Little More Than A Bully

Karl Johnson Mrs. Nickel Comp 1 3 September 2009 Little More Than a Bully Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong-Il, the bully in elementary school; what do they all have in common? They lied, they cheated, and they stole. They forced their will upon anyone and everyone that they could, stopping at nothing to attain what they wanted. They preyed upon those who were weaker, and picked on those that weren’t “capable” of defending themselves. They were always choosing people who would side with them, whether it was out of fear or out of thirst for power. Surrounded by their followers, they were unstoppable; but take them away, and you’re left with the worthless, insecure beings that these dictators really were. The stereotypical schoolyard bully; the one that always took your lunch money, the one that always beat you up and called you names, the one that ratted YOU out for something that HE did. Why did he always get away with looking “sweet and innocent” when he clearly hit you? How could he blame you for hitting him when you were the one lying on the pavement, still crying in pain? He had the power of persuasion at hand, much like Hitler during his rise to power. Hitler gradually climbed his way up the political ladder after World War I. His orations to the Nazi party were what led to him to be nominated to represent them in the upcoming elections. His speeches and campaigns when he ran for the chancellor of Germany nation were what carried him into his position as supreme ruler of the Third Reich. With his newfound power, Hitler began his extermination of what made him feel so insecure about himself—the Jews. He wanted nothing more— in the beginning—than to destroy those who made him appear weak.

Johnson 2 When Hitler began attacking other countries, he became even more of a stereotypical bully. He was picking the weaker nations to fight against. The first target in his plan to build a German empire was the unsuspecting, and unarmed nation of Poland. With an unprovoked attack, he obliterated the target cities he’d chosen for the first leg of his war campaign. This was nothing more than an attempt to look strong by beating up on someone much weaker. Poland was in no way capable of defending themselves from an unprompted assault. Much like when the school bully beats up one of the handicapped students, Hitler was beating up the “slow” country to look good. Kim Jong-Il was much like your childhood enemy, too. Not only is he the same height as the tyrant who ran the playground, he also has a gathering of followers to aid him during his time in power. Kim Jong-Il was more or less born into his role as a leader. His father, Kim Il-Sung, was the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). In 1991, three years before the death of his father and his final ascension into totalitarian power, Kim Jong-Il was named “supreme commander of the North Korean armed forces.” This was one of the most important steps in becoming the leader of North Korea as the military is the true foundation of its power. With his newfound power, Kim Jong-Il began to become more and more oppressive. He forces people to “like” him, and address him as “dear leader.” He builds his nuclear weapons to ensure—and insure—his time in power and his legacy afterwards. He keeps pumping money from taxes into his army while the citizens of the nation grow poorer and weaker in their famine and poverty. This is very comparable to the bully taking away lunch money from another student to feed himself, while the victim sits there and starves.

Johnson 3 When it comes right down to it, dictators are little more than bullies. They may be on a much larger scale, but they are still just oppressors intimidating the weak. We can all persevere against our own bully, as the world’s nations persevere against theirs. With time, we learn to either endure and bide our time, or learn to fight back and defend ourselves.