Most humans have some self-awareness or sense-of-self which includes some amount of self-esteem – a sense of value or self-worth. There is a wide range of self-assessment, and many of us may often slide into some level of arrogance or ego that might be annoying to others, but generally does not lead to outright conflict. The additional traits of aggressive / pushy behavior begin the move into areas where conflict is almost inevitable. A combination of excessive levels of these types of human traits can be summarized as Greedy, Arrogant, Aggressive, Pushy Egos – or GrAAPE for short (could be pronounced “grape” or “gray ape” if you don’t want to associate it with the fruit). GrAAPE’s will almost always cause some type of action – whether good or bad. If it’s directed towards a product or service that can help others, it might result in a Ford Motor Company (Henry Ford) or Apple Computer (Steve Jobs). But when a GrAAPE does not have the skills or awareness to be applied in a beneficial direction it can result in significant damage and suffering (Adolf Hitler and Auschwitz for example).
The issue is not whether GrAAPE’s are good or bad, but rather, how should societies interact with them. Some groups have bowed-down and obediently followed whatever the GrAAPE commands – from Roman Emperors to regional drug lords. Some groups have banished or killed individuals who tried to force their opinions on others. And some groups have made compromises or agreements with the GrAAPE, allowing them to push far in some directions, but within limits in other directions. A driven entrepreneur might want to push their employees to work extreme hours to complete a project. Some societies might push back and restrict this, but others might leave it to the individual employees to determine how much or how little they want to work for the given pay. Other societies might encourage or support the GrAAPE and force the employees to contribute more. Again, there is a wide range between too much and too little. What the USA has tried to do for many decades is permitted a dynamic balance, sometimes moving too far in one direction or the other, but generally finding a middle-ground that works for the majority. Labor laws try to protect employees and the environment, and tax and trade laws try to enable motivated people to grow new businesses.
The issue I see now is a bad group of GrAAPEs – a combination of pushy egos who want to force their own agendas on others strictly for short-term individual gain. Consider 3 Common Enemies – Fear, Anger and Greed – and examples of individuals who may be falling under their spell.
1) Fear – example group: christian-nationalists – example individuals: Paula White, Mike Johnson, Michael Flynn, Greg Locke, etc. See related documents/media like “The Seven Mountains Mandate”, “Project 2025”, etc. where they attempt to rationalize their desire for control based on “god-given” rights (whether you believe in their god or not)
2) Anger – example groups: entitled people – example individuals: SBannon, SMiller, MTGreene, MGetz, AJones, etc. These people usually yell, talking on top of others, trying to drown out any opposing views. Or publish media that tries to justify their views with constant threat of use of physical force if they don’t get their way. There is no attempt to truly consider or acknowledge other alternative views. Just attempts to dominate the public space with their own voice and opinions.
3) Greed – example group: unregulated capitalists – example individuals: RMudoch, Koch brothers, etc. People who just want the “government” to go away – no taxes, no regulation – just let them do whatever they want to make money. There may be some small amount of low wage “trickle-down” jobs, but otherwise minimal contribution to the societies that support them.
Members of these 3 groups all support dtrump as the republican candidate for president. They will ignore or dismiss any lies or inconsistencies as long as they get to be on the “winning” side. Each of these groups has different goals, but they see a path to work together to get a win. They have nothing of substance to offer clear benefits to the majority of Americans, so they will ride the dtrump coattails in an attempt to force their way in.
The Democratic party is by no means perfect. It has plenty of room for improvement. But as of today it offers more candidates that lean in the direction of the ideals of America – freedom, liberty, unity, tolerance, cooperation, gratitude, generosity. There may be many Republicans who are good, well-intended participants, but there are not enough of them willing to push back on the dtrump machine. Until that threat is gone I will continue to vote for the Democratic candidates in my elections, and I urge you to do the same. We can hope next year will be different, but for now the only path I see to support democracy is to VOTE and Vote for Democratic candidates.