There is a presidential feud taking place over the news and on social media. Surprisingly, President Donald Trump doesn’t appear to be in the middle of it. It started when Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro took offense at France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion to the G7 summit leaders that their countries band together to aid Brazil extinguish the Amazon fires. It escalated when one of Bolsonaro’s supporters posted a meme on Bolsonaro’s Facebook page with an unflattering comparison between the two leaders’ wives. Bolsonaro’s reply to the meme seemed to support the insult. Macron responded by expressing sympathy for the Brazilian people stuck with such a shameful president, and said his hope is that Bolsonaro will soon be replaced with a more dignified leader. Bolsonaro is now refusing the G7 countries’ offer of $20 million to aid fighting the Amazon fires until Macron apologizes.
If you think this is reminiscent of two school boys fighting on a playground, we agree. Condescension, ego and toxic masculinity encompass the behavior of the world’s leaders. We see it in every level of politics. When individuals or parties disagree politically, what should be a mature, intelligent expression of differing opinions inevitably devolves into name calling, insults and attacks on family members. The difference in age between Macron’s and Bolsonaro’s wives has no bearing on either man’s ability to lead. The attack on Mrs. Macron was immature and accomplished nothing for the good of humanity, let alone the Amazon rainforest.
France’s President and First Lady have a very French love story. He was 15 and she was his married high school teacher when they met. He pursued and wooed her for years and when he was in his 20’s she divorced her husband and married Macron. Together, they navigated French politics, eventually ascending to the Elysee Palace. While we think this would make a compelling plot for a made-for-TV movie, we do not see the relevance to the current crisis in the Amazon rainforest.
Mud-slinging accomplishes nothing except to alienate the opposition and hinder constructive solutions. If Macron does not apologize and Bolsonaro does not back down, the Amazon will continue to burn and the world will suffer the consequences of their chest-thumping feud.
As the United States gears up for the 2020 presidential campaigns and UF prepares for SG Senate elections, we urge you to rise above the rhetoric. Don’t share the memes, don’t spread the insults. That behavior will not sway minds or win votes. If you cannot express your opinion or disagree with someone else’s stance respectfully --without stooping to the level of Bolsonaro and Macron --then you need to examine whether you have an opinion worth expressing.
We do not care how closely a candidate resembles a cartoon character. We care whether they support the equal rights of all individuals. We do not want to hear about how your wife is hotter than someone else’s. We want to hear how you plan on saving the world’s lungs. Social media is a powerful outlet. Posts have the ability to spread around the world. You decide whether your contributions to the political stage will be something of substance or not. If you decide not, then do us a favor and unfriend us. We only have so much digital capacity, we do not want to waste it on the back and forth of drama llamas. Videos of cute llamas, however, are always welcome.
The Editorial Board consists of Elizabeth Tubbs, Opinions Editor; Amanda Rosa, Editor-in Chief; Kelly Hayes, Digital Managing Editor; and Tranelle Maner, Engagement Managing Editor.
