LISA SALAZAR — BLOG

I found a fascinating TED Talk by Mitchell Prinstein on how popularity and likability impact our lives. His research reveals that the most well-liked people aren’t necessarily the loudest, most dominant figures in the room. Instead, genuine popularity—the kind that sticks with us beyond high school—is built on reciprocity.  The truly well-liked people, like others, extend kindness and create connections. But then there’s another kind of popularity: perceived popularity—based on dominance, status, and intimidation rather than genuine affection. If you’re looking for the ultimate case study, just glance at Donald Trump. Trump has the Illusion of being popular. He loves to talk about his crowd sizes, poll numbers, and TV ratings. He’s obsessed with how many people “love” him. But here’s the thing—Trump isn’t liked in the way that Prinstein’s research describes. He isn’t beloved because he’s warm, kind, or generous. Instead, he thrives on a different appeal: power, fear, and tribal loy...

What’s so sickly wrong with the USA? Oh, where to start? Here’s a country that will gleefully eviscerate celebrities over a single tweet, a bad outfit, or a scandal, rendering their life’s work radioactive. They’ll cancel them so fast it’d make your head spin, declaring their movies, books, or businesses unworthy of public consumption because of “moral outrage.” But when it comes to electing a president? Suddenly, moral outrage takes a holiday. This is the same nation that proudly handed the nuclear codes to a man with the emotional maturity of a Twitter troll, who openly flaunted his narcissism, misogyny, and shady dealings like they were badges of honour. A man who’s been convicted of felonies, proven guilty of sexual misconduct, and brags about his corruption? Sure, let’s give him the keys to the country! Why not? And when this man lost the election in 2020, he couldn’t simply accept defeat with even a shred of dignity. No, he instigated an insurrection, rallied a mob to storm the C...