Why are dictators referred to as strongmen?

Often very stupid self-destructive things, most often absolutely horrendous things, when looked at from a perspective of “the people’s good”.

ranking your favorite dictator
Posted by u/Toshero
These measurements are not completely accurate. If you want to know where your favorite dictator ranks and they’re not on the list let me know and I’ll add them.

  • Fidel Castro 6’3"/191 cm (the trumpster 6’3")
    (Al Capone 5’10")
  • Mao Zedong 5’9"/180 cm
  • Xi Jinping 5’9"/180 cm
  • Raul Castro 5’7"/175 cm
  • Kim Il-Sung 5’7"/175 cm
  • Adolf Hitler 5’7"/175 cm
  • Josip Broz Tito 5’6"/170 cm
  • Kim Jong-Un 5’6"/170 cm
  • Benito Mussolini 5,5"/169 cm
  • Josef Stalin 5’4"/165 cm
  • Vladimir Lenin 5’4"/165 cm
  • Emperor Hirohito 5’4"/165 cm
  • Francisco Franco 5’3"/163 cm
  • Kim Jong-Il 5’3"/160 cm

Incorrect, how political “actors” are referred to matters. And how they are perceived does change reality, as in changes people’s behaviors. For example, if everyone on this forum started referring to “thatoneguy” as an absolute moron, every time he posted, folks here would probably just start skipping everything he posts - reality is changed. Luckily you don’t appear to be an absolute moron so I’m sure folks will continue to reply to your posts. But you get the point. Perception matters.

One’s own perception does not change the behavior of others. That’s ludicrous.

Maybe you missed where it says These measurements are not completely accurate . But even if it is, these heights are average for their time and place except for Mao Zedong and Franco.

True enough. It would make you look dumber than you already do.

I never took you for naive. Have you watched the Republicans lately? They have gone completely insane from listening to the master carpetbagger Trump, their revered “strongman” autocrat who declared that there are good people among NAZIs.

You like Trump don’t you? He is your unqualified hero, no? Lots of people hitched their wagon to this rip-off artist. And the current Republican congress still does!

There was no “debt ceiling” during his “reign” was there?

But Kevin McCarthy the new “Speaker” of the House is trying to play “strongman” to please Trump whom he still sees as his President, legal or not!

Actually, no, because you don’t understand it, but that’s OK.

Actually, it does. If one attempts to intimidate in order to compensate for their height, it can intimidate others. If one attempts to “Win Friends and Influence Enemies”, that is an attempt to change the behaviours of others and apparently there is some truth to it, because that isn’t the only book written on how to influence people. Hitler had a real talent in manipulating people. Just being charismatic is an influencer. Many dictators, who more than likely had negative thoughts about themselves, including their size, probably overcompensated through attempting to dominate others.

A good example is the dotard, who is a little man, and he tries very hard to compensate for it by attempting to manipulate people into his way of thinking or he become very abusive and hateful if you don’t think as he does. He’s just a little boy in a grown man’s body. He makes up for not just by manipulation or childish hatefulness, but also in the things he owns. He wanted to be a dictator, very badly, and not just have everything in his home made of gold.

Lordie, I toss you a bone and you gotta snap at me.

Nope I didn’t miss that. It’s written right there.
I call myself 5’7" even though I bet that’s not exactly accurate, any more, as I’m progressing into my late 60s.