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I wonder if it is possible to be successful in politics and not be a dick. I'm a pretty passive observer of US politics. Here in Japan, when Obama got elected I spent most of my time saying, "Calm down. He won't be as good for the world as you think". When Trump got elected I spent most of my time saying, "Calm down. He won't be as bad for the world as you think". So far I think my predictions have panned out ;-). Politics is about compromise. Some people are smooth talking and can gain an advantage. Some people are bullies and can gain an advantage. Some people are tricky and can gain an advantage. That's what's called being good at politics. I think the concept of humility is separate. To be fair, in US politics I don't think you have the option of being humble. US culture, as a whole, doesn't really value humility. Not from its pop stars, not from its sports stars, not from its business stars and not from its politicians. Advertising that you were wrong and especially offering an apology is practically a death sentence. If you contrast that with Japan it is almost polar opposite. Pop stars, sports stars, business stars and politicians are generally quite humble (at least externally). The prime minister often resigns because he has assumed responsibility for one disaster or another. We've had 17 prime ministers in the last 30 years. Prime minister Abe is on his 2nd go around! His complete mishandling of a variety of different things has been no stumbling block at all ;-) (You might reasonably point at "Abenomics" to indicate his lack of humility, but apart from that, he seems to admit his mistakes when forced to do so...) In general, people in the west and especially people in the US really enjoy brash and boastful behaviour. They like their heroes bigger than life. They like to cheer loudly and support their heroes to the bitter end, refusing to let them down -- even to the point of refusing to think anything bad about them. Everything is the other guy's fault, or the fault of circumstances, or something similar. Nobody wants to be made a fool of for their unquestioning support. And so, nobody supports someone who lets them down by admitting mistakes. There are many wonderful things about this kind of culture, but there are downsides as well. The successful people who are a product of that culture can't really be blamed for doing what it takes to be successful IMHO. If you want your leaders to be different, you have to value different things. Edit: Apparently I can't count how many times Abe has resigned. Perhaps it is wishful thinking... |