2 weeks Ago
We are a week and a day from the 2024 presidential and down-ballot election. Never in our lives has more been at stake. The choice of presidential candidates is more stark and profound than at any time in U.
S. history. Clearly, there are major differences in policy, understanding and comprehension of government, world and U.
S. history, emotional and social intelligence, personality, and temperament, to name but a few. This is not news — the gap between the two wannabees has been known for months, if not years.
Most of what needs to be said has already been spoken, written, and acted out. Both sides have called the other “fascist” — but in terms of the definition of the word, only the Republican candidate demonstrates all of the obvious and subtle traits, and he seems to embrace all that it stands for. Among his unprincipled perspectives is his total inability to accept, let alone embrace, the full repertoire of differences between people.
How many times have we heard him state “my way or the highway”? Why any U.S. citizen would vote for him is simply beyond me; I’ve asked many this question, and the answers have been far less than satisfactory to me.
This candidate seems to enjoy bullying and oppressing anyone not like him — and it’s ugly. Oppression and most of the “-isms” are based on two things: fear and ignorance. In fact, he is the textbook definition and embodiment of an oppressor: an individual (or group) that exercises authority or power over another in a harsh and burdensome way through unjust treatment or control.
That’s putting it gently when it comes to him. This candidate has laid out his agenda (not a policy, but maybe a hint of one) carefully, clearly, and cruelly: He’s dead-set against keeping anyone who disagrees, does not conform, does not emulate or praise him, and who looks any bit different than he does. He enjoys the power of retribution and scapegoating.
This is in fact, fact — he utters words to this effect for the media to convey to the rest of us every day. How he has tens of millions following him, supporting him, and cheering him on is simply beyond my comprehension. And this is not character assassination — it is trying to make intelligible his own words, speeches and antics.
One critical characteristic that I believe all elected officials — all people, in fact — should have is the appreciation, even the embrace, of the differences among and between us. It is these differences that define our collective strength as a people, as a nation. It is virtually embedded in our Constitution.
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Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess This man cannot bear to accept anyone who does not swear absolute fealty to him in all circumstances. Where is this coming from? His has been a broken life, a spoiled life, a life of false assurances and fake awareness. These are explanations and facts, not excuses — they have been documented innumerably.
The inability to accept one of the fundamental realities of life and the human condition comes back to our definition of oppression and two of its foremost qualities: fear and ignorance. Said candidate is fearful not only of germs, but of anyone who questions or disagrees with him. His absolute need to control everyone and everything around him is based on his extraordinarily high “fear factor.
” He conveys his fears through his bullying words, ugly nicknaming of others, and a host of other ways he tries to compensate for his weaknesses and fears. Because he lives from fear, he feels it is imperative that he instill his fears in the rest of us. At the same time, he has continually demonstrated his ignorance of basic — not alternative — facts, including national and global history, a deep understanding of the way our tri-cameral government works (or is supposed to work), and relational and not transactional interactions between people.
In addition, he appears to lack basic human qualities such as empathy, collaboration, and the art of positive and relationally based negotiation and mediation (not the “art of the deal” as in one of his book titles). In my mind, all of this lends a nickname I am claiming for him: The Great Bloviator. To amplify, a bloviator is someone who speaks in a pompous, empty, or pretentious manner, often talking a lot and saying little.
His skill lies in creating non-truths in the spur of the moment, as in throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what will stick. His lies mask his insecurity. Virtually all that he says and does is for him and his cronies — those who are alike and like him.
This is not “presidential material” or comportment, as far as I can see it. For me, and so many others both like and unlike me, hope for our future rests solely in keeping him locked up in his Florida residence, or, more appropriately, in prison. In either environment, he is more than welcome to continue living up to his new nickname.
Daniel Cantor Yalowitz writes a regular column in the Recorder. A developmental and intercultural psychologist, he has facilitated change in many organizations and communities around the world. His two most recent books are “Journeying with Your Archetypes” and “Reflections on the Nature of Friendship.
” Reach out to him at [email protected]..
