"This is Not Winston Churchill" - Trump's Barbed Insult Shows the Power of Words

When Donald Trump launched his unilateral attack on Iran, the UK Prime Minister, Kier Starmer, was slow in giving his permission for American planes to use British bases for their attack. Like a petulant bully who did not get his way, Trump turned to insults to show his annoyance. In diplomatic circles, certain words are often used to mask the deeper disagreement between parties, but this American president is not known for his diplomacy. 

He uses words as he likes, regardless of their effects on the receivers, especially women. He wanted to belittle Starmer because he felt entitled to get what he demanded, and there was someone standing in his way, preventing him from acting macho and powerful. Disrespecting Starmer by comparing him to the great Churchill seemed the next best thing.

But should we ignore the words people speak? Did Trump's words really matter, or are they trivial in the scheme of things?

Well, they are not trivial. Words embrace, exclude, damn, and uplift. Words can hurt far more than physical violence sometimes because, while a wound can heal, hurtful words can stay in the psyche for a lifetime. We only have to think back to our school days when teachers wrote us off, thought the worst of us, or belittled us. Those words tend to follow us throughout our lives.

Language defines us, reveals us, and demonstrates our routine priorities. It has the power to dehumanise people; to decide who is worthy or unworthy to occupy our world, because language often becomes the foundation - and justification - for separating and segregating vulnerable others in our treatment of them, simply through the labels we apply to them. In Trump's eyes, Starmer didn't do what was expected of him, so deserved no respect. He had to be labelled as 'inferior' to Churchill to make Trump feel superior.

Yet, the words we use are not accidental. We CHOOSE the words we feel most comfortable with according to our culture, awareness, relevance, priorities, education and aspirations. For example, if we find it easier to use negative words than positive ones, they point to a feeling of impotence stemming from low self-belief, lack of confidence in ourselves, and a lack of self-empowerment for which we are apt to find scapegoats to blame.

Importantly, words come out of thoughts, so we cannot avoid certain words until we change our mindset and thought processes. Changing how we think also changes our perceptions and enable different words to come to the fore. However, as words reflect our beliefs about ourselves and others, changing them is not an easy thing to do until those beliefs are changed, too.

Our words are thus the most accurate indication of who we are and our true values, and have a strong impact on our existence. That is why when people use certain derogatory words, and then deny them with defensive explanations like: "That's not really me," they are not being truthful. 

In fact, they are in denial because those words would represent who they are, and the fears and prejudices they hold. As their circle or society might not condone what they said in a rash, angry or revealing moment, it often loses them face, friends and credibility, which prompts them to retract. However, we seldom use words we are not comfortable with, unless we are brainwashed or coerced by others.

With every insult he gives out, Donald Trump shows who he is, what he values, how he perceives others, and, above all, the lack of respect he has for himself.