Danielle Muscato (she/her)

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

The thing is though, my mother, Dr Mary Muscato, is actually worse than my dad. He regresses to toddler behavior. She regresses to teenage behavior. She's also two-faced, but she's manipulative, cruel, spiteful. She calls me cruel names, makes faces, rolls her eyes, lies about it — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

My dad is in his 70s. He has a pacemaker already. I don't speak to him anymore, but when he dies, I'm going to play audio recordings of his temper tantrums, SCREAMING at his wife about groceries, at his funeral. People need to know who he really was: a violent, two-faced abuser. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

I pity my dad. For decades, he has gotten away with child abuse because he's rich as hell, and an excellent actor. He regresses to toddler behavior. He's in complete control of it, he can instantly stop anytime he chooses & I have proof. Decades of child abuse will be his legacy. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Then I remember, no, he has occasionally taken off his mask in front of outsiders, too. It's not my imagination. Dr Joe Muscato, indeed, has been a violent, two-faced domestic abuser for decades. He's cruel, angry, and he lies about it. When he gets caught, he plays the victim. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Screamed in front of my band, in front of my friend's dad. We tried to tell him that no, he had said we could rehearse at that time. He had a temper tantrum like a toddler. I think about that a lot. Sometimes it feels like I'm making all this up, because my dad gaslights so well — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

I didn't remember this, my dad screams at me every day, I'm just used to it. But my friend was telling me that he AND his dad both remember this clearly, 20 years later: there was some miscommunication about what time we were rehearsing. My dad came downstairs and SCREAMED at me. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

I had dinner recently with the guitarist of one of my old bands, from like 20 years ago. We had a conversation about my dad's abuse that really stuck with me. My dad gave us permission to rehearse in his basement. We were setting up, and my guitarist's dad was there too helping. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

I miss my cat so much. Right now while I'm escaping my parents' violent abuse, is when I need my emotional support animal the most. My dad refuses to let me so much as visit her. He's doing this to punish me for going public about his abuse. My friend made this for me. Aww 😭 🐾 https://t.co/NU2Jh3ocQ7 — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Narcissists are incapable of admitting they have any issues to work on, so the best thing to do is just cut them out of your life completely & warn others—like I'm doing now. Dr Joe Muscato is a violent, two-faced domestic abuser. I'm so glad I got away. Now the healing begins. https://t.co/KlwCvJfV1D — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

When I made an ultimatum that we go to family therapy or I would go back to not speaking to him, he screamed at me for TWO HOURS. I recorded it. FYI—you can't force someone to get therapy. They'll just lie to the therapist. People have to WANT to change or therapy is useless. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

recordings I have of him screaming at his wife about groceries, screaming at me for spending $30 of my own money on food, throwing temper tantrums, being violent. He's cruel. He taught me to lie. I'm in therapy 2x/week now, trying to be a better person & break the cycle of abuse — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

and threatened to run away because of his abuse, and again 3 months ago, after he battered me and lied to the police about it. I never want to see or talk to him the rest of my life. But he is in his mid-70s, and I do plan to attend his funeral. I'm going to play the audio… — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

As a child, I learned quickly & often to lie to my parents. Any wrongdoing was instantly met with screaming & violence. I never opened up to them, they were never affectionate with me. My dad has said "I love you" to me twice in my entire life: once when I was 8, I was suicidal… — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

That man is evil incarnate. And everyone thinks he's so great, generous, funny, because he's an EXPERT at masking his abuse in front of outsiders. He's cruel. He bribed a cop to avoid getting arrested for assault & battery. He refuses to let me have my furniture or even my cat! https://t.co/ijgbEkHKC3 — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

We had to leave behind my furniture, my books, my most expensive kitchen knife (it's my dad's favorite, so he wouldn't let us take it), and my 19yo cat, who is legally registered as my emotional support animal. I haven't seen her in over 3 months. I won't even know when she dies. https://t.co/Nc7gtnJ4JT — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

4 hours to pack AND move out everything I own in my apartment. As if that wasn't absurd enough, he didn't allow me to be there personally. Nothing was packed; I didn't know I was moving when I left for that hotel for a couple of days. He made me direct my friends over video chat. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

It doesn't matter. He's convinced that he's the victim, and he cannot accept criticism. He lies constantly. He's cruel. Legally he was required to give me 30 days to move. He gave me a choice: 2 hours on a Saturday or 4 hours on a weekday, with 1 days' notice. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

room, or the phone rings… Instantly, the mask goes back on. I've seen it countless times. I even have an audio recording of it happening. I even pointed it out ON the recording when he did it: https://t.co/EjrVMhb9Kp — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

He won't admit this publicly, because he knows as well as anyone that violence is not accepted as ethical by the public. He's strategic about his abuse. He can switch it on and off, instantly, like a lightswitch. When he's screaming at his family, if an outsider walks into the — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Dr Joe Muscato is the most evil man I know. He plays the victim, screams at his children, his wife, even his 4yo grandson. You cannot convince him this is unethical. He believes, genuinely in his heart, that is okay for him to be violent, if you challenge his delusion with words. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

He screams & throws things & grabs people when they decline to go along with his delusion. He's absolutely convinced that HE'S an abuse victim. If you try to show him evidence that he's being abusive to his family, he believes you are attacking him—it just reinforces the delusion — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

No matter what evidence you have, unless it fits into their delusion, they reject it. They will literally deny evidence right to your face. Dr Joe Muscato abuses his entire family. He's two-faced. He hides it from outsiders but when he drops the mask, he's angry, violent, cruel — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Money is a big one. For example, that money is tight (then they turn around & buy @Mizzou season tickets), that they are the victim of abuse (even though I have literally 100+ hours of audio recordings of my dad screaming and throwing things at me), etc: https://t.co/aWbHv4Bxzc — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

My dad, Dr Joe Muscato, FEELS victimized: therefore in his reality, he is the victim. Facts don't matter. Proof doesn't matter. Narcissists cannot accept reality as it is. They reject reality and substitute their delusion. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Facts don't matter. It's a waste of YOUR time to try to show them that their delusion does not compart with the evidence at hand. It's futile, and you will get psychologically and/or physically injured if you try. They have a persecution complex. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

You can show them proof until you're blue in the face, but you cannot change their mind that they are under attack. If you try to reason with a narcissistic abuser, this will only reinforce their delusion that they are a victim. Their feelings determine their reality. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

(Deep down, they know, and that's why they hide it at first/from outsiders). Their feelings determine their reality. They feel attacked by the SLIGHTEST perceived, gentle criticism: therefore, they are a victim. They force their delusional reality onto you, violently if necessary — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

Not facts, not evidence; it doesn't matter if you have proof, you cannot reason with them and expect a rational response. They're just not wired that way. You cannot convince narcissistic abusers that they, themselves, are abusing you/their family/etc. They cannot admit it. — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

I read about narcissistic abuse to better understand my parents. They're no longer in my life (except through our respective attorneys), but the most important thing I have learned about narcs is this: ***Their feelings determine their reality.*** — PolitiTweet.org

Danielle Muscato (she/her) @DanielleMuscato

I follow a lot of feeds in insta about narcissistic abusers. I'm learning. I'm growing. I want to educate people so they don't end up like I did, homeless, alone, living in a park. I want to teach people how to make a plan to escape, and give them the resources to do so. — PolitiTweet.org