What can explain Kamala Harris’ rise from a 28% approval rating — the lowest of any vice president in American history — to her sudden ascension to the lead, essentially overnight? To understand this phenomenon, Bill goes back to Charles Mackay’s Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds and shows how ‘Mass Formation Delusions’ are shocking, mystifying… and temporary.
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These videos are great and very welcome!
BILL WHITTLE: You worked a miracle! I finally came out of the worst state of despair regarding the upcoming election. I stopped watching any political news since my worst nightmare of Harris actually becoming the presidential nominee. Nothing I read or heard gave me even a sliver of hope. Hear we go again. They are cunning like no other politicians ever. Then Bill Whittle wrote, what I consider your best take ever, and a miracle happened! I do not feel the sense of hopelessness that I was in since the shock of the announcement. I truly feel “at peace.” The… Read more »
The Mass Formation Delusion can be overcome, as shown by this excellent episode, but the question still remains as to just how are we going to “Beat the Cheat” that beat us in 2020???
Mass formation delusion: the transgender craze.
So happy to see this episode. It’s the right message at the right time. I’ve been so distressed regarding ‘the Emperor has No Clothes’ that I wondered WTF! Now I know a little bit more and see a way through. Thanks.
I get the philosophy of continuing to hammer truth to the 40%, but I have a hard time identifying them. People that I thought were conservatives, just hate the Republican nominee. I am not having the impact I hoped for…
Whenever I see how adept the Democrats are at writing speeches even if they’re lying and how quick, proficient and bald faced they are at accusing the right of exactly what they’re doing, I’m reminded of the scene in the the Manchurian candidate in which Angela Landsbury (playing Hillary even though Hillary was only 16) explains that the speech her husband is to give over the body of the slain candidate has been worked on for years in this country and China and designed to sweep them into power. I don’t think Democrats are that smart, I think they’re being… Read more »
“Mass Formation Psychosis” is just another term in a long list of terms like “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”
Very informative, as always. One key aspect is that people decide what they will believe. This is generally based either on their hope that “it” is true, or their fear that “it” is true (it being the belief in question). As a conservative Christian, I know better than to make decisions based on fear. It is always plausible to call the validity of the polls into question. They rarely, if ever, represent reality. When they go so far outside of reality as what we have just seen, I have to call it out. A guiding principle to help people see… Read more »
Because this has helped put me in a fun mood this morning, I will share the below.
Warning – Sort of a Dad Joke coming. Click to embiggen!
I have no comment…
An example of Klingon sense of humor?