When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get a Strongman

While I have not read the book Strongmen, I have watched the rise of global leaders who could be described that way. Bombastic, egotistical, self-righteous, excessively confident (and almost always men). They are populist autocrats, and I find their rise to power proportionate to a rise in fear.

This isn’t a new phenomenon, nor is it always relegated to right-wing populism. When people feel threatened by things which seem outside their control, they look for someone unafraid to wield a socio-political baseball bat to set things right. And while this might bring them short-term gains, inevitably the strongman does more harm than good, even to those who supported them.

What troubles me is that we so quickly choose a strongman over dialogue, relationship and trust. When a fear is voiced – Black lives are being destroyed, working class whites are not being heard, immigrants are entering unchecked, Immigrants are suffering injustice at our borders, guns are killing our children, guns are protecting our children – there is always a reason behind that fear which needs to be considered. I have watched, and even participated in, dismissing fears rather than exploring them. Instead we look for the person with the biggest baseball bat to address our fear.

Most fears have some basis in reality, and when those concerns are dismissed, it only serves to exacerbate that fear. Where are the men and women willing to consider the fears of others and grow some empathy? How are we willing to expose our own fears to the light and allow God to put them in proportion to reality? We need to stop looking to strongmen for the answer and begin listening to each other and giving a modicum dignity to the people with whom we disagree.

Let’s quit seeking strongmen and start seeking strong dialogue, strong relationship, and strong trust.