The Group

Lately, it has been become fashionable for politicians to make fact-free attacks on hard-working public employees. Unjustified attacks on public employees’ at meetings and work about their character, work ethic and very existence have become sadly common. Prolonged and systematic attacks on any group in an effort to take away their rights, voice, and respect in society are a hallmark of the bullying style now defining American politics.
The bullying style seeks to disparage a selected target so thoroughly as to deny it prestige or sympathy, render it a pariah, and rebrand it as a threat to the common good.
The bullying style derives in part from prejudice, in part from opportunism. Adept at exploiting stereotypes and fears about job security and the economic status, its tools are ridicule, scapegoating, blaming targets for their own mistreatment, and raw use of power to downgrade social standing.
The bullying style has penetrated mainstream politics in a fashion long relegated to extremist movements, such as the anti-government, and anti-immigrant groups. More associated with the coffee shop than the hallways of state, it is now a defining aspect of political leadership and governance, even as its practice frustrates both leading and governing.
Recognize that although bullies’ comments are personal, they are a tactic. The intention of the bully is to provoke and cause managers to make mistakes. The attacks are the bully’s worldview, not the manager’s. Their comments are intended to provoke reflexive action. For a manager, it does not make sense to counterattack or withdraw. The manager needs to acknowledge the context and move to the facts and to the purpose of the meeting.