live in Italy and we have the same identical phenomenon here. I want to escape, but it seems that is a world wide psychosis, so I don't know what to do. Someday I am angry, some other days I am depressed. I am paralyzed by this hate which is supported by politicians and governors. Fear is now what drives the people against each other. I am unvaxxed and all my family are vaxxed. I didn't went to visit them at Christmas because I don't want to see them, to listen to them, to feel that they think I am a crazy conspiracy theorist, which I am not. Many people I know that had thre shots are now sick, either with covid, or other illnesses like chronic pain, viral reactivation or cancer. I don't know if it's caused by the vaccine. I've had covid, I treated with early treatment (HCQ) and I was just fine after 7 days. I don't fear covid at all, I fear the new totalitarism around me, so much I can't no longer sleep at night. What can we do?
Yes, the problem is worldwide. I focus on the American expression of it in my book United States of Fear, but all developed countries (and many undeveloped) are affected. I'm now writing my second book, which will be a recovery plan from fear. Perhaps it will serve those who are considering moving on but don't yet know how to.
I feel for you. We are going through the same things, to slightly varying degrees. We are closer to Italy here in California than Florida is. It has been a challenge to keep the mind from going to dark places from the constant see saw of rage and depressive emotions. Even for some of us very strong willed.
I have had to double down on physical exercise which helps, and as Dr. McDonald points out, contact with like minded people is truly an antidote.
I also recite to myself daily this quote from Solzhenitsyn: “The first and simple act of a courageous individual is to not take part in the lie.” Those words have sustained me through many bad days.
Find like-minded people and keep in contact with them. Support each other.
Yes the vaccines are causing those issues https://antimarxist.substack.com/p/covid-19-vaccines-cause-your-body
Wow. Love it. God bless you. I bought your book. Thank you. Saw you on the highwire w Del and in Infowars. Today in San Antonio Tx at 1pm we will be peacefully protesting the panic porn w mask, vaxx etc. we are not just sending emojis to friends we are TAKING ACTION 😎
That's what we need to do--take action. Too few are acting. Please leave a review once you've read the book.
Fantastic article, Dr McDonald.
I will recommend one I wrote.
https://filiperafaeli.substack.com/p/hydroxychloroquine-the-world-has
Appreciate your comment, Filipe. You wrote a great piece on HCQ. Your conclusions are irrefutable.
Good to know you liked, Dr McDonald. Thanks for the reading.
Doctor McDonald, I just finished your brave, magnificent book. How refreshing to read ideas that are at once, well-considered and measured, while at the same time, betray no deference to the prevailing mores of our current social and cultural zeitgeist. Your thesis that the mass psychosis underway in our civilization can be traced to a socially enabled female neuroticism, a manifestation of untempered anxiety, rings true and adds to my own understanding of the phenomenon at hand. My own thesis-in-progress can be seen as conceptually adjacent to yours, and was sparked in particular by a pre-pandemic interview of Eckhart Tolle (by Dave Rubin) from 2019 in which Tolle theorizes that our current civilization's psychological pathologies, seen most broadly, can be understood as a society "in the grip of excess Yin," an extreme pendulum swing away from the pathologically masculine personality structure that led to so much aggression and war throughout history. Situating Tolle's thesis next to Jordan Peterson's belief that the Devouring Mother archetype, what he also has referred to as the "pathological feminine," is behind much of today's cultural and social disorders, I had located the source of these hysterias and delusions, from Trump Derangement Syndrome, to BLM, to the COVID phenomenon, as a manifestation of a pathologically feminine personality structure, but my conceptualization of this structure was fundamentally oriented around "protection," taken to its pathological extreme, industrialized on a mass scale. Your analysis, in noting that anxiety and protection are deeply psychologically intertwined, has shifted my perspective. The recent notoriety of Mathias Desmet's Mass Formation thesis seems to further support your contention that female anxiety, rather than the protective instinct per se, is at the root of it all. Perhaps these impulses are so deeply connected as to be essentially the same psychological process?
And are men failing to assume their evolved role as a salve to these anxieties or are they acting them out themselves? When I see so many of these Democratic male politicians it's difficult to tell whether they are motivated to embody the anxiety or the protective ethos?
Thoughtfully analyzed and beautifully written. My observation is that as men abandon their protective role, female anxiety increases, leading to mass hysteria. Rather than appropriately criticize this mass female hysteria as pathologic, men are bullied into acquiescence, further depriving them of their masculinity. And the vicious cycle continues...
The only way I believe this process can be arrested is for men to stand up and reclaim their masculine role, push back against the rise of female hysteria, and offer the necessary containment women require to successfully embody their femininity. This requires courage--the rarest of qualities today.
Very interesting observations. I can't say I'm a fan of Eckhart Tolle as his worldview and mine don't match. But abdication by men as the root of many of our problems in society is something I agree with completely.
Same thing happened to me. Signed up for town yoga class thinking it was a good bargain. After sign up received email - masks are required. I am thinking - it’s yoga, Buddha loving types. I get there and some lady is pointing to her mask like a mute. I wave hello and start the class without a mask and a good 10 ft away from any human. At some point she left the class to narc me out. Next thing I see a pair of construction boots standing next to my downward dog. I ignore. The security guards (I guess Buddha needs security guards now) demand my attention and tell me I must put on the mask. I put the mask hanging over my ear. They keep checking and disturb the whole Buddha loving class and demand i put on my mask. I said it was not required when I signed up. Well. Teacher was pissed. Class stopped so I asked for a refund and started to leave as all the peace loving types said buh bye. Get out you disgusting human being who likes to breathe air. I hope the 12 step program for demasking is an option instead of meditation that follows yoga class
That's a great story and clearly illustrates so many of the aspects of civil and psychological illness we are suffering from.
Dr. McDonald, I am delighted that you have opened a substack! Informed Dissent is one of my favorite podcasts, and your interview today on Infowars was a tour de force. I also live in West LA and have boggled at the same phenomena that you have. United States of Fear was one of the most enlightening reads of the entire pandemic. Thank you not just for inspiration, but for articulating the practical advice that I am implementing every day, with significant effect. When this hysteria is history, we and our children will never be caged again. That will even redeem the awful sacrifices of the past two years.
Great reflections, Timothy. And thank you for your support of my work. Please leave a review of the book, if you haven't already.
Thank you! Just reviewed it on Amazon. This was this least I could do, but not the last.
Thank you for standing up!
Appreciate your comment--I plan to continue doing just that in 2022!
Dr McDonald
Have you researched the measles “outbreak” in Samoa in 2018? It was literally a micro version of the entire Covid saga to date.
They rushed in vaccines. Many say the vaccines arrived BEFORE the outbreak (since the vaccine does cause the spread).
The Samoan population is historically low in Vitamin A due to diet preferences. Measles happens to be cured by Vitamin A.
A man, Edwin Tamasese, was jailed for going door to door with Vitamins. He was banned from social media and threatened. He literally saved lives. He got vitamins to people who were very sick and their survival rate was outpacing hospitals. People were locked in their homes against their will.
This triggered the “scary measles babies halloween costumes” of 2018. We were being primed for hysteria.
The world didn’t care. We didn’t care about Samoa’s lockdowns because it didn’t affect us. We didn’t care about the Vitamins being withheld. There are timelines showing that the outbreak did not happen until after the vaccine campaign got into play. The media was silent (no surprise). The vaccine skeptic community was beside itself knowing this was the practice run for the world.
Here we are. They’ve pushed us so far we have encouraged sadism.
I have not heard about the incident in Samoa. Much of what we should know about has been suppressed. I think it's time everyone with a conscience stand up and call out public cruelty. Make it shameful again.
I just read a really repulsive article today from, of all places, AARP on Facebook about people firing their “cleaning ladies”, barbers, dentists etc, because they were unvaccinated. The whole article had a preening and disgusting tone, about warning them, but ultimately having no choice but to banish these evil entities from your life. It was actually horrifying. I left a vehement comment that I would never have anything to do with this organization for the rest of my life. It felt good being angry. If anything, I think your attitude is too nice, but as a doctor I understand this. But now it is time, I feel, to push back. I called New Yorkers scared mice on Facebook. Ooh. That didn’t go over well. Guess what? I don’t care. No more Ms. Nice Gal. Why pretend if we are unclean that others aren’t cowards and ignorant. Journalists who publish the type of piece I mentioned need to be shamed for not even acknowledging the obvious, that the vaccines don’t prevent transmission. Kind of basic.
I agree--and now is the time to to it. 2022 will be the year to push back.
The AARP has been pushing leftist ideology for ages. Totally sold out. Ironic since the Left functions on a Utilitarian philosophy which inherently does not value the old and sick. Fools
I hadn't heard that, but the way you describe it makes sense.