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At first glance, narcissists seem like the perfect deal. They are the most charming, charismatic and confident date you’ve gone out with for a while. Even for someone with a trained eye, they are masters in disguise. A relationship with them often starts as too much too fast, followed by a toxic cycle of ups and downs.
A narcissist is not just someone whose general self-absorbedness makes them too arrogant. Instead, they come in all kinds of dark- brown eyes you can get lost in, and promises that make you give up on your theories on how outdated monogamy is in a heartbeat. But there is one quality they all share: they are pretty dang good at using various manipulative tactics to fuck up your mental health and pretty much your whole life real quick. Whenever you get suspicious, they’ll dodge accountability and sling you a slew of compliments, distracting you from the red flags they’re waving. Plus, isn’t red the colour of passion and exotic roses?
Wait, is all this sounding really familiar even though you’re quite sure you’ve never dated a narcissist before? Well, what if the narcissist you’re in a relationship with isn’t your partner, but, let’s say… your Prime Minister.
Australia, I’m looking at you. You might want to sit down. We have to talk.
When I came here from Germany, I believed I would only stay for a year, maximum two. Now it’s been three years, hundreds of road trips, jobs, relationships and catastrophes later, and I’ve put roots down. To tell you the truth, I’m more scared to leave Australia than I was when I left my own home. I’m not yet sure I’ve found a life partner in you, but you are definitely my best friend. And best friends look out for each other, right?
According to therapists, there are certain traits and symptoms that people with narcissistic tendencies have in common. Let’s tick some boxes, shall we?
☑ A lack of empathy
Try debating a well-thought-out point you have been preparing since pre-school, and a narcissist will make you question what made you assume you have the ability to think in the first place.
Years after Scott Morrison learned of the lack of protection for women in the workplace, not only all over Australia but even in Parliament House itself, he still had the audacity to act the most surprised of them all when Brittany Higgin’s rape allegations came to light. To understand why it was an issue he should address, he had to consult his wife, who helped him gain empathy by prompting him to think about how his daughters would feel if it happened to them. Higgins replied: “I didn’t want his sympathy as a father. I wanted him to use his power as Prime Minister.”
☑ Need for praise and admiration/lack of responsibility
When ScoMo was pretty much doing everything but keeping his cool and listening to experts in their fields relating to the pandemic he was now responsible to lead a country through, he still begged for praise. In an interview with KIIS 1011 Melbourne Hosts Jase & PJ, who were demanding an apology for the mistakes Morrison had made, he replied: “We’ve had problems and we’ve dealt with them; that’s what I do every single day.” Well, that’s also what you get paid half a million dollars per year for, Scotty.
☑ Strong sense of entitlement
Oh what a sweet first memory I have of your PM. When the whole country was burning, he was holidaying in Hawaii, defending his absence by telling a radio interviewer that firefighters “like fighting fires’’ and that it wasn’t his job to “hold a hose“. Maybe if he was slightly less entitled, he would have picked up a hose himself and listened to the ongoing pleas from emergency service departments for ongoing resources that could have helped extinguish big fires faster.
☑ A pattern of exploiting others for personal gain
Continually treating taxpayers’ money as though it is the Liberal Party’s money, the Morrison Government has spent $913 million on advertising since the year they took office. While acting like he understands the importance of how a country treats its disabled population (keeping in mind around 4.3 million Australians have a disability), Scott Morrison threatened in a pre-budget speech: “To ensure the NDIS is here for generations of Australians to come, we have a responsibility to manage increasing costs.”
So while it seems there is always enough money for his party’s advertising campaigns, Australia’s NDIS (the National Disability Insurance Scheme that was brought into place by former PM Julia Gillard) had better make sure it doesn’t spend too much of ‘his’ bloody money on supporting almost half a million disabled Australians’ lives.
☑ Patterns of Disrespect
While ‘Australia Day’ on January 26 makes Scotty and his consorts think of barbecues, party and pride, the First Nations people of this country actually officially declared it a day of mourning and protest in 1938. To understand that a day marking the beginning of policies and practices aimed to steadily erase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their culture and their language should not be celebrated shouldn’t be too complex to grasp. Yet, every year, Scotty gets out the flags and sausage sizzles instead of finally giving in to the pleas of not only changing the national holiday’s date, but starting to acknowledge and address the long-term impacts of colonisation. I mean, the bloke slapped down a referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament, FFS. “It is not our policy to have a referendum on the Voice, so why would I be doing that?” he asked.
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Found yourself in a relationship with a narcissistic PM? Don’t shed no tears, my dears – instead, it’s time to act and get him out of your life. Vote Scotty out this Saturday the 21st of May and make your voice heard again! There is even a telephone voting service provided to people who have tested positive to COVID-19 and can’t attend in person.
If you have experienced domestic violence or abuse or need help getting out of a toxic relationship please do not hesitate to reach out. You can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or Lifeline on 11 13 14.