About those “spoiled rotten toddlers”

The Genesis of the Democrats’ “Spoiled Bratness”

While I was composing a post reflecting on the Democrats’ collective conduct at Trump's (non) SOTU address, occasional guest scribbler, Brad Smith posted on FB:

I agree with Brian. The one thing that really stood out to me was the childishness of the Democrats and how incredibly petty they were, especially in regard to the young cancer survivor.

Who finds the Democrats' grade school antics attractive? I see them and think, by god what a bunch of spoiled, entitled assholes and they can't even clap for this kid? Who do these people represent, assholes or actual humans? And if they represent actual humans, why do they support these antics?

Honestly, Democrats need to grow the fuck up and elect some adults while they are at it, because that shit makes me embarrassed to be an American, as if that's the best we can do?

And yes I get it, some people think the same about Trump. His behavior is often childish, but he's also an actual Boss, who has hired and fired thousands of people and who does have a firm grip on the party now.

If you think Trump is immature and petty, maybe acting like a childish brat yourself isn't the best way to point it out. He looked like the adult up there compared with a bunch of spoiled rotten toddlers.

If their goal was to make Trump look like an adult by comparison, they did it.

My Psych major is likely why I find Conduct more compelling than Policy. Most “policy” issues are easily resolved: “Who gets robbed?” is the only question; when answered, the issue is resolved; rejecting the Policy is all that’s left.

But I digress…

So how did this horde of “adults” across the aisle stop at the Retarded Development stage known in Child Psych class as “Spoiled Bratness”? (Terminology mine)

In class, we learned about “Behavioral Influences”: Inconsistent discipline, excessive indulgence (‘helicopter parents’), lack of empathy, and no accountability. When combined with family (“social environment”) children mirror what they see at home. Overprotective parenting shielding a child from natural consequences, peer influence, unenforced rules and boundaries, and emotional neglect are all major contributors to that later public sense of entitlement and chaos without accountability.

All of which was on display before, during, and after Trump’s speech.

So, the behaviors and environmental influences from childhood profoundly shape adult personality, relationships, and societal interactions. What happens when all that childhood baggage morphs into adult conduct? We’re treated to individuals with entitlement issues, narcissism, lousy conflict resolution skills, “authority” problems, impulsivity, lack of empathy, and basic social skills. How many of those were on display before and since the speech?

When such behavior becomes daily conduct, among the consequences are difficulty collaborating with opposing colleagues and handling criticism.

Seeing a pattern here?

In the political caldron that is Washington, those with similar underlying behavioral patterns or unresolved issues from childhood are likely to gravitate toward one another. People feel comfortable with what they know. Individuals with similar issues will find a shared understanding that feels validating, even if their behaviors create embarrassing press, X vids, and memes. Working/socializing around others with comparable traits creates bubbles and echo chambers. This “shared world view” develops parallel outlooks on authority, relationships, and social structures and - wah-la! – collaboration is suddenly easy.

The similarly afflicted adults seen with their insipid little signs on their silly ping-pong paddles are motivated to collaborate on matters that would retaliate against others offering policies that contradict the indulgences of the previous policies (which they authored) for their benefit. The new Orange Man policies are seen as a withdrawal of the "indulgence", replaced by the "discipline" of the new policy.

Uh-Oh! Tantrum coming!

Unresolved childhood dynamics—like entitlement or resistance to discipline— shape not just individual behavior but also collective political strategies. IOW, chaos without consequences, as witnessed during Trump’s Tuesday’s speech

This group dynamic fosters the sense of "us versus them," where policies are designed not just to benefit their interests but to counteract or undermine Trump’s conservative values. This leads to policy-making driven more by emotional retaliation than by pragmatic governance.

This is one dynamic that has polarized our political discourse, making it harder to find that elusive ‘common ground’ we’ve heard about. Incessantly. Policies have become more about preserving or reclaiming perceived "indulgences" than addressing broader “societal needs.”

And there you have it. From Spoiled Indulged Toddler to Spoiled Elected Brat. When seen through the lens of basic Child Psych, the conduct of Democrats (this time) becomes clear, almost comical if the stakes weren’t so high. Without critical thinking and the failure to accept individual responsibility, we’re stuck with a political culture that values winning over governing.

Veteran BWW readers know I’m rarely this “wonky”, but Brad took all the good succinct lines by the time I was halfway done and (insert other lame explanations here).

Thanks for reading this far

BW