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Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

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Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#171

Post by dragonwriter »

tormeh wrote: post #99
mlevental wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is a crock. it was a crock when it was written and it's still a crock now. the idea that someone can for 8 years in the spotlight disguise themselves so much so that appear wholly opposite is ludicrous. it takes months for professional actors to produce 90 minutes of performance - the guy was on camera for literally weeks. he's not "smarter than you" this kind of revisionist nonsense is politically motivated - p…

Do you think you could become president of the US if you just wanted to? Probably not. Trump is smart. I would be in literal, not figurative, disbelief if any president in the history of modern US weren't. The competition for that position is very sharp and only the best make it. There are many problems with Trump, but IQ isn't one of them. Hitler wasn't dumb either. Being a good demagogue is hard. The strategy and s…

> Do you think you could become president of the US if you just wanted to? Probably not. Trump is smart.

I think you mean rich—from below market returns on inherited wealth—and well-connected (as a result of the former) and a celebrity (largely also a result of the first item, combined with America’s idolization of wealth, both recently and more particularly in the 1980s when he established his celebrity status.)

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#172

Post by Nokinside »

emmelaich wrote: post #134
Nokinside wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GWB was certainly not a dummy or an idiot if we mean cognitive ability like IQ. Becoming even mediocre pilot for F-102 Delta Dagger requires quick learning ability. GWB started as a young, affluent and connected person who didn't have to exhort himself intellectually and he continued that way. Him being dummy was him being ignorant and never developing required skills.

Well, John Kerry had a privileged upbringing and always gives out a 'smart' vibe. But he did worse academically than Bush.

Yale for the privileged was a way to connect and have a good time.

Both of them continued studying. Kerry received J.D, passed bar exam and worked as a prosecutor. GWB received MBA from HBS.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#173

Post by tormeh »

Hasz wrote: post #145
tormeh wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think you could become president of the US if you just wanted to? Probably not. Trump is smart. I would be in literal, not figurative, disbelief if any president in the history of modern US weren't. The competition for that position is very sharp and only the best make it. There are many problems with Trump, but IQ isn't one of them. Hitler wasn't dumb either. Being a good demagogue is hard. The strategy and s…

Some of Trump's advisers are not to be underestimated. Their brilliance is in using Trump -- who has off the charts emotional intelligence -- as a president. They frame the issues, he taunts and captivates the press. I would point to the incredible power struggle in the white house as a product of the undue behind-the-scenes influence.

Good point. I suspect Trump doesn't care about most issues, so GOP and administration gets free reign on those. I suspect that's part of why he hasn't been impeached and part of the benefits package of working for the administration.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#174

Post by LanceH »

WalterBright wrote: post #16

There could be something else at work here. My father told me that con men preferred to go after smart people, like doctors. The reason is that smart people thought they were too smart to get conned, and hence were more gullible. He was also an economist, and told me that there wasn't an economist born who could stand the idea that the economy would run better (i.e. free market) without their "help". And I've noticed…

Con men would like you to think they prey on the smartest. Of course, the big cons are the most exciting/newsworthy. But most of them are grinding it out on the uneducated or elderly.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#175

Post by maigret »

coldtea wrote: post #77
guelo wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In healthy democracies politicians seek advice from economists for their policy proposals.

Or, usually, just seek the "expert" support from economists for validating policies that promote their and their backers interests...

So then, there must be a visible, provable correlation between economist activities and inequality.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#176

Post by glockenspielen »

Raphmedia wrote: post #143
Zak wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to ask... Why did sailors try to drive through the closed base gate and test 440V circuits with their fingers?

I don't know. Why do we push files to production on a Friday evening? Why do we snipe hot-fixes into production via FTP? Because we are all crazy & lazy bums, I would guess.

Good use of metaphor.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#177

Post by mywittyname »

threatofrain wrote: post #97
mywittyname wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think charisma is best used to signal a lack of intelligence. Someone else posted a link to a op-ed about GWB, but Trump follows a similar approach. Lots of people question his intelligence and decision-making ability, yet, every one of us hear or talk about him several times a day. He also has a political sleight-of-hand that I don't think has ever been matched. Every time a key policy decision is being debated, t…

I think charisma isn't a signal for intellectual weakness, but it does suggest that the person isn't speaking intellectually to you. Most people aren't at a place to understand policy implications, so charisma is a better proxy.

Minor nit-pick, I didn't say it was a signal of intellectual weakness (clearly it's the opposite), but instead that it is best used to "trick" the person you're speaking to into thinking you're at their level.

Obama spoke like a college professor because he knew his audience would respect that kind of person.

Trump speaks like a "straight talker" because he knows his audience respects that kind of person.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#178

Post by Balgair »

killjoywashere wrote: post #87

Personal anecdote, but I wonder if my experience as a junior officer in the Navy helped with this. The last comments in the piece are that intelligent leaders should 1) seek creative metaphors and 2) speak charismatically. Coming to the fleet from a bachelor's in physics, I knew I was reasonably intelligent, but also that there were some people much smarter than me (at least my battered ego assured me of that). So, w…

BTW love the username : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#179

Post by IIAOPSW »

tormeh wrote: post #99
mlevental wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is a crock. it was a crock when it was written and it's still a crock now. the idea that someone can for 8 years in the spotlight disguise themselves so much so that appear wholly opposite is ludicrous. it takes months for professional actors to produce 90 minutes of performance - the guy was on camera for literally weeks. he's not "smarter than you" this kind of revisionist nonsense is politically motivated - p…

Do you think you could become president of the US if you just wanted to? Probably not. Trump is smart. I would be in literal, not figurative, disbelief if any president in the history of modern US weren't. The competition for that position is very sharp and only the best make it. There are many problems with Trump, but IQ isn't one of them. Hitler wasn't dumb either. Being a good demagogue is hard. The strategy and s…

>Do you think you could become president of the US if you just wanted to? Probably not. Trump is smart.

I think you're attributing to intelligence what can easily be explained by money. Give me a few billion and a decade to turn my name into a brand then it will be a fair comparison.

Re: Why People Dislike Really Smart Leaders

#180

Post by wolfgke »

Buldak wrote: post #138
goatlover wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Question is why do we need a leader we relate to? We're not living in tribes any longer. The president of a country isn't likely to sit down and have a beer with us.

People feel that leaders they can relate to are more likely to take their interests seriously.

> People feel that leaders they can relate to are more likely to take their interests seriously.

The statement that if one can relate to a leader, he will take ones interests more seriously is a strong assumption that I cannot believe in.

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