Stories from Lockdown

November 13,2020

Del Mar, Ca.

 

 

He sped down the left side of the rink. The opponents had trouble getting at the puck which was stretched out to his right. Suddenly Jack Phelan, who was later to captain the Dartmouth Hockey team, cut across the center of the ice, fired at the right side of the net, and scored. This set-in motion a major frustration by the best player on the other team. He threw gloves, yelled, and tried to push some of our players around to no avail. 

 

 

This high school player’s tantrum revealed several things about him. First, he needed to learn some self-control and frustration tolerance. Secondly, his behavior seemed to reveal a strong underlying sense of entitlement. Think about it. He must have assumed he should have been winning. This attitude persisted throughout the game, though it should have been obvious to players and fans alike that our team was superior. The lopsided score should have been a tip-off to the disgruntled player.

 

Trump can’t accept defeat. He clearly feels entitled to win. He is too self-focused to look at the data and draw realistic conclusions. He did a poor job, and the voters saw this. Had he taken his job more seriously and applied himself in a serious way, he might have won. Like the hockey player, he felt he should win, even if the other side scored more goals.

 

 It may well be that Trump in his early life didn’t get the care he was entitled to. That dynamic may be playing itself out in his adult life. Most children outgrow their perception that they are the center of the universe and learn that they must earn their “riches”. Has Trump?