Throughout all walks of life, we’ve encountered bullies. In a playground, classroom, workplace, or over the internet, they’re omnipresent it seems. They troll all around, looking to get under your skin. The reason for this is a large number of unresolved feelings of self-hate; their own self-esteem is usually not that high. They pick certain members of a group they can easily manipulate or get upset. There are several coping mechanisms that we use. One is based on the golden rule: You stand up to bullies by standing up to them. The other end of that spectrum is to let it get inside your head, and affect you to a point where it occupies every single part of your living; it becomes a voice you can’t get rid of. Then, there is a median area: just ignore it.

In today’s political environment, the concept is much more magnified. Since Trump’s inauguration, to sell the political landscape as nothing short of a dumpster fire is an insult to dumpster fires elsewhere. Three federal judges blocked his executive order of banning all Muslims.

Trump, being who we know him as, goes off on Twitter to the surprise of nobody, says: SEE YOU IN COURT! OUR DEMOCRACY IS AT STAKE!

Along with a barrage of insults and blame deflecting towards others (fake news), this is akin to what Andrew Rosenthal, columnist for the New York Times, to a junior high student who complains about the amount of homework the teacher assigns, that the teacher is mean, or that it’s too hard.

“When it comes from a 13-year-old snot-nosed punk, it’s annoying. When it’s the leader of the free world, it’s terrifying.”

That is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to this administration in its first month on the job.

As such, we as liberals, must act like the parents to Trump’s little snot-nosed punk acts.

We can’t take the bait when it comes to any malarkey to what this administration throws at us. We must be strong in our stance against what they’ll bring. I’m all for peaceful protests and marches, like with the Women’s Marches on the first Saturday in the Trump administration.

It’s in the First Amendment; freedom of speech and assembly. What makes us out to be the babies that we are perceived to be is the riotous behavior we portray, like with what was done when Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to be at Berkeley, but was since cancelled. We must invite others from the other side, and hear them out. Even if we disagree, we must give them a medium to speak. If I banned everybody from talking to me who I thought was colossally wrong, I’d be talking to myself.

Just be strong mentally and logically, and we will win. It’ll take some time and patience, but we shall overcome.

Don’t react like Cher did the night of the election on Twitter. Reactions like that are what cause us to lose every time.