Could a long-dead German philosopher resembling Karl Marx with a proper haircut, hold the keys to the 2016 US presidential election race? Yes, if the sharply-contrasting campaigning styles of rival candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump reveal deeper truths about the way modern societies are led, and the way we pick those who will wield [ more » ]
The Bolt said it all. For one billion people to recognize that a simple gesture of the arms now belongs indelibly to a single human being, is proof of triple-triple Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt’s extraordinary power to mobilize our hearts. The 2016 Olympic Games may have just ended, but this and other visual signatures [ more » ]
Thanks to the undoubted persuasion power and oratorial skills of certain politicians, some commentators have laid the blame on charisma for what might be called a battle of “Demagogues Vs. Democrats” that’s now unfolding across some western liberal democracies. In fact, we seem to be entering a new Golden Age of Narcissism, built around the [ more » ]
As a study in how 17.4 million people can be persuaded to “go with their gut” in deciding on matters of national importance without any empirical data to support their choice, Britain’s Brexit vote is a dazzling example of how the democratic process can be subverted by opinion-forming power plays. The UK vote to leave [ more » ]
Great Britain is totally involved in the largest public policy debate for three decades: the June 23rd decision on whether to remain as part of the Europan Union, or to leave it. Politicians on both sides have worked hard to persuade voters of the merits of their case. But in the end the decision for [ more » ]
British comedian John Cleese could be scripting the debate now driving Britain’s forthcoming EU Referendum vote on 23rd June. And Cleese – who made his fortune not with the two series of six shows each of Fawlty Towers, but by making hard-headed corporate training videos on good communications – might use the whole sorry Brexit [ more » ]