Psychoanalyzing Big Swinging D!@#s
The Implications of "Toxic Masculinity" in Global Leadership (Vol. 5; Issue 8)
Last week, Trump betrayed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrongfully calling him “dictator” and accusing him of starting the war with Russia. He discarded him like an aging ex-wife from years past. In case this display of Trump’s ignorance proved insufficient, he subsequently posted the following (referring to himself):
LONG LIVE THE KING!
Trump, alongside Putin of Russia and Xi of China, illustrate what is meant by toxic masculinity. All three men are egocentric, expansionist, and grandiose. They show “hegemonic masculinity,” meaning they feel entitled to dominate and subordinate others (particularly women). They will not hesitate to use violence. They begin their lives driven by needs for sex, money, and power. They end their lives unconsciously, if even more desperately, propelled by fear of death.
Despite positions of “leadership,” these three lack real empathy for the people they represent. Instead, these boy-bullies pursue their own agendas, dragging their populations into ravines like the lion* strangling the zebra below.
Before elaborating, it is worth mentioning the problematic overuse of phrases like toxic masculinity. It too easily rolls off people’s tongues these days. The over-application dilutes, rendering it cliché. We’ve all heard the stories of the serial killers who take out their landlady’s trash every week, and who are kind to the kids in the neighborhood. Nothing is that black and white. And many men, even those self-involved or highly ambitious, are caring, sensitive, empathic, and self-sacrificing. Ergo, it serves humanity better to avoid using such phrases—particularly during the polarizing times in which we now live.
All that being noted, I, nonetheless, use this idea of excessive maleness, of what I shall hereafter call malignant masculinity, as another perspective for understanding the dangers of a world with these three men “governing” major nations. The global media legitimately warn of the rise of authoritarianism across the world. It is true. Authoritarianism spreads like a cancer. But another viewpoint to consider when viewing these scary world events is the phenomenon of the bullying boy/man. With apologies for the crassness, this may also be known as the psychology of big swinging dicks.
Unfortunately for the future of America, Trump lacks the education, finesse, or political savvy of his fellow malignantly masculine leaders. He is outmatched. Trump’s recent cozying up to Putin reveals either his stupidity or his stature as a “useful idiot.” Most likely, Putin is using flattery and and the offer of lucrative business deals to (easily) manipulate him.
Beginning with Xi, the least toxic of the three, he at least has the excuse of having lived his entire life in a repressed, communist society. Xi witnessed horrific governmental errors like the Cultural Revolution—a sociopolitical movement from 1966 to 1976 in which intellectuals—including surgeons, party officials, and individuals associated with the pre-Communist era—were forced to perform agricultural work on remote farms. The violent and chaotic movement massively disrupted Chinese society, leaving some 1 to 2 million dead (including in massacres within Beijing itself). One might argue that Xi was highly traumatized by his own government’s actions.
Nonetheless, the boy-bully is there. Xi’s malignant masculinity is evident in his premature take-over of Hong Kong, his arrest of dissidents and journalists, and his threats of military invasion of Taiwan. Here you clearly see dominance and subjugation. If free speech is threatened in the US, it is non-existent in China. Were you to hang a banner over your balcony simply reading SIX-FOUR, you would be arrested. (The violent quashing of the pro-democracy protest on Tiananmen Square occurred on June 4, 1989).
If Xi is arguably the least dangerous, then Putin is, by far, the most. Many believe he is a psychopath. When the then Vice President Joe Biden met Putin in 2011, he allegedly told him:
Mr. Prime Minister, I’m looking into your eyes, and I don’t think you have a soul.
Just prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Putin delivered a rambling speech proclaiming his intention to re-create the Russian Empire of the late 19th century—the third-largest empire in history. In 1721, Peter the Great changed his title from Tsar to Emperor. Global citizens who think (Emperor) Putin will stop with Ukraine are beyond naive. Putin intends to take back all the border countries once forming the Soviet Union, including Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Citizens and leaders of these countries legitimately quake with fear.
Putin shows the highest level of malignant masculinity of the three men. He has directed the assassination of multiple political opponents ranging from Boris Nemtsov (shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015) to Alexei Navalny (who mysteriously died in prison in 2024). Publicly criticizing Putin is a lethal act. The prominent Putin critic and former Russian spy who defected, Alexander Litvinenko, was murdered with polonium-210 in London in 2016. Killed journalists include Anastasia Baburov, Natalia Estemirova, and Anna Politkovskaya. Nothing protects you if you dare criticize Putin — not working as a journalist, not being female, and not even leaving the country.
Putin meets all the criteria above for hegemonic masculinity. Further, he wins the prize for violent repression and misogyny. He enjoys total control of the media. Most Russian citizens still believe the invasion of Ukraine was simply a justifiable “special military operation.”
Enter Donald Trump, malignant narcissist and masculinist supreme. But, again, and a serious problem, he is massively outwitted by the other two leaders. His first cabinet meeting opened with a non-portfolio holding Elon Musk** who knows less than even Trump about politics or foreign affairs.
In a recent New York Times interview, journalist Thomas Friedman reminded us that Trump admires Putin and Xi as “the strongmen of the world.” He envies their status as leaders for life. In contrast, Trump considers European leaders weak due to their failed economies, open borders, and fragile national identities. Friedman continues:
Trump basically sees the world as up for grabs, as available to be carved up by the strong people, and I find myself wondering, in two years, if we’ll have a situation where the U.S. takes Greenland, Putin has done what he’s wanted in Ukraine, and Xi does what he wants in Taiwan.
In other words, these big swinging dicks deal in the purely transactional. They care naught about the poor, the environment, the rule of law, international stability, or the future. In the picture below, you see a “peace conference” appearing in one of Trump’s daydreams. The baby baboon is actually one of Musk’s children, often appearing at these types of meetings, named Monkey Y (a little known fact).
In truth, the European Union (EU) may be one of mankind’s greatest creations. Emerging from centuries of religious, tribal, and sectarian wars, the post-World War II EU has built the biggest center of free markets, free people, the rule of law, and human rights in human history. It is remarkable. Trump neither understands it nor cares about it.
We can only hope that many of the traits (stereotypically) attributed to the feminine—nurturing, empathy, sensitivity, cooperation, and kindness—will eventually emerge as a counter-force. Hegel (1807/1977) thinks history moves forward in phrases of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. We are in desperate need of an antithesis, a cooperative, thoughtful feminine-like revolution.
Only a tiny step, but a widely advertised STRIKE is now set for tomorrow, Friday, February 28th. It asks persons across the world to make NO PURCHASES whatsoever from 12:00 A.M. to 11:59 P.M. The strike intends to speak to the billionaires currently running America. The call for action asks us to:
Not make any purchases.
Not shop online or in-store.
Not buy from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or similar stores.
Only use your credit card for essential purposes.
These actions, and other protests we can expect to see in coming months, offer meagre hope. Meanwhile, the situation remains terrifying. How long until one of the swinging dicks invades another country and ends up oppressing further swaths of humanity? How long until one of them initiates a nuclear war? Xi and Putin quietly wait to see what happens while the screaming bully-boy Trump wreaks chaos within his own country. They are not afraid; they see opportunities for more masculine malignancy, more dominance, and more expansion.
Just a few days ago, Trump said he would abide by legal rulings. He then immediately contradicted himself by quoting Napoleon*** (another emperor):
He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.
No wonder informed global citizens, particularly Americans, tremble and shake.
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*Of course, the lioness conflicts with the toxic masculinity, but it makes the point nonetheless; lions of either gender display the same malignant masculine traits noted above.
**Elon Musk, a smaller swinging dick (castrated but for his $200 billion in wealth), serves as Trump’s nerdo-hatchet man. As such, he does not deserve full dick status. In a recent essay, I predicted the Trump-Musk alliance would abruptly and explosively end because two narcissists cannot remain in close relationship with one another. I stand by that prediction.
***There is no way Trump could have known of Napoleon’s words or of his genocidal history. One of his loyalist aids must’ve passed the phrase onto him.
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References
Hegel, G.W.F. (1977). Phenomenology of Spirit. Trans. A.V. Miller. Cambridge, UK: Oxford University Press. (Original work published in 1807).