In Reply to: I agree, but that does not answer my question posted by DSCBruin on November 15, 2024 at 11:55:17
that is the duality of the alpha male. Every alpha male that beats his chest when there is no superior male around will instinctively be submissive to the superior male when one shows up.
Exactly like you say with Trump and Putin. Trump recognizes a superior male in Putin, so he will always be submissive with him. I saw Erdogan do the same thing with Putin. At one point he shot down a Russian jet cutting through Turkish airspace to get to some area in Northern Syria, and Erdogan kept beating his chest. Then he visited Moscow and came back with the same kind of body language that Trump had in Helsinki. Putin establishes the hierarchy of alpha males.
So there is no conflict or dilemma here. That is what bullies and alpha males do in the presence of a bigger bully or alpha male. And no. They have no sense of self-respect because they don't have a self beyond what is in that hierarchy itself.