by Norman Halls, contributor
We all know what bullying is and probably have been bullied when we were younger or maybe at work. Many times it happens when someone thinks they can get you so aggravated that you quit your job or dropout of an organization, classes or leave a party. Today, we see more bullying by President Trump which is very disturbing to many people. Interviewing a number of people I found; “they do not like President Trump to use his presidency in that matter.” “They also said it makes USA look bad thought the world.”
Psychology Today wrote; “Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate or aggressively dominate others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an imbalance of social or physical power, which distinguishes bullying from conflict. Behaviors used to assert such domination can include verbal harassment or threat, physical assault or coercion, and such acts may be directed repeatedly towards particular targets. Bullying ranges from one-on-one, individual bullying through to group bullying called mobbing, in which the bully may have one or more “lieutenants” who may seem to be willing to assist the primary bully in his or her bullying activities.”
Washington Post, March 18, 2016, Michael Busler wrote: “To intimidate someone is to frighten or threaten that person into doing something he or she does not wish to do. Donald Trump is intimidating almost everyone. Sometimes it is difficult to tell when a person is being intimidated, but sometimes it is easy. Trump has used intimidation to help himself become ‘successful’ in business. For instance, when negotiating to buy a property, Trump would offer a ridiculously low price. The seller would be offended, and then out of fear of being stuck with too low a price, would respond with a counter-offer above the offer, but well below what the seller would have wanted. By frightening sellers with low offer prices, Trump would get them to do something they would not normally do. That is, severely compromise on the price. The seller was intimidated. Trump is still using that tactic with campaign opponents and the GOP.”
Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen “deconstructs” President Donald Trump’s fiery rhetoric on North Korea. “Don’t give Trump too much credit for disrupting international relations. If you never have to grow up, then the entire world’s a playground. This is the case for both President Trump and Kim Jong Un, notable examples of nepotism run amok. They stand on either side of the playground yelling epithets at each other and vowing some awful stuff. We know, of course, who is in the right here, but both leaders need a timeout.”
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday on “Face the Nation” that if North Korea takes a wrong step, the U.S. has the capability to wipe the regime “off the face of the Earth.” “I think the North Koreans understand that if they take the wrong step, it’s the end of the regime, period,” Panetta said. Responding to President Trump’s rhetoric toward North Korea last week, Panetta said that he’s never felt that you can “out-bully a bully by trying to threaten that individual with words.” He said the U.S. must convey a clear strategy of “containment and deterrence” and added that the country needs a president who is steady, calm, responsible, “and who recognizes that the most important thing right now is to find a way that we do not get into a war.” Panetta also contradicted current CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s characterization, in a separate interview on “Face the Nation,” of the progress made by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs. Pompeo dismissed reports that the North’s weapons programs had advanced faster than previously expected. “That’s actually not true,” Pompeo said. “It’s not moving faster than policymakers knew.”
Beijing (CNN) Chinese President Xi Jinping; “Called for restraint during a phone call Saturday with President Donald Trump, following a dramatic exchange of threats between the US President and North Korea. Xi made clear in the call he was asking both sides to scale down the rhetoric and stressed the importance of diplomacy, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “At present, relevant parties should exercise restraint and avoid words and actions that would escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” Xi said.” The Chinese President has an understanding to bring the tension under control.
Associated Press reported Friday, 8-11-17 “People familiar with the contacts say the interactions have done nothing thus far to quell tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile advances, which are now fueling fears of military confrontation. But they say the behind-the-scenes discussions could still be a foundation for more serious negotiation, including on North Korea’s nuclear weapons, should President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un put aside the belligerent rhetoric of recent days and endorse a dialogue.”
We can only hope that someone in the Trump Administration can tell the President to STOP bullying North Korea. If his rhetoric continues it could harm millions of people. This is not playground bulling or Trump bullying, it’s beyond that.
