So what's a person to do?
It's clear his unhinged actions and speak are not going to end. Every time I think he may be starting to be presidential, he resorts back to childish name-calling, bullying, quitting when he's not winning, taking sides, and not telling the truth. As an elementary school teacher for more than three decades, I'm well aware of these behaviors. These are natural, developmental behaviors for young children in elementary school as they move from only noticing themselves and their needs in the world to becoming more collaborative, generous, and broad-minded individuals:
- Young elementary school students often name call. We talk about that, and learn better ways to resolve conflicts.
- Young elementary school students don't tell the truth sometimes, and we work on that with the idea that the truth frees us to move forward and do better.
- Young elementary school students may tip over a game, give up, or quit when they are not winning, and that's when we talk about the fact that none of us win all the time, and there's lots to be learned by losing and compromise too.
- Young elementary school students sometimes form exclusive clubs for some, not all, and we work against that by building empathy and care for one another so students know what it feels like to be excluded as well as the great excitement of collective goals and action.
Trump Does Not Show Responsibility or Reverence for the Role of President
All of us resort back to childish behaviors from time to time--we resort to our "primitive selves" rather than our intellectual, rationale selves. This is a challenge for us as people. Those of us who may not have had good mentors, loving relationships, empathetic coaching, or good friendships, perhaps, have to tackle these developmental hurdles as adults too. Nevertheless, we don't expect childish behavior from leaders, particularly the leaders who have the grave responsibility that a President of the United States has, a leader who has the responsibility to forward a country where all people are "created equal" and deserve the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Trump Leads for His Ego, Wealth, and Cronies
Clearly, President Trump leads with and for his ego, wealth, and cronies. He doesn't appear to demonstrate any true empathy or care for the rest of us. He rallies up his white supporters with talk of the past, making them think that they don't have to develop themselves, learn more, and change to live in the global, diverse, technological, and threatened world we live in. Instead, his rally calls tell them that we can return to the Mayberry RFD and what many whites remember as a simpler, more empowered past. He forgets that his rally call may harken the privileged, prejudice past--a past where people of color, women, LBGTs, the poor, disabled, and medically unhealthy individuals didn't have the privilege that many white men enjoyed. His rallies forget to mention the ways that many companies in the USA and other western nations made money, destroyed lands, and created unrest and poverty in countries overseas to become wealthy here in the United States and to seed the immigration problems we face today. Even his own families' wealth, in part, comes from slave shops overseas.
Becoming President was a Marketing Challenge for Trump
It was a marketing challenge for Donald Trump to become President. He used what he learned as a real estate shark and television producer/actor to rally-up the angst and anger among Americans who are afraid or unwilling to see the world as it is--people who prefer to work for their own privilege rather than what is right and good for the whole country--a country that depends on good health care, quality public schools, fair wages, regulations that protect their rights, good social programs, a strong infrastructure, access to recreation, and equity to succeed. It was also a good opportunity to demean women which he clearly had a history of doing and continued throughout the campaign and now while in office as we see few to no women in leadership surrounding him. It was also an opportunity to make fun of America by playing us since almost every time he does business as the President, his personal wealth increases due to the fact that he mostly does business or promotes policies that support his own family's investments, places of business, and business plans. I can imagine the talk at the dinner table, Just think how stupid Americans are, they let me serve as President, and I use the role to advantage my family's companies so we become the most powerful and wealthiest family in the world--it's all about us in the end, no one else really matters.
MAKE AMERICA GREAT FOR ALL!
"Make America Great Again" is a catchy slogan that plays to the desire of many white Americans to return to what they think was a time of greater advantage and prosperity. It's easy to fool the psyche with marketing claims, and Trump knows that. What's strange is that while many white Americans follow Trump's claims and rallying cries, their support leads to greater wealth and power for the few like Trump, and less good living for the many like his supporters and others. We're not going back to old times, and guess what, for many Americans old times were not as good as today. Instead the rallying cry should be, Make America Great for All! That's a real challenge. Trump's backward slogan suggests that we should make American great for the few who enjoyed privilege in the past, but "MAKE AMERICA GREAT FOR ALL suggests that we work for a country that provides everyone with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--this is a positive challenge, and a challenge that cannot be met without good global partnerships too. We do better together and if we grasped this call, we would find that our collaboration to make our communities strong and positive for all members would result in an invigorated, dynamic America that exemplifies our core ideals as a country.
Each of us can join this new rallying cry, MAKE AMERICA GREAT FOR ALL, by demonstrating reverence and responsibility towards those we love and care for, our professional responsibilities, and the communities we live in. If each of us does that, we will be on the right path to MAKING AMERICA GREAT FOR ALL!
President Trump is an Overcorrection
What will you do? How will you respond? President Trump, in the best light, serves as an overcorrection to our docile ways of the past. His poor performance has demonstrated that democracy requires hard work and constant attention. This is the promise his dismal presidency gives to us if we are willing to respond with good action, collaboration, and speak. His bad example of leadership and governing is awakening a spirit and action of needed renewal, revision, collective action, and good direction for the United States.
What will you do? How will you respond? President Trump, in the best light, serves as an overcorrection to our docile ways of the past. His poor performance has demonstrated that democracy requires hard work and constant attention. This is the promise his dismal presidency gives to us if we are willing to respond with good action, collaboration, and speak. His bad example of leadership and governing is awakening a spirit and action of needed renewal, revision, collective action, and good direction for the United States.
