Spoken out Loud

TimeWatch Editorial
May 21, 2016

Recent attitudes demonstrated during the presidential election have seemed to shock and disturb many. Those who have spent their entire careers in political intrigue have been taken by surprise by the absolute savagery of the dialog. Experts on both sides of the political spectrum claim to be embarrassed and offended by the often abrasive demeanor of those who would be the “leaders’ of the nation. But an Op-Ed by Charles Derber and Yale Magrass, for the Truthout website expresses the view that this apparent shock in response to these candidates’ obtuse behavior is at best an act. These authors describe the official attitude of the United States as one of bullying.

“The inconvenient truth is that bullying is embedded in our culture, our governing elites and our most powerful institutions: the military, the corporation and the state. Whatever our personal values, we all live in a bullying society -- militarized capitalism -- and must learn to play by its rules.The Republican Party's neoconservative establishment embraces a global militarism that threatens and bullies all nations opposing US interests. And it embraces an unfettered, neoliberal capitalism with few restraints on corporations bullying workers and consumers. But these policies are packaged in moral ideals about preserving freedom and American exceptionalism. High-flown rhetoric hides the underlying GOP establishment's commitment to institutionalized bullying.”By Charles Derber and Yale Magrass, Truthout | Op-Ed, Tuesday, 17 May 2016

Charles Derber and Yale Magrass are authors of the just-published book, Bully Nation: How the American Establishment Creates a Bullying Society . Not many have been brave enough to express the opinion of Derber and Magrass. I do believe that there are many who share the opinion, but not many who are brave enough to say it out loud. Furthermore, the present exposure of harsh rhetoric reveals an approach that, to those who consider themselves the “masters” would prefer to be kept quiet.

“It is crucial to elites that their bullying be disguised as a legitimate practice that serves beneficent purposes. Faith in their rule can be maintained only if most of the population sees national militarism and corporate power not as bullying, but as "moral intervention" in the case of the military, and "protecting the good or efficient operation of the market" in the case of capitalism.” By Charles Derber and Yale Magrass, Truthout | Op-Ed,Tuesday, 17 May 2016

The society at large, even though a few would prefer a more respectful environment, has been conditioned to pattern after the callous and insensitive attitudes of their leadership class

“Generals and soldiers alike have to embrace the bullying code of the military, learning to view state violence as "moral heroism." Likewise, workers and managers seeking to survive and succeed in a corporate culture -- and even supervisors in schools -- cannot be sentimental about the use and abuse of power. Threats to workers, competitors and colleagues are part of the game, and those who can't live by bullying often lose out.” By Charles Derber and Yale Magrass, Truthout | Op-Ed,Tuesday, 17 May 2016

I doubt whether Charles Derber and Yale Magrass will ever be embraced by the corporate entities that would assure them super-stardom, but it is refreshing to see that there are those willing to speak out, regardless of the consequences. As I’ve said before, they have just published a book entitled, Bully Nation: How the American Establishment Creates a Bullying Society . In chapter six of that book they say the following:

“As we have demonstrated, American militaristic capitalism is a bullying system that draws upon bullying traditions found in, for instance, the Roman and British Empires. Our approach to the study of bullying is different from that of other investigators because we do not emphasize its psychological causes. But that does not mean we negate psychological and even biological influences. Clearly, a bullying society needs bullying personalities. There is no contradiction between focusing upon individual or psychological bullying and the study of institutional or structural bullying. Rather, both aspects depend on and reinforce each other.” Bully Nation: How the American Establishment Creates a Bullying Society

So it I clear then that the present rhetoric is by no means beyond the realm of reality, rather what is surprising is that there are those who are willing to say exactly what so many others think and feel. We can truly say like John in Revelation 13 verse 11, and I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

The speech truly is dragon speech.

Cameron A. Bowen