This morning during in my Comparative Politics class, my professor, Dr. Matt Golder, said something that kind of blew my mind:
“When power is most potent- it is least likely to be used.”
This is my 2nd massive “ah-ha” moment of my college career since arriving here at the beginning of last semester (the first being when I realized you can reuse dryer sheets by stuffing them in your shoes at night to make them smell nice). When my professor said that this morning, something just clicked and it all made sense. If you have power- you’ll never have to use it! I couldn’t believe I never thought of that idea before. I have theorized a lot about power in the past and always wondered where it came from and how it works and whatnot, but this idea was just completely new to me, and it’s so obvious!
The example he gave was this: The president has the power to veto any bill that congress puts on his desk (called the Presidential Veto); Yet still, the Presidential Veto is rarely ever used. The average veto rate for presidents since 1973 is 1.9%. Why is this number so low? The Answer: because people understand the President has the power to veto, so they will never offer up a bill that they think the President will veto!
Image via Festival Reviews
The more power you have, the less you will have to use it.
If you have gone to the gym every day in your life, and you become the toughest individual in the world, no one will ever want to fight you. Why? Because you are the strongest person in the world and will surely beat them in a fight. As a result, you will naturally get into less fights because most people know that you will beat them. The more powerful you appear, the less you will have your power challenged.
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The same is true for France during World War II. Their Maginot Line was so strong and fortified that no one would attack it head-on (we won’t talk about that part with the Ardennes where Germany just kinda went around it… Yikes). France knew that no one would attack it though. They knew that because it was so strong, no offensives would take place that would attempt to break through that line, and the real fighting would be directed elsewhere as a result (even if it was directed to somewhere they hadn’t anticipated… RIP France 1940). Here, the same saying can be applied. France’s wall was so heavily fortified, and as a result, barely any fighting was seen there. No one would mess with it! France knew this and that’s why they had it built. They knew that because they had so many fortresses and guns, they would never have to use them. (See more on why the French Maginot Line was actually a great idea here).
Image via Business Insider
People of power get what they want without asking for anything. You know you are powerful when you don’t need to do anything to get your way.
This is a really interesting idea but at the same time I believe it could be dangerous. If I had a lot of power and was rarely challenged I know I would become complacent and put my guard down just like France with Germany. France was so confident in the strength of their Maginot Line that they didn’t even consider that Germany could just circumnavigate it. That’s why I believe that if you have power you should feel confident that you won’t be challenged often, but you should never let your guard completely drop.
I agree
This was a pretty interesting read. I’ve never actually thought about the fact that those in power typically don’t need to exercise it because everyone is already aware of such power and the consequences of challenging it. Do you think that the realization by those in power of their magnitude of power is what often results in the misuse of power?
Honestly, I think the misuse of power is a direct result of human greed. There have been plenty of people in the world who have realized the power they wield, yet do not use it in a way we would deem irresponsible. For example, take Cincinnatus: the friendly dictator. When Rome was in desperate need, they reached out to a farmer named Cincinnatus and granted him the title of dictator whose job was to save the besieged consuls and restore order. Cincinnatus was granted 6 months of absolute power over the Roman Republic. However, he somehow managed to kick ass, take names, and restore order to the Republic in less than 2 weeks. He could’ve kept this power, he could’ve held on to it forever if only to satisfy his own personal gain. Dictator of the Roman Republic was one of the most power positions in the world at that time. But instead he left his post and returned to tending his modest farm after only two weeks. He was a true hero of Rome, and an example in history of an individual giving up immense power by their own will for the good of the people.
So, I don’t think that misuse of power is a result realization of power, but rather human greed. As long as greed exists, people will use their power to step on the heads of others to get what they want.
Interesting idea and pretty sensible and, as you say, obvious when you give the examples you did. I had not really given this idea all that much thought before, but I am convinced in its truth after reading this and thinking about other ways that this notion constantly manifests in our world.
It’s extraordinary really how prevalent this dynamic is and how much it goes unnoticed.
I thought this was a very insightful post and went into great detail about a very prevalent societal mindset. It seems almost like one of those subconscious, primal instincts humans have but never really think about; if someone looks big, scary, and most importantly powerful, then we don’t want to mess with them. It’s our survival instinct to avoid these kinds of things, and in a more modern society, this is demonstrated on an international level of power. Great post!
Thank you!