Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, is going to explain to listeners of BBC radio, today, why Americans will vote for Donald Trump.
Adams seems to believe that a majority of Americans have been easily duped by Trump, the P.T. Barnum, the Professor Harold Hill, of modern politics.
In his blog, Adams has alternately said that 1) he doesn't care who wins the presidency; 2) that Hillary Clinton won't because she is sick, or on drugs (he's not a doctor, nor has he attended medical school, nor has he actually met Hillary Clinton); 3) that Donald Trump will win; and finally, after losing millions of dollars in speaking fees, 4) that he endorses Gary Johnson.
He backhandedly admits that he is taking that last position to avoid further damage to the Dilbert brand, the loveable engineer that he's carelessly associated with Trump support.
But the damage is done.
In addition to blowing this "pay no attention to the cartoonist behind the curtain" smoke, Scott Adams subjects his readers to a psychological manipulation in every blog post.
At the end of each of his posts, he suggests you buy his book(s), and includes a link to the item.
And each statement is a model of a psychological persuasion tool. Like the "because they drink tea" line in this one today. He uses this one a lot.
Experiments have shown that people will often do what you ask if you just use the word "because" in your request. (See, Influence, by Robert Cialdini).
The reason you give doesn't need to make sense. It just has to be stated following a "because." Adams relies on you being unaware of this technique. And he probably has a chart showing him which manipulative techniques he uses get the best results.
"Welcome to my laboratory, rats.", he might say to himself each time he writes a post.
I've loved Dilbert for years. I've read three of Adams's books. But I can't stomach what appears to be his Big Bang Theory Sheldon Cooper-like concept of voters' intelligence.
He ought to review Pre-Suasion, also by Robert Cialdini, the Godfather of psychological persuasion techniques.
If Adams did see that volume, he'd recognize that he has poisoned the susceptibility of a big part of his audience by injecting Trump into his conversations.
The readers' virtual arms are crossed and their heads tilted back before they even start to read.
If they even do read any more.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Friday, September 30, 2016
GOP Congressmen Hate Hillary More Than They Fear Putin
If you're kissing Putin's bottom and you leave orange colored lip marks, then Paul Ryan forgives you.
If your words and deeds show that your personal interests are more aligned with a devious dictator than those of the United States of America, but you aren't Hillary Clinton, then Mitch McConnell will protect you.
Blind, off the tracks, dingey dogs would be better leaders of the GOP in Congress.
Don't take my word for it. Check out this article from the Daily Beast:GOP Blocks Probes into Trump Putin Ties
If your words and deeds show that your personal interests are more aligned with a devious dictator than those of the United States of America, but you aren't Hillary Clinton, then Mitch McConnell will protect you.
Blind, off the tracks, dingey dogs would be better leaders of the GOP in Congress.
Don't take my word for it. Check out this article from the Daily Beast:GOP Blocks Probes into Trump Putin Ties
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Is Your Garage Full of Stuff? Uh-Oh.
I read yesterday in the Daily Pfennig that the typical American saves .8% of their income.
.8%.
That is 8/10ths of 1/100th of their income.
Simply put, just about one penny for every dollar earned is saved. Ben Franklin weeps.
Heck you can pick a dime's worth of pennies off the ground at any gas station and you'd be doing better than many people are in an hour.
In the 60s, the family savings rate was 17%. Seventeen cents from every dollar. $1.70 saved for every ten dollars earned; $17 per $100.
Can you guess what happened? You know. It's obvious, actually. It was sucked up by clever, effective marketing.
Since the 60s, Americans have purchased untold amounts of stuff instead of saving money to live on. Why? Because they were told by an insidious and powerful advertising industry that wealthy, happy people bought lots of shiny watches, clothes, cars, boats, folding chairs, power tools, stainless steel refrigerators, and granite countertops. Marketers convinced a generation and a half that if they bought those things, then they would be rich and happy.
Instead of filling their lives with security, ease, and happiness, people have filled their garages with junk.
Floor to ceiling things and the nagging realization that all that garage fodder represents what could have been their "fuck you" money.
While they don't have financial freedom, mortgage free homes, or lien-less cars, they can have epic garage sales that net them a pitiful fraction of what they spent on the cast off stuff they listlessly sell.
"Not to worry about negative returns on my savings, I'll have a garage sale and make money!"
My stomach turns.
Americans have little concern about negative interest rates. They are immune to them.
They've been living with negative returns on their purchases for decades now. Buy! Buy! Buy! Who profits? The seller and the credit card issuer. Who loses? The buyer/borrower.
There is no financial return on a new shirt that is just like the shirt you already have. A new watch tells time the same as an old one.
You can't up and quit your crappy job because you just bought your 100th pair of shoes. They won't pay your bills.
You are stuck.
It is easy to guess who has money in your neighborhood, or any neighborhood. Drive down any street around dinner-time and see who has a garage filled with stuff.
If there are one or more cars parked outside in the driveway because the garage is filled with stacks of this and that, then those residents probably have little financial depth.
On the other hand, the families with nothing but cars, bicycles and garbage cans in their garage — you can safely bet that they have money in the bank.
Shoppers go broke. Savers live happily. Check out these statistics in this article and see if you recognize yourself.
And if you do, then you might want to skip the next big sale — and have one of your own.
.8%.
That is 8/10ths of 1/100th of their income.
Simply put, just about one penny for every dollar earned is saved. Ben Franklin weeps.
Heck you can pick a dime's worth of pennies off the ground at any gas station and you'd be doing better than many people are in an hour.
In the 60s, the family savings rate was 17%. Seventeen cents from every dollar. $1.70 saved for every ten dollars earned; $17 per $100.
Can you guess what happened? You know. It's obvious, actually. It was sucked up by clever, effective marketing.
Since the 60s, Americans have purchased untold amounts of stuff instead of saving money to live on. Why? Because they were told by an insidious and powerful advertising industry that wealthy, happy people bought lots of shiny watches, clothes, cars, boats, folding chairs, power tools, stainless steel refrigerators, and granite countertops. Marketers convinced a generation and a half that if they bought those things, then they would be rich and happy.
Instead of filling their lives with security, ease, and happiness, people have filled their garages with junk.
Floor to ceiling things and the nagging realization that all that garage fodder represents what could have been their "fuck you" money.
While they don't have financial freedom, mortgage free homes, or lien-less cars, they can have epic garage sales that net them a pitiful fraction of what they spent on the cast off stuff they listlessly sell.
"Not to worry about negative returns on my savings, I'll have a garage sale and make money!"
My stomach turns.
Americans have little concern about negative interest rates. They are immune to them.
They've been living with negative returns on their purchases for decades now. Buy! Buy! Buy! Who profits? The seller and the credit card issuer. Who loses? The buyer/borrower.
There is no financial return on a new shirt that is just like the shirt you already have. A new watch tells time the same as an old one.
You can't up and quit your crappy job because you just bought your 100th pair of shoes. They won't pay your bills.
You are stuck.
It is easy to guess who has money in your neighborhood, or any neighborhood. Drive down any street around dinner-time and see who has a garage filled with stuff.
If there are one or more cars parked outside in the driveway because the garage is filled with stacks of this and that, then those residents probably have little financial depth.
On the other hand, the families with nothing but cars, bicycles and garbage cans in their garage — you can safely bet that they have money in the bank.
Shoppers go broke. Savers live happily. Check out these statistics in this article and see if you recognize yourself.
And if you do, then you might want to skip the next big sale — and have one of your own.
Friday, August 26, 2016
Trump's Campaign Chairman is All About Voter Fraud
Trump is not fit to be president of a condo association, much less the US.
He can't choose his positions, his words, or his personnel.
Trump's Breitbart-covered campaign-chair beat his wife and lied on his current voter registration.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/26/steve-bannon-florida-registered-vote-donald-trump
He can't choose his positions, his words, or his personnel.
Trump's Breitbart-covered campaign-chair beat his wife and lied on his current voter registration.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/26/steve-bannon-florida-registered-vote-donald-trump
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Snakes in the grass
The heat wave of 90 plus weather is breaking over Ohio.
The still air started moving. Like going from a still pot to a boil.
Swirling currents are blowing to and fro.
Snakes in the yard are reluctant to be moved from their resting spots. They want no part of searching for a new place to hunker down.
Change is blowing in. Just in time.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Friday, July 15, 2016
Revulsed by Turkey's crackpot dictator the military stages a coup. Good luck!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/turkish-military-attempted-coup-prime-201213836.html
Turkish military in attempted coup, prime minister says
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