Method or Madness?

Insights Newsletter
7 April, 2017

Two months ago, the world witnessed something of a horror, well, at least in my mind: The moment the Donald Trump became the new leader of the free world.

When I contemplate on the moments before and after that day, I can’t help but think of Shakespeare’s quip: “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t”.

Could it be that the president is making a fool of himself on purpose?

After all, Trump’s faux-pas moments clearly made him more likeable in the eyes of voters, which propelled him all the way to the White House.

And his ludicrous acts have only intensified once got into the Oval Office. From his ban on refugees and Muslims, to his Twitter antics, and attacks on the media, Trump leaves us wondering what his next crazy will be.

But could these moments be socially-engineered strategies to fool onlookers into liking him more?

Indeed psychologists would have us believe that there is a method to tricking people whose approval we need into liking us. They call it the Pratfall Effect.

Accordingly, all we have to do is make ourselves look silly in front of others, so as to appear more like them, and so more likeable. Like ‘missing’ a step as you walk through the door of a job interview room.

In this way, Trump’s stumbling into presidency may have a lot to do with stumbling at a job interview.

Ordinary voters will conclude he is one of theirs and will like him even more every time he fails and does something stupid.

Which means, of course, that there is no hope for enlightened democracy because the most successful politicians will be the ones appearing least enlightened.

Trump may in fact be the disciple of modern psychology where he is smart and voters are mad, and that’s a scary thought. What a pity for our just published Manifesto. 

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