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Where Is ‘The Man In The Arena’?: Why America Needs Fewer Insults And More Adults
Walk into any corner of American political discourse today — scroll through social media, watch a committee hearing, or tune into any podcast — and you will see the same thing: grown adults calling each other names like middle schoolers fighting over a cafeteria seat. The foul language, the personal insults, the public meltdowns, the performative rage. This is not strength. It is not leadership. It is insecurity dressed up like courage and cowardice masquerading as conviction.
Somewhere along the way, we replaced statesmanship with screaming. We replaced persuasion with profanity. Ultimately, we have replaced the old fashioned American habit of debating ideas with the cheap and empty thrill of attacking people.
More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt, a man defined by both bold action and deep humility, gave us the blueprint for a better way: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
Today, however, we have the opposite — loud voices and small sticks.
The big stick Roosevelt spoke of was not brute force. It was strength, moral, intellectual, strategic, and spiritual. It was the confidence to act boldly without needing to shout about it. It was the courage to make hard decisions without cursing out everyone who disagreed. It was the wisdom to understand that real power does not have to announce itself. That’s the model that built America. The opposite tears it down.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the rise of profanity and name-calling as the default language of our modern political media. There is nothing courageous about calling your opponent a slur on X. There is nothing tough about dropping f-bombs into every sentence so people will mistake your aggression for authority. And there is nothing admirable about influencers who pretend to be fighters for truth while reducing every debate to schoolyard taunts.
Profanity is not a sign of depth, it is the last resort of someone who has run out of arguments. Name-calling is not a sign of strength, it is emotional immaturity. And using your platform to bully instead of uplift does not make you a leader, it makes you an attention addict.
The people screaming the loudest in politics today, both on the Left and on the Right, have something in common: they are far more committed to growing their audiences than growing their country. Drama pays. Rage sells. Insults go viral in a way that virtues rarely do. But ask yourself: When was the last time vulgarity solved a national problem? When was the last time calling someone a “retard” secured a border, balanced a budget, defended a family, or healed a division? It does not. It cannot. It never will.
History tells us who actually moves nations forward. If the loudest voices were also the most effective, America would be thriving right now. But our most consequential leaders embodied the opposite of today’s political showmanship.
Consider Abraham Lincoln, arguably the greatest persuader in American history. Under unthinkable pressure, he chose calm over chaos, clarity over insults, and moral force over personal attacks. He did not need vulgarity to restore the Union. He relied on conviction, compassion, and clarity of purpose.
Think of Thomas Sowell, one of the most influential thinkers of the last century. A man who never needed to insult anyone to defeat their ideas. He does it with facts, discipline, and rigorous logic. Sowell’s writing has changed more minds in silence than a thousand social media personalities have changed by shouting. He has proved that a sharp intellect always cuts deeper than a sharp tongue.
Consider Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who led a movement that reshaped the moral conscience of the nation. He did not use foul language to rally a crowd. He did not dehumanize his enemies. His power came from his principles, not his profanity.
Look also at Ronald Reagan, whose strength came not from shouting but from optimism, clarity, and humor. He defeated the Soviet Union not with insults but with strategic vision, principled courage, and unshakeable conviction.
Even today, modern examples remain. American heroes across the military, law enforcement, public service, and civic life continue to change this country quietly and honorably, without needing the spotlight or the shock factor. They speak softly. They carry real sticks. They do real things.
Sometimes turning the volume down can amplify the ideas.
This is why the tragedy of our current political culture is so stark. We now confuse volume with vision. The modern algorithm rewards outrage, not outcomes. People chase retweets rather than respect and the result is a nation drowning in noise but starving for leadership.
When every debate becomes a brawl, the serious people leave the arena. When profanity becomes the currency of influence, the wise stop speaking.
The truth is that courage requires restraint. There is a myth that strong men must be loud men. But the opposite is true. The strongest people are those who can keep their composure while others lose theirs. The most persuasive voices are those that remain calm when the room gets heated. The most impactful leaders are not the ones who shout to be heard but ones whose character makes others quiet down to listen.
A man who must curse to be taken seriously has already lost the argument.
A politician who must demean others to feel powerful is already revealing weakness.
And an influencer who has to shock, insult, or degrade his audience to remain relevant is not shaping culture. He is cheapening it.
The good news is that we can reverse this cycle. The American people still hunger for calm over chaos, wisdom over theatrics, and substance over stunts. They want leaders like Roosevelt who can speak softly because they actually carry the biggest sticks: experience, knowledge, values, courage, humility, and truth.
Imagine a generation of leaders who choose persuasion over profanity, character over clout, solutions over screams. Imagine if our public square once again rewarded virtue instead of virality.
Today, too many people are doing the opposite. It is time to reject the cowards hiding behind insults and elevate the adults who carry real sticks. It is time to restore civil discourse to America. And it is time we stop celebrating the yellers and start honoring the builders.
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Gates Garcia is the host of the YouTube show and podcast “We The People.” Follow him on Instagram and X @GatesGarciaFL.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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