I see the things you're seeing and have come to the opposite 'conclusion' you have been fighting. During the rise of trump's popularity I've been forced to reevaluate my understanding of intelligence. Friends and family i considered 'too smart' have fallen for these thought-terminators time and time again. Through my terrible, terrible memory I even recall brain-worms i have shed. Only through time and effort have i overcome them, and more remain. Instead of hating humanity for its credulity i use their failures as warning signs against my own foolishness. The ego is our primary weakness against intelligence and grace, and the narrative makers know that.
I think you're on to something, since the primary way so many marks are made (both in carnival cons and in political propaganda) is to convince the mark that they're too smart to be fooled. It's an ego trick.
I see the things you're seeing and have come to the opposite 'conclusion' you have been fighting. During the rise of trump's popularity I've been forced to reevaluate my understanding of intelligence. Friends and family i considered 'too smart' have fallen for these thought-terminators time and time again. Through my terrible, terrible memory I even recall brain-worms i have shed. Only through time and effort have i overcome them, and more remain. Instead of hating humanity for its credulity i use their failures as warning signs against my own foolishness. The ego is our primary weakness against intelligence and grace, and the narrative makers know that.
I think you're on to something, since the primary way so many marks are made (both in carnival cons and in political propaganda) is to convince the mark that they're too smart to be fooled. It's an ego trick.