I recently (Issue #302) wrote about bullying in this column. I received a lot of feedback on that piece, and it got me thinking about bullying even further. It has since occurred to me that a less violent form of bullying often occurs in more professional settings by insecure individuals who wish to push their agendas onto others in the hopes that they (the bully) won’t receive any push-back.

As a case in point, a few years ago, I remember attending a presentation by a man that had an agenda. He wished to convince his audience that America is a really bad country, and he cited many things he insisted were proven “facts” to bolster his agenda. It was also clear that he did not want anyone to question him or challenge him.

The man was an imposing figure. He stood at about 6’2” tall, looked fairly strong and in-shape, had a booming, commanding voice, and carried himself in an authoritative, almost intimidating fashion. Although I forget his name, I remember he had the word “Trifecta” in the title of his presentation. But the thing I most remember about his presentation was that after he would utter a particularly damning indictment against his country, he would exclaim “Full stop!” – a rhetorical device which was meant to silence any opposition to his various criticisms of his country. He must have used the “Full stop!” rhetoric about six or seven times during the course of his presentation.

I remember thinking at the time that the “facts” he was shoving down our throats just prior to the punctuated refrain of “Full stop!” sounded fishy to me. They seemed to be far-fetched. So I was unsurprised when, later that day, I had occasion to look into the matter a bit deeper. By doing a Goggle search, I was able to discover that every one of his “facts” were either misleading, or blatantly false.

It makes one wonder why a person who seemingly hates his own country would have to make his case by uttering falsehoods followed by the “Full stop!” mantra. “Full stop” to him meant, “There is no argument here; what I am saying is a self-evident truth that is not debatable on any level so don’t try to challenge me.”

Weak man. And dishonest. The man is a bully who uses verbal violence rather than physical violence. Because he is an imposing physical presence with a commanding speaking style, he is probably rarely ever challenged because people are either too polite, too intimidated, or too uninformed to make a fuss. His “Full stop!” refrain is a device meant to silence people and to get them to submit to the falsehoods he propagates.