The Growing “Bully” Culture

Check out stopbullying.gov, the official government website that defines bullying as something that only affects kids!  It says, “Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.”  Bullying happens because of an imbalance of power. “Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others.”  The website states that there are three types of bullying:  verbal, social and physical. The problem with this government website (which everyone should read for themselves) is its premise that bullying happens only among school aged children.  That’s nonsense and everybody knows it.

“Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things,” says the website.  Mr. Trump is a bully.  From his position of wealth, influence, and power, he has always been so.  The evidence for this bullying is recorded in tweets, words, deeds, and video.  In May 2016 Trump was asked by Meghan Kelly of Fox News if he had ever been bullied as a child.  He said, no, and went on to say that bullying isn’t just a thing that happens with school aged children. I agree with him. “People are bullied when they are 55,” he said.  You do remember how he bullied Kelly—and how he has bullied so many others.  This is a fact!  Donald Trump is a classic bully—using his position, wealth and power through the use of force, threat, and coercion to abuse, intimidate and aggressively dominate others.  He has repeated this behavior over and over again.  It is habitual.  It is his political modus operandi in every situation.

Is it contagious?  Yes, bullying is contagious and is becoming epidemic. It is invading our culture. Some seem to like it—but only when it is their guy who is doing the bullying.  They mimic their example.  This collective bullying is called “mobbing,” and it happens when the bully rallies his “lieutenants” to assist him in his bullying activities and tactics.  

Will we in our political and social life become bullies?  Will we become a people who find it acceptable, through repeated, aggressive behavior to hurt others, physically, mentally and emotionally?