Critical Thinking: Why Do We Keep Electing Idiots?

In America, it is not hard to find someone who doesn’t like Donald Trump, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Also, the mainstream media typically only has bad things to say about him.
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Compared with the last president, Barack Obama, Trump is often seen as being a poor replacement. The person who was in power was then a decent human being, but the current person is power is not even half decent.

One Outlook

Based on this, a well balanced human being was in the white house, only to be replaced by an unhinged human being. It was then good and now it has gone bad, with it being a mystery as to how this has happened.

Therefore, instead of choosing another good person and being able to move forward, everything has ended up going backwards. There are then going to be others who have a radically different view.

The Reverse

Along with this, there are people out there who believe that Trump is far better than the last president. What has taken place is then going to be seen as being a step in the right direction.

If someone has this view, they could say that even though Obama came across very well, it doesn’t mean that he was good president. They could say that if it was purely about having someone who comes across well and not about what they actually do, an actor may as well be elected.

A Mixed Response

Ergo, even though the mainstream media can create the impression that everyone has the same view; it is clearly not this black and white. One then has to wonder if this source of information is biased and is not interested in informing the populace.

This can’t be the case; surely one would need to be a conspiracy theorist to believe such a thing. With these responses aside, it has been said that both Trump and Obama are narcissists, along with a number of others presidents.

An Odd Scenario

If this is indeed the case, what does it say about the general public if people like this are rising to the top? Now, clearly not everyone voted for these people, and a lot of people don’t even vote.

Even so, why is it that people like this are able to rise to these positions of power and to have so much control? And while it could be said that these people are merely puppets of the establishment, there is no denying that they still have a fair amount of power.

Powerless

It would be easy to say that this is something that just happens, and the people who voted for these presidents (along with the prime ministers that have been elected over the years) had no idea what they were really like. This helps absolve people of responsibility, but what it doesn’t do is provide a solution to what is going on.

If the populace have no way of knowing what a candidate is really like, there is no saying as to when a level headed human being will end up in a position like this. Another way of looking at this would be to say that this is not something that just happens, yet the reason why this seems to be the case is due to the fact that self-awareness is not given much attention in today’s world.

An Analogy

While someone can believe that their view of a candidate is simply a representation of what they are like, this might not be the case. The way that they view them can be filtered through what is taking place within them.

Thus, in the same way that a dirty window will have effect on what someone can see outside, what is taking place within them will influence how they perceive a candidate. This is then similar to how someone can end up projecting a lot of good traits onto another person when they are attracted to them, which will prevent them from being able to see them in a balanced light.

For Example

Let’s say that someone feel powerless at a deeper level, what this can then do is cause them to identity with a candidate who comes across as strong and acts like they are some kind of saviour. Identifying with this candidate will be a way of them to indirectly experience a sense of power.

This person is then not going to be physically attached to the candidate, but they will feel mentally and emotionally attached to them. As to whether or not this candidate has got anything else going for them can then be overlooked.

Another Factor

Someone like this could feel like a weak, unstable and dependent child, setting them up to see this candidate a parental figure. Unconsciously, then, this candidate will be seen as someone who is going to save them.

Due to what this person went through as a child, they might also feel comfortable with being controlled and told what to do. Consequently, if they were to come across a candidate who was level headed and encouraged personal responsibility, they might not be interested.

Conclusion

This is then no different to how someone, who was abused as a child, can feel comfortable being with people who are abusive. In addition to the effect that someone’s inner world can have on how they see a candidate, there is also going to be the effect that the education system has had on them.

If someone has the ability to think critically, for instance, it can make easier for them to see what a candidate is like. However, if the education system taught them what to think, not how to think, it is going to be even harder for them to make an informed decision.