Horrified by this cult of cruelty? Look beyond Trump for answers

We are living in an age of bullies. Those with power are less constrained today than they have been in my lifetime, since the end of World War II.

The question is: How do we lead moral lives in this era?

Putin launches a horrendous war on Ukraine.

After Hamas’s atrocity, Netanyahu bombs Gaza to smithereens and is now starving to death its remaining occupants.

Trump abducts thousands of hardworking people within America and puts them into detention camps — splitting their families, spreading fear. His immigration agents target people with brown skin and Mexican-sounding names.

He usurps the powers of Congress, defies the courts, and prosecutes his enemies.

He and his Republican lackeys cut Medicaid and food stamps — lifelines for poor people, including millions of children — so that the wealthy can get a tax cut.

Hate-mongers on right-wing television and social media fuel bigotry against transgender people, immigrants, Muslims, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people.

Powerful men (such as Trump) sexually harass, abuse, and rape women. Some of the abused are children.

Powerful male politicians make it impossible for women to obtain safe abortions.

CEOs rake in record profits and compensation while giving workers meager wages and firing them for unionizing. Billionaires make large campaign donations — legalized bribes — so lawmakers will cut their taxes and repeal environmental and safety regulations.

Each such abuse of power encourages other abuses. Each undermines norms of civility.

Every time the stronger bully the weaker, the social fabric is tested. If bullying is not contained, the fabric unwinds. Those who are bullied — who feel powerless, vulnerable, bitter, and desperate — become fodder for “strong men” demagogues who lead them into violence, war, and tyranny.

This is hardly new. Throughout history, the central struggle of civilization has been against brutality by the powerful. Civilizationis the opposite of brutality. A civil society doesn’t allow the strong to brutally treat the weak.

Yet in my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a breakdown. I’ve seen a change occur — from support of decency and constraints on brutality, to tolerance of indecency and support for unconstrained cruelty.

Trump is not the cause. He’s the culmination.

So how do we lead moral lives in this age of bullies?

We do everything we can to stop the brutality, to hold the powerful accountable, and to protect the vulnerable.

Putin and Netanyahu are war criminals whose criminality must be stopped. Trump is a dictator who must be deposed.

Right-wing politicians who encourage white Christian nationalism must be condemned and voted out of office. Pundits who amplify racism and xenophobia must lose their megaphones.

Powerful men who sexually harass or abuse women or children must be prosecuted.

Women must be given full control over their bodies, including access to safe abortions.

Police who kill innocent people of color must be brought to justice. Immigration agents must be prohibited from abducting people off the street or from their homes or courthouses or places of work.

CEOs who treat their employees like manure must be exposed and penalized. Billionaires who bribe lawmakers to cut their taxes or exempt them from regulations must be sanctioned, as should lawmakers who accept such bribes.

This isn’t a matter of “left” or “right.” It’s a matter of what’s right.

Living a moral life in an age of bullies requires collective action; it cannot be done alone. Each of us must organize and participate in a vast network of moral resistance.

This is what civilization demands. It’s what the struggle for social justice requires. It’s why that struggle is so critical today, and why we all must be part of it.

• Robert Reich is a professor emeritus of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com