Like a young child who wants attention so badly that they will do bad or stupid stuff to get noticed like having a tantrum, Trump will bask in the fact that he has gotten the attention of the world – even if that attention is negative and against him.
Negative attention is still attention. Tons of negative attention feeds Trump’s ego: I must really be something to get these reactions.
A child usually grows through this developmental stage as parents and other adults lead, teach and nurture them out of having tantrums, lying and being impatient, Trump is fully formed. He’s not changing.
This is the kind of tantrum my son used to have when he was 2-3 years old.
Children don’t have power except in brief outbursts. Trump has power. (Sigh. Sob. Grrrr.) He doesn’t mind wielding that power negatively or having people be divided by or in fear of him. Fear and divisiveness just reinforced his notion of being powerful, being ordained, and being justified.
There are checks and balances within our democracy as Trump is learning. The wheels of democracy often feel slow and reactionary.
When I participated in the Boston Women’s March, I didn’t rally against him so much as rally for me and to witness that there were hundreds of thousands in my city (and millions across the world) who shared my concerns…alarm.
Trump has proven during the first weeks of being in office that he can dismantle and scare; that he can taunt and terrorize; that he can lie and obfuscate; and that he isn’t a cracker-jack, skillful or thorough leader at all. He is running the country in the same laissez-faire way he has run his businesses…into the ground.
He has proven that profound and willful ignorance can gain traction with money and illegal support behind it. It remains to be seen what he can build that is positive except maybe for our resistance.
Hold on to your loved ones. Act rater get stuck on reacting. We have a long battle ahead.
Related:
From Kicking and Screaming: Is it Really a Tantrum
Characteristics of a Tantrum:
Age: Sometime between 12-18 months old children start having intense emotional outbursts typically known as “tantrums.” Some children may only exhibit mild tantrums, some do not have them until closer to age three, and a few children will never have outward tantrums at all.
Inevitable: During a tantrum, children really do “lose it” – they are no longer rational or in control of their actions. Although tantrums can sometimes be avoided or prevented, once it begins, a tantrum generally cannot be stopped until the rage and frustration are fully released by the child.
The Terrible Twos and Your Toddler
Normal Tot or Problem Child – Tantrum Frequency Holds Clues
Final thought – there are other types of tantrums in other stages of a child’s life. They tend to be rare or a sign of emotional distress or imbalance. Sometimes, adults have tantrums or mood disorders.
What a thought provoking post Candelaria!
We definitely have a long battle ahead. We will have to escalate the defiance and resistance, have mass protests everywhere, like the world protest on 21st January. Grassroots working-class activism, is needed as the corporate two-party system comes to an end. It is happening all over the world (we are feeling it here in Australia too).
I guess Donald Trump is our rock-bottom, the lesson we need to learn.