22 January

Trump is clearly an imbecile. Electing him again would be a disaster on just about every measure. But it’s looking increasingly likely. How does this happen, in a democracy? Because democracy always was a fantasy. Humans want Kings. Anybody like Trump who offers them that model wins. Always, in history. Humans are driven by status, it’s the most fundamental human behaviour. Kings are the top of a cascading status hierarchy. If you don’t believe it, it’s likely because we just aren’t good at spotting status-driven behaviour. Like everybody buying Toyota Hiluxes or wankpanzers. All status-driven. Tell somebody you think their favourite singer or band sucks, and watch the status hierarchy explode into view. Right now the government is terrified of not offering ridiculous tax cuts to a tiny minority of already rich people. Why? Because they know people don’t hate the rich, they want to be them. Status.