Bleeding Ears, from Van Gogh to Donald Trump

Atualizado: 28 de out.

Lately, I have been noticing people's ears. They grow with age. Mine have not shown signs of growth yet, but I am alert. What made me think about ears was the attack on Donald Trump. The race for the White House was drowsy, the drowsiness typical of two elderly candidates. This is not offensive, I am 68 years old and I know what it is like to be old. Joe Biden's campaign was in decline and he didn't seem to realize it. Finally, Joe Biden gave up on a losing campaign in time to give up his seat to another Democratic candidate. Life that follows, Biden.

Returning to Trump's ear, young sniper Thomas Matthew Crooks, from the top of a roof, aimed at Trump and only hit the ear. If the intention were to hit Trump in the ear, he would not have succeeded. Thomas did not have time to check, he was shot down soon after. Would this be the only time that an attack ends in a bleeding ear? No.

Grigori Rasputin, a Russian mystic and influential in the court of Tsar Nicholas II, suffered an attack in 1916, resulting in him being shot in the ear, like Trump's. Rasputin survived but was later murdered under mysterious circumstances. Prince Felix Yusupov and co-conspirators attempted to poison him but failed.

Yusupov shot Rasputin several times. Even though he was injured, he fled the palace, but was fatally hit by several shots fired by other conspirators. His body was thrown into the partially frozen Neva River. He was rescued days later with signs that he was alive when thrown into the river and that, therefore, the cause of death was drowning. It would not be a simple shot in the ear that would put an end to Rasputin.

Ears Being Ears

The ears are organs responsible for hearing and balance, made up of three parts: external, middle, and internal. The outer ear captures sound waves and directs them through the ear canal to the eardrum in the middle ear. Auditory ossicles (hammer, anvil, and stapes) amplify and transmit vibrations to the inner ear, where the cochlea converts vibrations into nerve signals. The vestibule and semicircular canals detect the position and movement of the head, sending information to the brain.

Ear Self-Mutilation

In December 1888, Vincent van Gogh cut off part of his left ear. There are several theories about the exact reason he did this. The most accepted is that he was going through a severe episode of mental crisis. For much of his life Van Gogh suffered from mental health problems. This incident occurred during a period of great emotional and psychological tension.

One theory is that the act was the result of a fight with his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin, with whom he was sharing a house in Arles, France. After the fight, Van Gogh was extremely upset and, in a moment of desperation, cut off his own ear. Another theory suggests that he did this as a reaction to the news that his brother Theo, with whom he had an extraordinarily strong emotional bond, was getting married, which could have caused a feeling of abandonment. Reasons aside, the incident is widely recognized as a reflection of Van Gogh's struggle with his mental health, which also influenced many of his most famous works.

Holyfield's Bite Ear

On June 28, 1997, boxer Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear in a boxing match. It was during the third round of the rematch between Tyson and Holyfield. The fight became known as "The Bite Fight". During the fight, Tyson bit Holyfield twice on his right ear, tearing off a piece of cartilage with the first bite. As a result, Tyson was disqualified from the fight and lost his boxing license, as well as receiving a heavy fine.

Freud No, Carl Jung Explains

Carl Jung, one of the founders of analytical psychology, would analyze the events surrounding the ears of Van Gogh, Rasputin, Holyfield, and Trump through a symbolic and archetypal lens. This would be a possible Jungian analysis of these manifestations between several ears, separated in time and space:

Ears as a Symbol – ears are symbolically associated with the ability to hear and understand the world around.

Ear injury – an ear injury can symbolize a disruption in the ability to hear or be heard and indicates an internal or external conflict related to communication and perception.

Van Gogh cut off part of his own ear, an act that Jung could see as a symbol of deep internal conflict and the desire to be understood. It may represent an attempt at sacrifice to draw attention to your internal pain or a gesture of desperation in search of connection and understanding. Jung could interpret Van Gogh's function as an extreme manifestation of the individuation process, where the unconscious erupts violently due to the struggle to integrate repressed aspects of the psyche.

Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson – the incident in which Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield's ear could be seen as an expression of primitive aggression and a violation of Holyfield's physical and psychological integrity. For Jung, the fact could be interpreted as an archetype of the warrior, the bitten ear would symbolize an attempt to destabilize and dehumanize the opponent, interrupting his ability to "hear" or "understand" the fight in a fair way.

Trump's ear symbolism – as already mentioned, the ear is a symbol of hearing. Trump's ear shot could symbolize an attack on his ability to listen and connect with voters.

Jung could interpret Trump's injury as symbolic of a direct attack on Trump's hearing ability and a breakdown in communication between leaders and society, indicating a need to reevaluate how messages are transmitted and received.

Psychological Context and Death of the Shooter

Age – Thomas Matthew was twenty years old; this may suggest that he was at a crucial stage of psychological development, possibly facing identity crises, value conflict and the search for meaning.

Projection and shadow – Jung would see Thomas's function as a projection of his own shadow, the repressed and unrecognized aspects of his psyche. Acts of violence can be manifestations of internal conflicts and resentments that have not been adequately integrated.

Desperation and search for meaning – the assassination attempt can be seen as a desperate cry for meaning or an attempt to drastically assert himself in a world where he feels powerless or alienated.

Rebel archetype – the attack on an authority figure like Donald Trump could be interpreted within the rebel or revolutionary archetype, an expression of defiance against the established order and figures of power.

Collective and personal conflict – perhaps Jung could see Thomas's function as a manifestation of a larger, collective conflict that is reflected in the individual psyche. Thomas may have internalized the social, political, and cultural tension, resulting in an extreme act of violence.

Thomas Matthew's death could be seen symbolically as a sacrifice, perhaps reflecting the price of rebellion and the struggle against power. It could also be interpreted as the culmination of his psychological journey, where external destruction is a manifestation of his internal self-destruction. His death can also be seen as the inevitable result of an unresolved internal conflict, where internal violence manifests itself in a tragic way.

Probable Jungian Conclusion

Carl Jung would see Thomas Matthew Crooks' function as a complex manifestation of internal and collective conflicts, reflecting tensions not only in the psyche of the individual, but also in society. The attack on an authority figure and the wounding of Trump's ear as symbols of a deeper conflict between the individual and the collective and a breakdown in communication and understanding between leaders and the people.

The attack could be seen as a reflection of collective tensions and conflicts that need to be addressed and understood to promote integration and greater individual and social harmony. Such events are opportunities for introspection and growth and may suggest the need for greater understanding and integration of the shadow aspects of both the individual and society.

Jung would analyze these events as symbolic manifestations of internal and external conflicts. Each ear injury could be interpreted as an expression of the psychological state and life context of the individuals involved. In Van Gogh, it would be a symbol of suffering and a desperate attempt to communicate his pain. Holyfield's ear biting would be an archetype of conflict and aggression, a struggle for power and domination. In Trump, an attack on the ability to listen and communicate with the public, reflecting tensions and vulnerabilities in his leadership position ֎