And So It Goes.

Bullying is a unique dynamic.  The experts in bullying talk about the insecurities of bullies, how we need to stand up to them, confront them, and stop them from pushing around the weaker segments of society.  As I watch the beatings of our socially conscious breasts and the outrage from the “I’m with Her” crowd I am reminded of the expert opinions on bullies.

These days we have the social bullies filling the streets in mock outrage that a candidate such as President (elect) Trump would be elected, and are distraught that despite having more popular votes their beloved choice fell far short on the required electoral vote.  Of course, both sides have their cases to make, but I suspect most of those filling the street in front of Trump tower, or blocking streets in LA did not assume so much social responsibility as to register AND vote.  If you didn’t vote, sit down and shut up.  You had your chance to participate and chose not to.  Your belief in anarchy as a solution is not going to be better than the worse day with the new President.

We have the cast of Hamilton lecturing the Vice President, and of course @realDonaldTrump had to respond.  For the record, I think we need to have the common man participate in our government, and the right to speak directly to the President or Vice President should be viewed as a good thing.  But in this case their obvious hypocrisy undermines the message.  Their choice of silence as President Obama took sides on the killing of our police, his obvious bias towards portraying blacks as the universal victim, his use of drones to remotely kill innocents as well as targets in the Middle East and Africa, or recalcitrant refusal to condemn radical Islam, even as terrorists killed Christians and members of the LGBT community means they have chosen a political side and are using their stage as a political forum.  The wonderful thing about capitalism is the public can decide for themselves if there is a price to this act. 

I would say to the cast of Hamilton, if you are to take it upon yourself to speak directly to the Vice President, you owe it to your own followers not to be so flagrantly hypocritical.  If you are only interested in your own needs then whine about that in private, but if you propose to represent a group then be prepared to represent the group well, not just to people you don’t like.  Look with open eyes at the acts of those you like, because they speak far clearer than their words.

Of course, in the exchange between @realDonaldTrump and the actor, who I believe was Brandon Victor Dixon, we see the President elect condemning the speech, saying a theater should be a “safe space.”  I think he would have been far better served in his 144 letters to speak to the booing the VP received as unnecessary, but it is always refreshing to see people like Dan Rather portray him as a bully, and reflect that bullies are quick to over react when challenged and that great presidents are almost always the opposite of the qualities he says reflect those of a bully.  Mr. Rather is himself a bit of a bully, and has used his position to publicly condemn those whose political views disagree with his own, so for me this was a rather tone deaf insertion into a twitter storm.  While I don’t know who Mr. Rather views as the great Presidents I am pretty sure you will find their ability to push around their opposition was one of the keys to their success.

This link describes the new social justice bully much better than I can.  Aristo Orginos Social Justice Bullies: The Authoritarianism of Millenial Social Justice