There are moments when political speeches stop sounding like “politics” and start sounding like common sense. At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, French President Emmanuel Macron shared a vision that felt less like a lecture and more like a shared experience. He stripped away the jargon to address a core truth: whether you’re a world leader or just a person trying to get through the day, the choice between respect and bullying defines everything.
His words were simple and direct:
“We do prefer respect to bullies.”
“We do prefer science to conspiracies.”
“And we do prefer the rule of law to brutality.”
Macron warned against “a shift towards a world without rules,” where the strong impose their will while weaker partners suffer – reinforcing that respect and law, not force, should guide global relations.
It’s hard to argue with any of that. Me We Too.
Not a Slogan – A Response
That line – respect over bullies – wasn’t a slogan. It was a response to real tension. It was standing up to a bully.
Macron was responding to more than just U.S. President Donald Trump threatening heavy tariffs if Denmark or NATO doesn’t give the United States control of Greenland, a plan Europe opposes. He was also addressing Trump’s earlier comments that the U.S. would take the territory “the easy way or the hard way,” raising alarms across Europe.
Go along to get along?
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney didn’t come to Davos to play nice. In a speech that many are calling the “Carney Doctrine,” he dismantled the idea that we can simply wait for the world to return to “normal.”
“The old order is not coming back,” Carney warned. “Nostalgia is not a strategy.”
He argued that we are no longer in a slow shift, but a total break from the past. For decades, middle powers like Canada played along with the “pleasant fiction” of a rules-based order, even as it began to fail. Carney called for an end to this performance, famously stating:
“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.”
He hit back at the “gangster” logic of great power intimidation, warning that staying quiet to avoid trouble – what he called the “Greengrocer’s Dilemma” – is a dead end.
“Faced with this logic, there is a strong tendency for countries to go along to get along – to accommodate, to avoid trouble, to hope that compliance will buy safety. Well, it won’t.”
The Menu vs. The Table Carney’s solution? Don’t stand alone. He urged middle powers to build a “dense web of connections” that creates a third path between competing hegemons.
“Middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
He called out the “weaponization” of the global economy – using tariffs as leverage and supply chains as vulnerabilities – concluding that real sovereignty isn’t found in accommodating a bully, but in the ability to withstand pressure alongside friends who have your back.
Me We Too post: Somehow the aviator glasses have a way to make you look cool.
Walking it back
Even bullies know when they’ve overplayed their hand. In Davos, Trump later walked that back, saying he wouldn’t use military force and adding that European allies could “say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.” It’s also worth noting that decisions of this scale aren’t unilateral – under U.S. law, they require congressional approval.
Me We Too post: Trump thinks he is ruler of the world
Concepts of a Greenland Deal
History is repeating itself at Davos. Just like his healthcare “framework” from last week, Trump is now claiming he has a “framework of a future deal” for Greenland to avoid the very tariffs he threatened.
Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the President walked back his threat to use military force, calling it “a piece of ice” he doesn’t want to fight over – yet he still insisted on “right, title, and ownership.” In a moment that felt more like a confused classroom presentation than a world stage address, he even appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland multiple times, blaming “Iceland” for the stock market drop he caused himself.
It’s a classic move: manufacture the chaos, then sell the “concept” of a solution to calm the markets he just rattled. He even told CNBC today, “It’s a little bit complex, but we’ll explain it down the line.” Where have we heard that before? Whether it’s healthcare or the Arctic, we are being asked to trade our stability for a “concept” that never quite arrives.
Market Whiplash
This isn’t just a political game; the “bully tactic” has real-world consequences for our savings, besides eroding trust. Yesterday, Wall Street suffered its worst day since October, with the S&P 500 plunging 2.1% as investors panicked over the Greenland tariff threats. Gold and silver hit record highs as people literally ran for cover from the drama.
Today, predictably, the market is bouncing back as the “concepts of a deal” are announced. It’s a cycle of manufactured chaos: create a crisis, watch the market dip, announce a “concept,” and claim victory as it recovers. Analysts are already calling it the “TACO” cycle – Trump Always Chickens Out – suggesting the threats were never about policy, but about leverage and the headlines.
Don’t Call it “Chickening Out”
But it should be noted that actual chickens don’t “chicken out.” In the real world, chickens are legendary for their courage. A mother hen will fearlessly fight off a hawk twice her size to protect her chicks, and roosters have been symbols of military valor for centuries for a reason: they don’t back down.
A good rooster is the ultimate guardian – he doesn’t just alert the flock; he will put himself between a predator and his family, fighting off hawks or anything else that dares to interfere with those under his care. It’s ironic that we use their name for a tactic that is all about making big threats and then running away the moment the “rules” (or the markets) push back.
There is a reason the Gallic Rooster remains the symbol of France to this day. While Napoleon once tried to replace it with an imperial eagle because he thought the rooster lacked “strength,” the French people eventually brought the rooster back. They knew that true power isn’t about being the biggest predator in the sky; it’s about the vigilance to see a threat and the bravery to protect your own, even when you’re standing knee-deep in the mud. By choosing the rooster, they chose a symbol of the people – courageous, proud, and refuse to be silenced.
A Masterclass in Distraction?
While the world watches the “Greenland Drama” in Davos, some are asking if the whole spectacle is just a smoke screen. As MS Now’s Lawrence O’Donnell has been shouting from the rooftops on The Last Word, this isn’t just about territory – it’s about changing the subject.
The louder the talk about Greenland, the less we talk about the crises happening right now:
- The Minnesota Ice Raids: While leaders talk diplomacy in Switzerland, “Operation Metro Surge” is tearing through Minnesota. These military-style raids have terrorized communities, including reports of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good being shot and killed by an ICE agent and elders being dragged from their homes in sub-zero weather.
- The Healthcare Collapse: On January 1, the ACA subsidies officially expired, sending premiums skyrocketing by over 100% for millions of families. After a decade of promising a better way, we are left with nothing but “concepts of a plan” that never became real.
Me We Too post: My health insurance rates have jumped by a lot - Sky-High Grocery Prices: Despite promises to “crush” inflation, the sticker shock at the checkout line has only intensified. In December, food prices saw their largest monthly jump in over three years. While the administration points to “concepts” of future relief, staples like coffee has risen nearly 20% due to supply chain stress and new tariffs.
- The Epstein Files: Despite Trump’s public promises to release the files during the campaign, they remain locked away. The Epstein Files Transparency Act legally required the DOJ to release everything by December 19, 2025. We are now over a month past that deadline, and yet the DOJ admits it has released less than 1% of the documents. A federal judge even ruled today that while there are “legitimate concerns” about the DOJ’s compliance, he lacks the jurisdiction to appoint an independent monitor to force their hand.
A Message to the World
In the end, a bully’s loudest shout is often an attempt to drown out the sound of the things they don’t want to hear. This is exactly what Macron was warning against in Davos: a “world without rules” where the law is treated as optional by those in power.
That explains the reaction at the Ford plant. When autoworker T.J. Sabula looked up from the factory floor and challenged the missing Epstein files, the response was a middle finger and a double “f*** you.” It felt less like a visit from a leader and more like a meltdown in a high school hallway.
But the bully doesn’t have the final word. Lawrence O’Donnell’s colleague and close friend, Rachel Maddow – famously known to Jimmy Kimmel’s mom as just “Rachel” – has been using her platform on MS NOW to beam a different reality to the world. While the Davos headlines focus on the high-altitude drama, Maddow is highlighting the ground-level truth: a massive, weekly wave of resistance that simply refuses to be ignored.
From the millions marching under “No Kings” banners to the sub-zero vigils for Renee Good in Minnesota, Americans are taking to the streets in record numbers. Maddow’s message to the countries watching us in alarm is as clear as it is vital: The administration is not the nation. To every ally wondering if the “rules” still matter, these protesters are the living proof. They are sending a signal across the Atlantic: “Don’t give up on us – we are working on it.”
America First – or America Alone?
President Trump built much of his political brand around the slogan “America First”, signaling that U.S. interests come first in trade, security, and diplomacy. But many allies are seeing America alone instead – a country that pushes its way, pressures partners, and punishes those who disagree. Macron and Carney’s speeches underline this shift: when the “big kid” tries to get their way through intimidation rather than respect, trust erodes.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
It’s a dynamic we can all recognize: the loudest, strongest kid doesn’t earn loyalty or cooperation. Respect does – whether it’s on the playground, at work, or on the world stage.
Most of us learned this early on. Stand up to the kid taking your lunch. Don’t let someone push you into a locker – literal or metaphorical. And if you can, don’t stand alone.
There’s a reason MLK Jr. said the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, and why Aretha Franklin demanded we find out what R-E-S-P-E-C-T means. They knew the same truth Macron and Carney are betting on today: Respect isn’t just a “nice” idea – it’s the only thing that actually sustains a world worth living in.
“Remember, you’re not alone.”
It’s a sentiment echoed every day by Whoopi Goldberg as she signs off on The View. When she looks into the camera and says those words, she isn’t just speaking to a studio audience in New York. She’s reaching out to the autoworker at the Ford plant standing his ground, the millions of families staring down those healthcare hikes, and the allies abroad wondering if the American spirit is still alive.
In a world where bullies try to isolate us, Whoopi’s sign-off is a daily reminder that while the old rules might be breaking, the bonds between us don’t have to. It’s the ultimate proof that the “We” is still stronger than the “Me” – and as long as we have each other, we are never truly standing alone.
What about you?
We’ve all faced a “big kid” moment – whether it was a boss, a peer, or a literal bully. How did you stand your ground? Did you find strength in friends, or did you have to find it in yourself?
Post your mini poll on Me We Too. Let’s turn “Me” into “We.” 🤝
(And hey, it’s not just humans… as this Me We Too post says, “My pet is a bully”.)
Respect over bullies. Always. Because respect isn’t just for leaders – it’s for all of us.
