Authoritarians like Putin, Xi, or Kim do not relish public confrontations but act behind the scenes to enforce their will by using thugs like secret police.
Trump, Musk and their ilk derive great pleasure from the personal confrontation and humiliation as well as the satisfaction of getting their way and thrilling their followers.
True words. If you are feeling bullied by these people firstly, know how much goodwill there is behind you. Secondly, recall that action has magic in it. Chartbook could be something much, much bigger. One thing that always surprises me about bullies is how shocked they are to be stood up to, they lack any awareness that it is a possibility until it happens. Get 'em Adam.
Bullies abused me in early life. It left me with a lot of anger, of course. They select the vulnerable… those safe to bully. But bullies don’t last very long, do they? Eventually they bully the wrong person, someone not as vulnerable as they thought.
US has come clean as Bully on a lot of things recently.
The Biolabs are now available as undeniable evidence. Suddenly USAID secrets can be told.
Syria has evolved in a way that makes it crystal clear how US/Turkey/Israel and a bunch of other knowing participants used and even created terrorists groups to break down Assad. They have pretty much owned up to that now with a smirk on their face.
While Biden's "pretend" games at not quite approving of the Israeli Genocide has been replaced by Trump's attempt to take it over and claim full credit.
Near off is the admission that 1 million Ukrainian military died as US proxies to fight Russia - hideous.
So why now and why Biden and Trump doing much the same?
The Phoney hegemony war with China had gone hot. US is commanding every state to allign itself to US Trade Block now. This is not just Canada, Mexico Greenland and Panama. This is South Korea where US seems to have backed a military attempt at Martial law to maintain the US friendly President. Pakistan where US has bribed the judges to impeach Imran Khan. Direct intervention into Romania, Moldova and Georgia elections.
The Masks dropped this is open war against China.
(I have been waiting, it will continue to be ugly).
Kissinger: It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal.
As I read this post I was reminded of the experiences of many women and some men, over the past 10 years, who have been bullied out of their jobs for stating that sex is real.
There are three ways to deal with a bully. Snitch to teacher only to get beat up when she’s not looking, challenge him to a fight and get your ass kicked, or run him over with a car and flee the scene.
Very interesting thoughts. How do we defeat the bully? Is shame? Is it empathy? Is it violence? How do you stand up effectively to a bully?
Also incidentally this morning a heard a story about Kanye West praising his 7 year old son for being a bully and that his new song or album is called bully.
Yesterday I listened to the Ones and Tooze podcast-episode on why Trump voters clearly favoured him over the 'lawyer lady' (you elucidated the power dynamics succinctly)... and it makes perfect sense in the light of what just happens.
A kind of eerie, very dark schoolyard dialectic. Reading Mary Trump's story of her father's plight in the family you can see where it all comes from (and I could not finish Isaacscon's Musk bio because it made me too angry - same damaged psychological structure of grandure and sad narcissism beyond (self-) recognition).
It is so encouraging to have you pointing these things out loud (let alone in a way not many ppl on this planet can or will say it). Yes! I am glad we have your publications and your substack! Thank you!
The USA has been subsidizing the lives and lifestyles of many people around the world -increasingly since 1945.
And US aid has been keeping alive many people in countries -some of which are governed/controlled by totally corrupt power-persons- that do not have the resources and admin systems competent enough to keep such people alive.
Where’s the comprehension of what this means and why it is now being made obvious by Trump’s banging on doors and blurting extreme assertions -so-called bullying ?
Time to face reality-on all sorts of dimensions.
I am not an American, but I can see that most of the populace of Earth depend mightily on US power -and on US subsidies.
Interesting that most of Europe has woken up to this and is now making moves to pay for its own defense.
I've been reading Jeremy Adelman's biography of Albert O. Hirschman, Worldly Philosopher, and bullying was an important element of Hirschman's first book, National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade, based on his observations of the economic policy of Mussolini and Hitler . Haven't read National Power, but Adelman's account of it made me think it ought to be required reading for those of us trying to understand Trump.
Trump is just doing the quiet bit out loud. Gangsterism. The question for other nations like my Australia is do we go to the firing squad quietly, or in responding take the first bullet? Xi is no different - just more subtle. After a brief interregnum the world returns to it's customary Lord of the Flies.
Seems to me most Australians have given up on one another over the past 30 years.
The so-called egalitarianism has been covering up Me-Firstism and a massive if subconscious sense of inferiority is covered up by proclamations that “Australia is the Greatest”.
And all this is very obvious to knowledgeable/competent/high-achieving Europeans, Americans, Asians, and Canadians.
By the late 1960s, Lee Kuan Yew foresaw and described the bleak Australian future -and here we are.
Of course, many Americans and Brits saw it as far back as 1920s and earlier.
It's all about grabbing power that Trump does not have legitimately. Policies are irrelevant next to turning the appearance of power into the reality of power.
Thanks for drawing attention to this distinction.
Authoritarians like Putin, Xi, or Kim do not relish public confrontations but act behind the scenes to enforce their will by using thugs like secret police.
Trump, Musk and their ilk derive great pleasure from the personal confrontation and humiliation as well as the satisfaction of getting their way and thrilling their followers.
Sounds like American WWE!
True words. If you are feeling bullied by these people firstly, know how much goodwill there is behind you. Secondly, recall that action has magic in it. Chartbook could be something much, much bigger. One thing that always surprises me about bullies is how shocked they are to be stood up to, they lack any awareness that it is a possibility until it happens. Get 'em Adam.
Bullies abused me in early life. It left me with a lot of anger, of course. They select the vulnerable… those safe to bully. But bullies don’t last very long, do they? Eventually they bully the wrong person, someone not as vulnerable as they thought.
US has come clean as Bully on a lot of things recently.
The Biolabs are now available as undeniable evidence. Suddenly USAID secrets can be told.
Syria has evolved in a way that makes it crystal clear how US/Turkey/Israel and a bunch of other knowing participants used and even created terrorists groups to break down Assad. They have pretty much owned up to that now with a smirk on their face.
While Biden's "pretend" games at not quite approving of the Israeli Genocide has been replaced by Trump's attempt to take it over and claim full credit.
Near off is the admission that 1 million Ukrainian military died as US proxies to fight Russia - hideous.
So why now and why Biden and Trump doing much the same?
The Phoney hegemony war with China had gone hot. US is commanding every state to allign itself to US Trade Block now. This is not just Canada, Mexico Greenland and Panama. This is South Korea where US seems to have backed a military attempt at Martial law to maintain the US friendly President. Pakistan where US has bribed the judges to impeach Imran Khan. Direct intervention into Romania, Moldova and Georgia elections.
The Masks dropped this is open war against China.
(I have been waiting, it will continue to be ugly).
Kissinger: It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal.
now more than ever
As I read this post I was reminded of the experiences of many women and some men, over the past 10 years, who have been bullied out of their jobs for stating that sex is real.
Yes, the bullying by the leftist-woke people has become extreme.
And in response to what Trump
Says and does, the leftist-woke forces will launch many viscous counter-attacks with lots more bullying
There are three ways to deal with a bully. Snitch to teacher only to get beat up when she’s not looking, challenge him to a fight and get your ass kicked, or run him over with a car and flee the scene.
Very interesting thoughts. How do we defeat the bully? Is shame? Is it empathy? Is it violence? How do you stand up effectively to a bully?
Also incidentally this morning a heard a story about Kanye West praising his 7 year old son for being a bully and that his new song or album is called bully.
I do not like this trend.
Here we have a bully in a partnership with a wanna be dictator. When that power struggle ignites will flames spread or self extinguish?
My modes of power will be compassion and understanding. I will not stoop to bullying like a reprobate.
Yesterday I listened to the Ones and Tooze podcast-episode on why Trump voters clearly favoured him over the 'lawyer lady' (you elucidated the power dynamics succinctly)... and it makes perfect sense in the light of what just happens.
A kind of eerie, very dark schoolyard dialectic. Reading Mary Trump's story of her father's plight in the family you can see where it all comes from (and I could not finish Isaacscon's Musk bio because it made me too angry - same damaged psychological structure of grandure and sad narcissism beyond (self-) recognition).
It is so encouraging to have you pointing these things out loud (let alone in a way not many ppl on this planet can or will say it). Yes! I am glad we have your publications and your substack! Thank you!
The USA has been subsidizing the lives and lifestyles of many people around the world -increasingly since 1945.
And US aid has been keeping alive many people in countries -some of which are governed/controlled by totally corrupt power-persons- that do not have the resources and admin systems competent enough to keep such people alive.
Where’s the comprehension of what this means and why it is now being made obvious by Trump’s banging on doors and blurting extreme assertions -so-called bullying ?
Time to face reality-on all sorts of dimensions.
I am not an American, but I can see that most of the populace of Earth depend mightily on US power -and on US subsidies.
Interesting that most of Europe has woken up to this and is now making moves to pay for its own defense.
I've been reading Jeremy Adelman's biography of Albert O. Hirschman, Worldly Philosopher, and bullying was an important element of Hirschman's first book, National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade, based on his observations of the economic policy of Mussolini and Hitler . Haven't read National Power, but Adelman's account of it made me think it ought to be required reading for those of us trying to understand Trump.
Trump is just doing the quiet bit out loud. Gangsterism. The question for other nations like my Australia is do we go to the firing squad quietly, or in responding take the first bullet? Xi is no different - just more subtle. After a brief interregnum the world returns to it's customary Lord of the Flies.
Seems to me most Australians have given up on one another over the past 30 years.
The so-called egalitarianism has been covering up Me-Firstism and a massive if subconscious sense of inferiority is covered up by proclamations that “Australia is the Greatest”.
And all this is very obvious to knowledgeable/competent/high-achieving Europeans, Americans, Asians, and Canadians.
By the late 1960s, Lee Kuan Yew foresaw and described the bleak Australian future -and here we are.
Of course, many Americans and Brits saw it as far back as 1920s and earlier.
Some Australians too, obviously.
Psyops seems close, as strategic persuasive communication using multichannel distribution
I keep trying to reach for corporate metaphors (business world anecdotes), from leveraged buyouts, hostile takeovers
Also something about bullying in the scope of competition as a "reasonable transgression"
You’re an enormous clown.
It's all about grabbing power that Trump does not have legitimately. Policies are irrelevant next to turning the appearance of power into the reality of power.