BRAVO, Zahra! You are one of the most perceptive and insightful voices on Substack. I sense that we are nearing the point in the story where the little girl who insists that the emperor has no clothes is proven right, to the satisfaction of nearly everyone. The narratives spun by the powerful are shredding before the eyes of the public. They are tired of being fooled. New technologies broadcasting sharp images that contradict official narratives have accelerated what Abraham Lincoln described nearly two centuries ago:
"You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
I’m not contesting that trump has the capacity to become the president; he clearly does because he is and has been previously. His rise says less about his personal competence and more about the vulnerabilities in our political system and psychology: our attraction to confidence over expertise, to simple narratives over complex truths.
What a wonderful piece this is, Zahra. I have had it saved on my archive to read it for way too long -my list just keeps growing every day-, but I was looking forward to sit and read it. Today was the day.
It is quite incredible, at times surreal, at times not even surprising at all, what each and everyone of us seem to expect and look forward to in someone in a power role that will supposedly "care" for us.
I completely agree that people who do get to become presidents, CEOs and are at similar power roles, do very well know the psychology behind our human nature (more than some of us would like to admit). And know how to bend reality with the carefully thought tweaks they make in the public narrative of anything that is going on.
Otherwise, as you just mentioned, they wouldn't be where they are today.
But these, I also agree, can't be sustained forever, even less when cracks start to show up and the narrative starts to crumble. Which seems is what is finally starting to happen.
To me this is the real show that's about to begin, the show that actually already began some time ago, and even if it feels like a "sit back with some popcorn and let it fall" kind of event, I am pretty sure there is also so much work that can and needs to be done in the mean time.
Thank you so much for the curated insights and for contributing to making Substack one of my favorite places on the internet! Hope you have a great day today!
He still became President though, so maybe he's not the idiot. Maybe you fundamentally lack understanding human nature, and what's driving other people, is not what is driving you — maybe you have a problem adapting to your surroundings, and to the reality of what other people are thinking.
BRAVO, Zahra! You are one of the most perceptive and insightful voices on Substack. I sense that we are nearing the point in the story where the little girl who insists that the emperor has no clothes is proven right, to the satisfaction of nearly everyone. The narratives spun by the powerful are shredding before the eyes of the public. They are tired of being fooled. New technologies broadcasting sharp images that contradict official narratives have accelerated what Abraham Lincoln described nearly two centuries ago:
"You can fool all of the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
Well said and thank you for your kind words and continuous support! 🙏🏻
“ Trump has child-like behavior. He doesn’t know right from wrong. He doesn’t have the capacity to be president. 🧐🧐🧐
I’m not contesting that trump has the capacity to become the president; he clearly does because he is and has been previously. His rise says less about his personal competence and more about the vulnerabilities in our political system and psychology: our attraction to confidence over expertise, to simple narratives over complex truths.
Why does it have to be one or the other? Ideally leaders should have both confidence and expertise.
This Either/Or thinking is what got us here. We need to raise the bar.
“True.”
What a wonderful piece this is, Zahra. I have had it saved on my archive to read it for way too long -my list just keeps growing every day-, but I was looking forward to sit and read it. Today was the day.
It is quite incredible, at times surreal, at times not even surprising at all, what each and everyone of us seem to expect and look forward to in someone in a power role that will supposedly "care" for us.
I completely agree that people who do get to become presidents, CEOs and are at similar power roles, do very well know the psychology behind our human nature (more than some of us would like to admit). And know how to bend reality with the carefully thought tweaks they make in the public narrative of anything that is going on.
Otherwise, as you just mentioned, they wouldn't be where they are today.
But these, I also agree, can't be sustained forever, even less when cracks start to show up and the narrative starts to crumble. Which seems is what is finally starting to happen.
To me this is the real show that's about to begin, the show that actually already began some time ago, and even if it feels like a "sit back with some popcorn and let it fall" kind of event, I am pretty sure there is also so much work that can and needs to be done in the mean time.
Thank you so much for the curated insights and for contributing to making Substack one of my favorite places on the internet! Hope you have a great day today!
He still became President though, so maybe he's not the idiot. Maybe you fundamentally lack understanding human nature, and what's driving other people, is not what is driving you — maybe you have a problem adapting to your surroundings, and to the reality of what other people are thinking.