As a child growing up, being the oldest and biggest of four children I had ample opportunity to bully my younger, weaker siblings but I didn’t see any sense in it. I’m not saying I never got into a fight or two but they were few and far between and knowing that I was bigger and stronger, I will tell you, it always made me feel terrible and I would usually apologize profusely.
Growing up in the government school systems I saw plenty of Bullyism and I really couldn’t stand watching it when it occurred. Who likes a bully anyway? Nobody! Sure, bullies have “friends” but we all know that their friends are only in it, either because of fear or because they’re weaklings who attach themselves to a tough guy to get a feeling of superiority.
The reason I’m bringing up this whole bullying thing is to make a point. The point being that, other than bullies, everyone thinks that bullying is wrong and really shouldn’t be tolerated. Heck, nowadays we have cyberbullying and other forms of bullying that some people think ought to be prosecutable under the law when it occurs.
So, with all that in mind why is it that when “governments” practice Bullyism it goes, for the most part, unchallenged. Why is it that what is wrong for individuals isn’t considered wrong for governments? Frankly, there’s no difference. If it’s wrong for an individual to do something then it IS wrong for a government to do it as well and that goes for mass murder – called war, theft – called taxation or any other of the MANY unethical and immoral things done by government in the name of the collective.
Too many Americans think the US being the “big kid on the global block” means we can throw our weight around and when we wag our nationalistic finger in the faces of our fellow nations they’d better toe the line or else they’ll be sorry. Like I said above, nobody likes a bully. If you wonder why almost every nation in the world, including our allies, don’t really like us, well, there you have it. It’s really not hard to figure out and it’s disheartening that so many Americans find this disposition perfectly acceptable.
What’s wrong with trying to get along and being friendly? Here’s a couple of things George Washington had to say in his Farewell Address concerning our nation’s disposition toward and with other nations:
“Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
“The Great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign Nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop.”
Sounds like really good advice, advice that for the most part was headed for a century and a half until something happened and the American psyche changed as it became so arrogant it no longer resemble that country which once held to the principles of Liberty, Freedom, Self Determination and Personal Responsibilty that made it the envy of the world. Now it’s just a Big Bully that other nations must bow to out of fear of retaliation. The respect and admiration are long since past replaced with fear and loathing. As with all bullies, their weakness will be made manifest and their fall will be great. Truly history continues to repeat as we learn from history that we never learn from history.