Scott Adams: In his own words
One of the biggest complaints I hear about Donald Trump is that he wants to become president for personal reasons. Apparently it has something to do with a combination of his narcissism, his ego, and his desire to make money. I can’t think of three worse qualities for a president…
Read MoreWhen I was studying economics in college, the most surprising thing I learned is that economics is what happens when you combine psychology with resources. I had assumed economics was more of a math/formula sort of discipline. There is plenty of that too, but the core of economics is human…
Read MoreI just watched a video of Matt Lauer interviewing Donald Trump in front of a live audience in New Hampshire. The audience had some questions too. If you have been enjoying my Master Persuader series about Trump, you … have … to … see … this. I remind you that I don’t know…
Read MoreYou can’t bomb an idea to death. So how do you ever defeat the idea that is ISIS? To kill an idea, you need a hypnotist, or someone skilled in the art of persuasion. I’ll describe one way to do it. I do not expect any of the candidates to…
Read MoreYou probably saw one of several articles describing a study that says Donald Trump speaks at a fourth-grade level. Your first reaction might have been to chuckle at his lack of verbal intelligence. I was laughing too. But if you have been reading this blog lately, you know I was laughing for…
Read MoreThe latest poll out of Iowa shows Carson ahead of Trump. And you know what that means? It means Iowa is about to become irrelevant. Here I am assuming evangelicals will band together to give Carson the win in Iowa before Trump goes on to run the table everywhere else….
Read MoreWe humans like to sort ourselves into categories that are based on how our bodies are different. For example, we see the world as men versus women, and one ethnic group versus another, or old versus young. And we organize our political views around those filters. That made sense throughout…
Read MorePundits declared that Carly Fiornia won the most recent Republican debate. Her poll numbers surged, as you might expect. Meanwhile, I was applying the Master Wizard Filter to the debate and predicting that Fiorina had self-destructed that night by pairing her brand with the image of a dead baby. INTENTIONALLY! In a blog…
Read MoreThis week the media is starting to realize that maybe Donald Trump has a chance of winning the presidency. Howard Kurtz is calling the turn [archive]. You will see a lot more stories and opinions along those lines, assuming Trump’s numbers stay strong. But here’s the fun part: How do you…
Read MoreThis article in the Washington Post describes Trump’s persuasion skills as a function of his energy and big ideas. Or, as the article says, people respond to narcissists. Look how hard some parts of the media are trying to push a narrative in which Trump’s success is not related to anything Trump…
Read MoreThe Washington Post’s Stephen Stromberg says Hillary Clinton won the first Democratic debate with her line about being a progressive who likes to get things done. Personally, that line didn’t register with me at all. It has no visual or emotional content. The Master Wizard filter says that line was irrelevant. According to the…
Read MoreI’m reporting for jury duty selection this morning. I have served a few times, and I recommend it to any citizen who has the opportunity. The experience does a good job of getting you invested in the system, and it makes you appreciate your country a bit more when you…
Read MoreI was just reading the transcript of Bill Clinton’s interview with Colbert. Based on that text alone, I wonder who Bill Clinton wants to win the presidency. Clinton talked about Trump’s “macho” appeal with the public. But Clinton didn’t say macho was a bad thing. Let me give you a hypothetical. Suppose I told you…
Read MoreOn October 1st, I blogged that Trump was starting to define Rubio as a “rube,” although Trump had not yet used that actual word (as far as I know). The human mind automatically connects things that are related. If you tell me a man named Rubio is easily duped (as Trump suggests), the…
Read MoreThe word “narcissist” gets tossed around a lot, especially when Donald Trump is in the news. That word can mean at least three different things, depending on who is saying it. For example, calling someone a narcissist could mean… 1. I don’t know what big words mean, but I use them…
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