I am not a large person. Indeed, I learned this is grammar school. When we were asked to line up in size places, I was always the second or third shortest boy. This lack of physical stature attracted bullies. These tough guys assumed that I would be easy pickings. They expected little resistance.
Meanwhile my father encouraged me to fight back. He told me that this was the only way to get them to back off. I, however, was doubtful. My fear was that if I hit them, they would strike me harder. Why then would I invite a more painful beating?
Of course, my Dad was right. Bullies must be given a dose of their own medicine. It isn’t necessary to beat them. They must merely be given to understand that there will be no free ride. As cowards, they hurriedly look elsewhere for compliant victims.
Nowadays schoolchildren are often advised that if they are picked on, they should go to a teacher for protection. This is absurd. No one likes a stool pigeon. Tattling on bullies draws the ire of nearly everyone and virtually ensures social isolation.
So what are we to do about adult bullies? This not an academic question. With the ascendency of liberalism, potential tormenters surround us. Let me make myself clear; liberals are notorious bullies. They specialize in intimidating those who oppose them.
Ask Kanye West. He said some kind words about president Trump and the Twitter universe came down on his head. For that matter, ask Donald Trump. He has had the temerity to be politically incorrect; hence virtually everyday he is exposed to insults and threats.
You might also ask Black conservatives. They are ostracized as traitors to their race. Meanwhile, whites, who have the gall to express unpopular opinions, are derided as racists. Civilized discussion about what they meant is out of the question.
Anyway, how are non-liberals to cope with protests that are actually efforts to shut them up? How are they to exercise the freedom of speech that is theoretically protected by our constitution? They cannot always go to the police. They certainly can’t depend on the FBI. So where can they turn?
The answer is that they must depend on themselves. If they allow self-righteous progressives to call the tune, they will soon be singing disagreeable lyrics. Only standing up against intimidation can put an end to it.
Once, a half a century ago, tail gunner Joe McCarthy sought to bully liberals into submission. They fought back. With the aid of honorable conservatives, they ruined his reputation and undercut his power. The same tactic is available today.
When the mainstream media, or college professors, or Hollywood stars, or unscrupulous politicians make unfounded accusations, they should be called out and humiliated. When they refuse to publish opinions with which they disagree, a free people should create alternative channels.
Being silent in the face of coercion only encourages further coercion. When bullies are led to believe they can get away with extortion, they go from calling names to destroying careers. Liberal bullies claim that they are super-nice. They are anything but.
To repeat an oft-expressed verity: The only thing needed for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. Edmund Burke was not talking about bullies per se, but he might as well have been. He saw the French reign of terror coming and knew that aggressors don’t stop until they are stopped.
So here we are with Democrats and their liberal henchmen engaged in full-blown obstructionism. In Congress, they prevent action from being taken by throwing sand into the legislative gears. They will not even approve the president’s cabinet nominees without despoiling the reputations of their targets.
Likewise, in the media, rumors and slander substitute for diligent journalism and honest commentary. Day after day, pompous progressives pump themselves up to look like dangerous adversaries. Their bubbles must be burst. Their self-importance must be exposed as anti-democratic posturing.
The liberal initiated struggles in which we are currently enmeshed cannot be allowed to remain business as usual. It is essential that decent people find the courage to defy leftist calumnies and cruelty. Fear must not prevent us from defending our liberties and heritage.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
No comments:
Post a Comment