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Diagnosing Putin
As I write this article in a coffee shop two distressing events are happening simultaneously: 1. Police from the 6th precinct are escorting a dishevelled man out the doors of a relatively swanky coffee shop and 2. Russian president Vladimir Putin is on Day 10 of his invasion into Ukraine. These two events have as much to do with each other as they do with my sipping my coffee at the same time, but they do have some things in common. Both scenarios (not my coffee drinking habits) have demanded a societal response to the reality that someone is disturbing the peace.
The Coffee Shop Air Marshal
Maybe 15 minutes ago, as I furrowed my brow reading an article concerning the more current understandings of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), across the open space of this caffeine-dealer’s establishment I heard a man say,
“I am an Air Marshall. For the last 15 years, I have a case.” Purposeful pause. “Thank you,” in a tone meant to end any dialogue.
As I looked up to see what was going on I realized that this man was talking to a barista who was asking him to leave. Too far away to know how this began and all too aware of the frequent mistreatment of outcasts in places like this I had to admit that while this Air Marshal did look like he may…
