Redux
Every journey circles home
It was late on a December evening in Strasbourg, a city more famous for politics than pugilism, when Greek MEP Nikos Pappas allegedly decided that the best way to handle a journalist was with a few punches and a stranglehold. His party, Syriza moved to suspend him, citing his “unacceptable behaviour”. It's hard not to pause on this phrase as “unacceptable behaviour” has travelled a long way through history. It has been used to silence women for speaking too loudly, even for wearing trousers. One would say "unacceptable behavior" is used to cover a lapse, a momentary loss of control. It happened before with this guy but I guess he was eventually forgiven.
Bullying, it seems, is no longer an exception but part of the political mood. In recent days alone, we have watched elected politicians threaten, intimidate, and verbally attack those who disagree with them, those who irritate them, those who simply fall outside their narrow comfort zone. This time, there was a suspension. We watched, shook our heads, wrote outraged posts and editorials, and let the story go viral. A stunned reporter, deleted apologies, a lawsuit, and once again all of us pretending to be surprised.
I mean honestly, we are genuinely shocked that a macho, hot-headed man reacts with violence, but far less disturbed by the fact that we continue to vote for men who cultivate exactly this image. We reward posturing, aggression, and displays of strength, mistaking them for leadership. The question is why. Are we moving forward as a society, or quietly drifting back towards a politics that values dominance over restraint, intimidation over argument, and force over reason?
We stick to one moment in time till something else grabs our attention. And while we normalise aggression, sexism, and xenophobia, threats towards whatever these types of politicians don't fancy, we continue to give them our precious votes. How is it possible that a culture of macho violence, of intolerance towards women and migrants, of fear dressed up as authority, can co-exist with popularity at the ballot box? At the end of the day when public figures solve their “problems” with fists, it is a reflection of a society that tolerates too much.
Politics is not merely about policies. It is about character, culture, and the message we send when we choose to ignore bullying in suits. The real fight is not in the streets or the bars; it is at the ballot box. And every time we vote, we make a choice about whether we want to move forward or slip back towards the jungle.