John Mearsheimer, a renowned American political scientist asserted that ‘in the anarchic world of international politics, it is better to be Godzilla than bambi’. His argument rather seems realistic than just dogma since it has its roots in human nature. Mearsheimer advocated the concept of maximisation of power — Offensive Realism — for states to enhance their chances of survival in the international anarchic system in his book ‘The Tragedy of Great Power Politics’ (2001). The same concept that he envisaged for states can be replicated by individuals and group of individuals on certain levels.
Why do certain people behave like a bheegi-billi when they fail to dominate and try to alienate and isolate others in the class and at the workplace? Why do these people fail? Do they fall short of tactics or is the entire strategy flawed? Why do these people resort to misinformation, disinformation and propaganda to malign others?
Are they mala-fide or bona-fide in their intentions? Why do people prefer to remain in groups instead of by themselves? Are these people being cowards, jealous or invidious? These assumptions or perhaps pinching questions are based upon many daily life occurrences in our society and people from different walks of life have become victims of this phenomenon in many ways and in different capacities.
It is an established premise in the Classical Realist school of thought of the Realist tradition that human nature is entirely selfish and constantly pursuing power and prestige at the expense of others. But contrary to this assertion the Liberal school of thought advocates the opposite argument in favour of the positive human nature and declares the circumstances and society responsible positively or negatively to which the human beings remain subjected in the first place. The debate between Realism and Liberalism is intense yet both schools of thought acknowledge that human beings can act and perform in rather mysterious and different ways.
While keeping in view Mearsheimer’s assertion, it is safe to assume that ‘it is better to be a Godzilla than a bambi’, not only in the international system but also on the social level
Whatever the factors might be responsible for human beings to behave in a certain way; one reserves the right to analyse them and their actions from a particular view point. The dominant attribute of human beings is their diversity and variety not only in their facial and ethno-linguistic features but also in their personality, cognition and behaviour. There are individuals who try and dominate while exploiting the vulnerabilities of others. The ‘wanna-be’ individuals try and engage everyone and wish to spread their influence.
Many people do this out of innocence and naivety. Those who want to maintain a separate identity with honour and respect are being portrayed poorly. The ‘wanna-be’ win in this phase since they solely rely on tactics including misinformation and preach hatred regarding certain people. Then the ‘wanna-be’ face resistance as a backlash and the they begin to fool everyone. Next, they begin transforming and people begin to realise the evil ambitions of ‘wanna-be’ individuals. This wave unveils the true face of ‘wanna-be’ individuals and determines their personality. In the fourth and last wave the dust settles, and the reality becomes evident before the eyes of everyone.
Ultimately after a humiliating defeat, the ‘wanna-be’ begins to play the victim card and behave like a bheegi-billi to gather the support and sympathy of everyone. The ultimate fate of ‘wanna-be’ dominant individuals is isolation in both their professional and personal lives. Without the slightest hesitation it can be deduced that ‘wanna-be’ is a sickness — primarily caused by weaknesses in character and lack of confidence.
While keeping in view Mearsheimer’s assertion, it is safe to assume that ‘it is better to be a Godzilla than a bambi’, not only in the international system but also on the social level. Under this framework, it can be argued that it is not bad at all for honourable people to behave like bullies since it not only maximises their chances of survival but also creates a certain level of deterrence that ultimately prevents people like bheegi-billi to emerge and sabotage peace and cooperation among many people.
The writer can be reached on [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, November 22nd 2017.