Punching Down

I’ve been thinking a lot about why Trump’s recent actions and foreign policy bother me so, and I think I’ve identified it.  There’s a concept , a maxim in civilized culture, that you never punch down.  If violence, force, even comedy needs to be used, it should always be used laterally or upwardly.

“Punching down” is a concept that has come from the world of comedy.  It speaks of the idea to attack or criticize someone who is in a worse or less powerful position than you.  Simply, in comedy, you make fun of the rich and powerful, not the marginalized.

To put another way, you don’t attack those that are smaller, less powerful, less able than you.  You only go after those who are bigger than you, stronger than you, more powerful than you.  You go after those that are abusing their power.  You go after those who are punching down on others.

Punching down makes you a bully.  You are preying on a power imbalance to force your way.

And it’s quite clear today, that America is now the great bully of the world.

There are those that would have claimed we were before this administration and recent actions.  And there are times in our past when they would have been correct.

We are at one of those times now.

For Trump to initiate trade wars with Canada and Mexico, to seek territory from Denmark and Panama, to remove the protection and aid we provide to the rest of the world, turns us into the bully.  We are definitively punching down.  

We’re not going toe to toe with China and Russia, our economic and military rivals.  We’re not holding them accountable for their actions in the world.  We’re not acting on behalf of smaller countries like Ukraine, that are being pushed around by those same superpowers.  We’re not seeking to lift up or support those countries and societies that need our aid.

We’re looking to force our way on everyone else.

We’re the bully.  We who used to see our role as the great protector of freedom around the world, are now the world’s bully.

And there are honestly people who think we can keep up the trade wars and tank Canada’s economy to make them our territory.  That we can do the same to Denmark to make them give us Denmark.  And we can pressure Panama to make them give us back the canal.

We’re just taking the lunch money away from the world, right?  I mean, we do see that these are mob tactics, right?

As if there would be no consequences.

Why does this sit well with so many people?  Were there that many Republicans that were just waiting to bully the rest of the world back into submission?  Is that who you are?

Is it how we want to be perceived?

No seriously, I’m asking, does our public perception matter any more?  Does it matter if the rest of the world sees us as their protective older brother?

Or are we okay with being the school yard thug?