On Bullies and Tyrants

Genetically, we are predisposed to select for bullies. Altruism has no place in Darwinian evolution; the traits that we find admirable, are in fact not useful when it comes to passing on your genetic complement to the next generation. This isn't news, it's even the theme of Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck. So it is not surprising that the people who are in positions of authority embody qualities that some of us find abhorrent. High school principals, the President of the United States, ex-husbands, department directors all share the traits of self-interest, greed, and the impossible ability to obfuscate any conversation where they are demonstrated quite dramatically to be wrong, by changing the subject abruptly to put the challenger on the defensive.

And yet, as humans, altering our genetic pool, selecting for weaker physiological traits through medical research and development, why are we satisfied to continue to let the bullies rule? We have chosen to keep juvenile diabetes in the gene pool, or sickle cell anemia, even certain hereditary cancers, so why can we not select for selflessness, philanthropy, or basic humanity, which are clearly weak traits.

Indeed, it is difficult to deal with sociopaths, people who proudly exhibit the bumper sticker: If You’re Feeling Righteous, You’re Probably Wrong, without understanding the irony of their position. So, let us stop them. Not just by voting them out of office, but by calling them on their behaviour EVERY time. If they are all stripped of their power, and stand naked, blinking under the bright lights of their failure, maybe we can set the bigger things right.