Brat Politics

 

I've been asking myself what word best characterizes the attitude of those making up the current regime and its acolytes. Clearly, they're cruel and their deeds for the most part reckless, corrupt and destructive.  But what word best describes the spirit behind their caprices?

I've decided that word is " bratty."  A "brat" (when not a bratwurst) is a spoiled, rude, annoying child or immature person.  A brat feels entitled and expects to get all that he/she desires.

Think of brats you've known and those portrayed in media.  The insufferable, cruel, whiney Joffrey Baretheon in Game of Thrones; the bullying, privileged crook Biff from Back to the Future; the contemptable, rude, malicious toady and sneak Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver; the despicable, spoiled, shrill Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies; the exceedingly pampered and endlessly demanding Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Then consider the rogues gallery assembled by the one to be known here as Aging Orange to pursue the agenda formulated by the bastardized "conservatives" who authored Project 2025, which AO repeatedly claimed not to know. It's difficult to conceive of them as anything but brats.

Their self-regard and self-righteousness is remarkable. They're not only entirely convinced that what they say and do and desire to do is all that is right and good, they expect that everyone else should know that's the case and resent it when they don't.  Indeed, they assail the sanity, morality and patriotism of those who doubt them to any extent.

Though they act like annoying, blustering know-it-alls who expect their whims to be treated as commands to be followed without question, they lack the wit to recognize their bratty nature. In fact they lack wit altogether. If they possessed a sense of humor their conduct might be tolerable in some respects. But their humor is vulgar and crude and never rises above mere sarcasm.

As brats, they're childish in thought and action. They view the world and others as spoiled children would-- without empathy or subtlety.  They're essentially selfish.  They employ threats to get their way and throw tantrums when they're not treated as they think they should be.

I'm unable to think of any other instance in our sad history when a nation was ruled by brats.  Past brats were in most cases mere figureheads, manipulated by powers behind the throne.  But now the brats are in charge.