How Does One Avoid Ridicule?

The only way I know is to pay close attention to how you feel -- your intuition is your best guide.

If you're feeling bumped around too much, time to dial back the sensitivity. If you're feeling too indifferent and disconnected from people you want to connect with, dial it back up.

Oh, no, I wasn't saying you were firing back in kind. I was speaking entirely generally.

If someone's rude and nasty to others, chances are good they'll receive that back, and sometimes it might even be escalated. Then the first person too will escalate, and so on, until there's out and out war. That's just the way that dynamic works. And that first person, Trump in your example, will absolutely complain when he's on the receiving end of that same treatment. That's the way some people are. It's usually, if not always, a result of being damaged. (That's a reason, not to be confused with an excuse.)

The thing is, the only person whose behaviour we can control is our own. That includes our responses to the types of people you're talking about.

Of course it would be a better world if everyone were kind, respectful, compassionate, and all of the other wonderful qualities humans are capable of. Much, much better! But unfortunately there always have been and always will be bullies, rude and disrespectful people. It's how we respond to it that matters, and is all we can do anyway.

But you said "That's the problem,"

So you only worry about avoiding ridicule if you don't feel good about your accomplishments?