An essential component of populist rhetoric is telling the people what they want to hear. Many politicians throughout history have attracted mass followings by simply reinforcing people’s selfish beliefs and prejudices – including their misconceptions. Donald J. Trump, along with his supportive right-wing media, is a master at this type of manipulation. Creating an enemy … Read more
People do not usually grow more open and flexible as they age. We tend to become settled in our habits of behavior and in our opinions. We cluster comfortably into groups of like-minded folks and shake our heads at those who live, think, and behave differently than we do. Because we find safety in the … Read more
In my undergraduate days, majoring in Speech/Theatre Education, I took a class called, “Small Group Discussion.” The instructor divided the class into groups of six or seven people. Each group was instructed to create a task for themselves (which the instructor would not define for us). We would be presenting the results of that task … Read more
Things is messed up. Them [immigrants, people of color, religious minorities] is takin’ my [job, housing, government benefits] using MY tax dollars. And the Democrats want to make it easier for [“those people”] to vote so they can increase their own benefits at MY expense. Now those socialists want the power to stick a needle … Read more
The small rodent known as the lemming is often used as a metaphor to represent someone who mindlessly follows a crowd toward catastrophe. This is because it is commonly believed that lemmings commit mass suicide every few years by jumping off a cliff and drowning. The metaphor is useful because there are, indeed, people who … Read more