Extinction Burst is a psychological state of mind that describes the behavior of someone who has been getting their way with a certain behavior forever and are no longer getting their way with that behavior. The effects of the behavior are going Extinct. So what they do is have a Burst of more and more of that behavior in order to get their way, just like they always did before. But it doesn't work. And eventually the behavior goes Extinct.
Case in point - a child throws tantrums and gets their way. Then the tantrums aren't working anymore. So they have a Burst of excess tantrums demanding to get their way. And when the behavior keeps not getting what they insist on, the behavior Bursts, it stops and has to be replaced by other behavior.
This is a pretty good explanation of MAGA. Hard core, hypermasculine bullying and intimidation has been the hallmark of men for centuries. And the world is changing and the old hypermasculine intimidating bullying is starting to not work. Women are calling out and prosecuting sexual abusers for example. Bombing the hell out of Iran is not working. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is failing. Etc.
The burst? Trump wants to do more bombing, and Putin wants to send more men into slaughter. Hypermasculine men "influencers" like the Tate brothers and Secretary of Defense, Hegseth, and Secretary of Health, RFK Jr, pose in the gym flexing their muscles. See, see, see? See how manly, manly, manly we are? Aren't you intimidated? Aren't you afraid? Aren't I just the most manly man you ever saw?
No.
The world, she is a changin'. And power is not that simple. Real power is not intimidation and force and cruelty. And those, MAGA Trump KKK Nazis Putin Netanyahu Hamas, who are exhibiting a Burst of this Extinct form of power are failing dramatically. Iran is not submitting to Trump's bombing and threats. Russia is failing. Hamas is being crushed. Women are not cowering and shutting up and submitting to sexual abuse. Simple force and bullying are having less and less results.
We are discovering, and creating, what is actual, real power. And real power is not the simplistic power of fear, bullying, intimidation, cruelty. Maybe that worked for Hitler and Stalin. Exhibit A is for us to see in how it is failing for Putin and Trump. And their minions.
Hypermasculine bullying is not only in MAGA and the extreme Right Wing, of course. It is in the extremes of the Left Wing as well. And it is a behavior of men and out of balance women in all walks of life. But my point is that it is in the process of not working and is in the process of being replaced by a balanced understanding of real power. And real power includes Soft Powers of empathy, compassion, caring, concern, imagination, creativity, understanding, etc. Things that the hypermasculine "men" like Elon Musk decry as "weakness".
This is a process. And it is taking time. But there will come a time in the future when people will look at our bullying world with as much bafflement as we look at the America of slavery and be amazed that such nonsense was accepted as normal.
