One of the most beautiful sounds is the laughter and giggling of babies. There is something, possibly to do with evolution, in their uncontrollable joy that affects us profoundly. Even the hardest curmudgeon tends to be disarmed by a laughing infant.
Fifty years ago an American psychologist named James Watson performed a study on laughing babies.
He split a group of babies into two groups. The first group was put into cots, face up . He hung some translucent animals just above the babies’ heads. The babies couldn’t make out the animals clearly.
But if these babies moved their heads to their right, they activated a sensor that would trigger the animals to light up brightly. The animals would dance for a few seconds and then stop.
When the babies turned their heads by accident and triggered the dancing animals, they shrieked and cooed with laughter. At the beginning they didn’t realise that they were making the animal light up, but very quickly they learned that they were controlling the animals by moving their heads.
Once they learned that they were in control, they did it again and again and again, giggling with excitement each time.
It became impossible to stop them. The babies watched the animals, giggled, let the light go off, waited a second in the dark and then moved to set off the animals again. And again and again.
Watson placed another group of babies in identical cribs. However, these were “free rider” babies. They also had toys above them, but they had no control over when the lights came on. But when the “controller” babies turned over and forced the lights to go on, both sets of babies saw the brightly lit, dancing animals.
Dancing animals
Initially both sets of babies giggled uncontrollably at the sight of dancing animals – but over time, the babies who didn’t control the toy animals got bored.
In contrast, the babies who controlled the animals continued moving their heads to the right, triggering the animals to light up. They did this again and again and again, screeching and giggling all the time.
They were in control, giving orders.
Watson concluded that the reason for the divergent reactions from the two sets of babies is control. It is not the bright dancing animal that brings joy to the babies; having control over the animals is the source of delight.
When you take that control away from humans, we become agitated, uneasy and unsure of ourselves.
In economics, these basic psychological observations are absolutely crucial to understanding how the economy, society and indeed politics work, yet far too often they are ignored.
I’m writing this to you from America but not just any America. I’m in an “all-you-can-eat” hotel in the bizarre planet that is Disney World, Orlando.
Disney World isn’t just any America. This is the place that blue-collar America comes on holiday. An “all-in” week here is part of the American dream. The people who make the pilgrimage are the people who voted for Donal Trump.
Are these the Deplorables?
Despite that fact that they’ve saved and scrimped maybe for years to come here on a “once in a lifetime” family holiday, they stand with Trump.
Despite the fact that they live on the other side of the tracks from the billionaires who surround Trump, they are his people. Despite the fact that the tax-cutting budget unveiled by Trump last month will outrageously favour the billionaire class and penalise the “Disney World” class, they support him and his divisive “the outrageously rich, get richer quicker” policies.
Daily reality
How can we make sense of this? Let’s go back to this issue of control: who has it and who doesn’t?
We love to be in control, but in truth we rarely are. The average worker’s daily reality is the opposite.
Typically he is taking orders from someone else, and is not only not in control, but under the thumb.
He is sick of taking orders and wants to be the guy who gives the orders. He wants to be the guy who has enough money or status to walk away. He wants to be like the Trump they saw on TV who said, “You’re fired”.
The average guy votes for the guy who looks like the boss because deep down that’s who he wants to be, not for the money alone, but for the sense of personal sovereignty.
Someone once observed that Donald Trump is what poor people think rich people look like. It is a cruel but brilliant observation.
It’s also about control and giving orders. Political pollsters or political analysts don’t seem to have twigged this essential human control trait.
The working man doesn’t despise the rich guy who has made it on his own. That guy has earned the right to give orders. He despises the hyper-educated professional who has made it because of conferred credentials. He respects the person who has made it on their own, and he hates the smug know-it-all who tells him what to think or how to think, whose status is conferred by a degree or a title.
What he despises most of all is that he has no real control, but they appear to have control without having risked anything. The enemy of the working man isn’t Donald Trump but the professional, quasi-clerical aristocracy, who look down their noses at him for holidaying in Disney World, while they hang out in a similar la la-lands like Martha’s Vineyard – Disney World for people with degrees.
Different species
In his book, they haven’t earned it, yet they make the rules. This is why he hates the elite but not the rich, and in his mind they are very different species.
Over the years, blue-collar Americans have lost not just status but that one strength that we all crave, control. At some stage they used to give orders, maybe in the community, in the club, at home; now they take orders. So they vote for the guy who gives orders because that’s the freedom they want.
This is why, irrespective of what the professional class says, Trump remains their man. The more Vanity Fair hates him, the more Disney World loves him.
The key to understanding this is deep within human nature, and it’s evident from birth. It’s about who gives orders and who is in control.
Do you have any data to back this up? 538 did stories on this after the election and their analysis showed that education levels were a factor more than income. Good paying union jobs – they still exist even in the US – don’t have people scrimping and saving to get to Disney World, but they did vote for Trump. And while you can find some economic influences, the driving forces were race and gender. There are economic stories to discuss about all of that that are not this article. What is the lifetime economic impact of a US citizen… Read more »
It’s been a while since I made a comment here, but David, you rang the bell with this one! Maybe I should say got the animals all lit up! You are absolutely spot-on about Trump supporters versus the elite. Perhaps I’ll return to this when I’ve figured out how your analysis applies to our situation in Ireland, where the difference has always been between those who know they can stay, and those who know they might have to emigrate.
Wrong biases, analysis, & conclusion. However, David’s article does make worthwhile point about how important sufficient real control for each citizen is if a society is to be considered long-term tenable. Back to why Trump was voted in by his electorate ; Trump was voted in because he was representing “some” of the major policies of the statesman who would have been declared President during the last 3 elections were the election process not as corrupt when the elite rig it so with their Main-Stream Media [ MSM ] & their false opposition in alternative media & the electoral roll… Read more »
Blue – Collar (America) Britain has lost control This article can be read in different ways for different people giving different stories. Its narrative is interesting because it dominates a primal social energy that has a human birth,: a baby, and projects an evolved one over time. The origin of humankind comes to mind: the working man homo sapiens. A baby wants to take control so early that might be called: ’entrepreneurship’. We are taught on ‘The Isles’ that there are only two social mindsets on this planet namely Confucius and Plato. The arrival of Trump has herald that there… Read more »
Greetings from Hopkinton, M.a., US of A. I’m here on a short break. I haven’t been in the US for ~ 10 years, but I’ve spent over 1 year here cumatively waiting tables on summer breaks from my college days. I have never seen America so angry & so hostile as now. People in the US have become rude & abrupt. Yes many still have that endearing American optimism, but a far higher proportion are just faking it, compared to the America I remember. An immigration policeman gave me a bloody rude interview after I stepped off the plane- welcome… Read more »
Trump won by trading places with Obama. THAT is what NYTimes top numbers man, Nate Cohn explained after the election. Obama won the key (blue collar) battle ground states of Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin so handily that, said Cohn: if Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee had been “severed” off and floated into the Great Lakes, presumably-progressive black guy would have beta Wall Street Romney in those states anyway. Now comes Wall Street Hillary against (extreme) blue collar actor The Donald. Very-genuinely progressive Bernie would have trounced The Donald. * * * * * * Couple of generations back America had 35%… Read more »
Or they voted for Trump because of the alternative: Hillary.
Anyway, what interests me is the Post-Trump election and President, this has the ingredients for an epoch in American history, for either good or bad, either way for a neutral it will be truly fascinating ala George Carlin.
“” Despite the fact that the tax-cutting budget unveiled by Trump last month will outrageously favour the billionaire class and penalise the “Disney World” class, they support him and his divisive “the outrageously rich, get richer quicker” policies”” And so the rich get a tax break. So, the super rich companies get a tax break and the bottom 50% get a tax break too. as for the proportions, it is self evident that if you do not have a job there is no tax payable and therefore it is not a possibility to get a tax rebate or lower rates.… Read more »
I voted for Trump, in the most honest way possible with my wallet rather than at the ballot box. It was my only way of voting for him as I’m not a US Citizen. President Trump delivered a decent four figure tax free sum at 9/2 my local bookies from the unsmiling manager. I don’t frequent bookmakers as I’m not a gambler. I was certain he’d win when the odds widened from 7/2 in the closing 48 hours. My confidence was based on a couple of cultural certainties I know about Americans from a period living in the US. They… Read more »
Actually, the article is not alone stating a WRONG basis of why the majority of the electorate voted Trump, it is PATRONISING AGAINST that electorate. The USA electorate descended from 1 generation or more of working emigrants have increased to almost the critical mass number sufficiently aware that the system is Financialism [ NOT Capitalism ]-Communism whereby the higher caste are the Dreadful Few & as George Carlin says “It’s a big club ; And, u are not in it.” that they can feasibly tear it down. The Financialism-Communism system is based on Private Central Banking, & its related scam… Read more »
My impression of the US election was all about the economy. It was all about the abandonment of the flyover belt to the coastal elites largely inhabited by democratic socialists and the media giants of the lying conniving MSM, Fox news excepted. I have met many US citizens who appeared to be doing alright but in reality could not make ends meet without borrowing evermore money. David refuses to look at the inherent problems of the current fiat money system. It is debt based and interest laden. The so called recovery of the last 10 years is a mirage. A… Read more »
Ref.
Henry Makow
@HenryMakow
TWEET ;
Trump signals his complicity in mass shooting frauds.
We always knew he was a Zionist & a Mason.
https://twitter.com/HenryMakow/status/966067840070639616
HOW VERY IRONIC FOR ABOVE ARTICLE !
8-)
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/02/19/brains-brexit-group-break-ranks-pro-eu-academic-establishment/
VERY HIGH EMPLOYMENT … FOR SOME IN USA OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS
Here is proof ;
Blue !
And, now collared !
But, China has lost control.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/20/china-wages-war-funeral-strippers/
As mentioned above, interest rates are on the rise. Even the short term rates controlled(or not) by the Fed.
Just a 50 basis point move will add to the interest payments by as much as 50% more. Tick, tick, tick………..
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-20/u-s-sells-bills-at-highest-yields-since-2008-amid-supply-deluge
“This year through Friday, the 10-year yield has risen 22 times as it surged from 2.41 to 2.94 percent “
The iPhone maker will begin issuing stock grants to most employees worldwide in the coming months, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The move comes on the same day Apple said it would bring back most of its cash from overseas and spend $30 billion in the U.S. over the next five years, funding an additional technical support campus, data centers and 20,000 new employees.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-17/apple-is-said-to-give-employees-2-500-bonuses-after-new-tax-law
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch has promised that the tax bill will give sweeping rate cuts to individuals at every income level, with the majority of benefits going to middle class families. Under their plan, a family earning a median income of $73,000 would get a tax cut of nearly $1,500, according to Hatch.
https://www.npr.org/2017/11/20/565297639/how-republicans-can-shoehorn-temporary-tax-cuts-in-for-good
The personal tax cuts are for 8 years and not permanent. Apparently it enabled the bill to pass with a simple majority rather than a larger one. It is hoped to make them permanent in the near future.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/30/republicans-explain-why-their-tax-cuts-are-temporary-but-not-really-temporary/?utm_term=.b704d6cf8094
i still cant get over how a nation of 300 million odd ended up with leading Presidential candidates as appalling as Trump and the Wicked Witch.
The US is bolloxed as the debt trap closes. The FED raises rates and reduces it balance sheet and the economy fails on the high interest rates. The FED does nothing or resumes QE then foreigners buying bonds will demand higher interest rates. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. The decline has long commenced. Quote Hemmingway” I was broke for a long time and then suddenly I was bankrupt! That time is nigh! The Fed’s Catch 22 – It’s been estimated that the Treasury will need to sell $1.4 trillion new bonds this year to cover the spending… Read more »
Interesting article David. I like the study case used. However it left me with an identity crisis. What am I, where do I fit in. Am I “blue collar”, “elitist”, “rich” or what. I’m a mixture was the best answer I could come up with. I have been, a labourer, a student, a supermarket shelf stacker, a production supervisor, a degree professional, a husband, a father and at the moment a retiree. The above could describe a lot of us. Trumps is more complicated than being a “blue collar” rep. But he is a different control option. The article is… Read more »
Philosophical Quedtion
Is it control “blue collars” want/need or a god or demi-god.
Facination in how the other half lives is another part of it.
The proliferation of pseudo celebrities and the associated ‘reality’ shows.
For pseudo you may subsitute ‘never heard of them’ if it makes more sense for you.
Big Brother (The Celebrity) has a lot to answer for.
The other Big Brother( The Controlling One) – straight out of Pandora’s box of tricks.
whistle while you work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcNkanA53Fc
POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN: Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv7IH291KBo
Does Ireland need a dose of Alf Garnett?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3p8U6Bt6io
The thoughts of Chairman Alf:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L73qck9aMC0
Vulture Loving FG and Irish Economists put Failed Bankers in control of banking solutions for mostly mis sold high debt ratio mortgages.
The code of conduct on mortgage arrears was supposed to provide long term sustainable solutions for high ratio debt.
Solution was,
Industry best practice full term split mortgage restructures for customers to manage the mortgage that never met their needs or objectives.
What happened when you put failed bankers IN CONTROL of solutions for high debt mortgages ?
Disneyland for bankers.
Scrapping of consumer rights.
Bogus voluntary sales.
Stonewall full term solutions
Force customers off trackers
Yes, control is a lot of it. What is happening here as well is that the state minutely controls more and more of our lives. It frees the citizen from his traditional responsibilities and duties (in particular to family) and confers autonomy, but on the condition that the state’s power is unchallenged. Desmond Fennell describes this autonomy as (if I recall) ‘super power’. The problem is essentially the worse than useless media who are just as bad as they are here (if that is possible – seriously). Educated people believe their nonsense. Those who don’t get further educated appear to… Read more »
On Sunday Richard Curran told us that PTSB restructured mortgages were in trouble again.
How come? How would sustainable long term mortgage restructures keep failing?
He also tells us that failed bankers would like to escape their past.
Lovely.
Sell unrestructured mortgages and write off losses.
Ignore the needs if consumers.
https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://amp.independent.ie/business/irish/richard-curran-ptsbs-4bn-loan-sale-is-a-hard-but-necessary-pill-to-swallow-36614597.html&ved=2ahUKEwil7LSGrbfZAhXmLsAKHXJnAy8QFjABegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw1MJSKqdc6u5ODIg1MDZ4s8&cf=1
Where to begin? As a blue-collar citizen of the USA and Trump supporter I am really disappointed in this article. Why does it seem as though everyone from Ireland who has ever visited Disneyland or Disneyworld think that in any way possible that those theme-parks are representative of the USA in general? Get with it McWilliams, you are better than this! Until you can honestly say that you have spent time with the people who struggle to work, live and find ways to enjoy life in the flyover areas of the USA (the rust belt, appalachia and all the forgotten… Read more »
The only couple I know who bring their kids every year to Euro Disney, – are devoted fans of the EU imperial racket – he flew to Washington for Obama’s inauguration – diehard liberals on all matters. My Disney couple HATE Trump, Hate Brexit, love Merkel ( I really don’t know why ), read the “EUrish” Times, and worship Obama (who directed regime change in at least four countries, so far Trump has not do so with any). Well, that experience indicates that the article is rubbish. But I suppose if David gets paid for that, then it is an… Read more »
Vulture Lovers FG and Irish economists tell us that it is essential for the health of Irish banks to sell discounted Irish citizen debt to vultures. Why? Nama told us that failed Irish professional class bankers overvalued debt by 900%. It makes a complete mockery of an Irish bankers degree or title. Under FG failed Irish bankers have been agressively writing back provisions on bad debt that were critical for stabilsing Non Performing Loans (NPL’s). Long term sustainable mortgage restructures were stonewalled. Demands to bolster profits, reserves and capital cannot be allowed to destabilise the progress on debt resolution,” Sharon… Read more »
Tick….tick……tick… Debts loom ever larger One very big problem is a dramatic loss in buying power of the U.S. dollar, but it’s not just the dollar. According to Smith, “All these currencies, there is nothing backing the currencies except the government’s force. That’s the yen, the euro, the dollar and the Chinese yuan. They are all going to have a catastrophic drop against real assets because they are all based on too much leverage, too much debt, too much money being pumped into the financial system that ends up in unproductive speculation. You can’t grow your debt at six times… Read more »
Building the Bond Bomb. Governments are expertly guiding the central bankers. Deficit financing involves funding by selling bonds. Who wants to buy when other countries are selling. Lower demand means higher interest rates.
Interest rates that reverberate throughout the economy. tick…..tick…..tick……….
https://www.wealthdaily.com/articles/uh-oh-theyre-selling-treasuries/9120
Colm Mc Carthy told us recently that he couldnt understand why some of the ECB 80bn /mth QE funds which were at negative interest rates were not forced on banks.
Ireland need at a minimumthe 20bn 20yr ESM fund at 0% to prevent the domestic economy destruction plus agony for 100,000 Irish citizen mortgage holders.
Practical QE.
This would allow citizens with high ratio debt 20 yrs to choose their own time to crystallise a loss if any.
Class Actions against Irish Banks may be on the cards for the tracker mortgage scandal and the now transparent NPL write backs scandal.
The days of abusing and isolating individual bank customers are over.
HEADING ;
Russian Meddling?” FDR’s Soviet Spies Sodomized the USA
February 20, 2018
https://www.henrymakow.com/2018/02/Soviets-Sodomized-the-US-from-FDR-White-House.html
Meanwhile at Disneyland for Adults, IKEA, the theme has adopted a new persona ;
https://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/ikea-hires-bea-akerlund-create-blatant-monarch-mind-control-ad-campaign/
http://investmentresearchdynamics.com/category/financial-markets/ February 21, 2018 Financial Markets, Housing Market, Market Manipulation, U.S. Economyexisting home sales, home prices, Housing bubble, market crash, mortgage rates “A colleague of mine pointed out that Trump has not been tweeting his flatulence about the economy recently. This thankful hiatus is after he just passed a tax cuts and a spending budget that is supposed to be stimulative. As it turns out, the economy is hitting the headwinds of marginally higher interest rates and a consumer that is bulging from the eyeballs with debt. Windfall tax rebates to large corporations will not fix this nor will rampant… Read more »
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com Money manager Michael Pento says recently rising interest rates are signaling big trouble for the economy. Pento contends, “There are so many things that can go wrong with rising interest rates. First of all, you have to understand that the permabulls that you hear on CNBC will tell you there is nothing wrong with rising interest rates. It is a symbol of growth. If you look at industrial production and retail sales for January, they were negative. So, rising rates are occurring, not because of growth, they are caused by insolvency concerns. That is the key… Read more »
Is Trump for : w Financialism ? ; Yes = Bad w Capitalism ? ; Yes = Good w Start-up Capitalism ? ; Yes = Good ; But, not suitable for every person w Corporates ? ; Yes = Possible to be Good / Possible to be Bad w Share-holding Investment Bolloxology ; i.e. Non-Directorship Shareholding ? ; Yes = Bad w Employees of Corporates who exploit them ? ; Yes = of course Good w Frankfurt Schoolology Bolloxology ? ; Yes = Bad wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I suggest that the following phrase redacted by ur humble servant, Truthist, is more accurate… Read more »
@ Grzegorz, Apropos of 1 of the type of reasons that increasing numbers of decent cerebral self-educating electors voted Trump as replacement candidate to previous candidate Mr. Ron Paul as President ; Orwellian State incursion into Privacy of Citizens’ Writings, Notes, Communications, etc. EXCERPT Tim Healy February 21 2018 REDACTMENT BY TRUTHIST ; A report by a former Chief Justice John Murray published last years published last year states that Ireland’s data retention legislation [ the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 ] : 1_ amounts to mass surveillance of the entire population of the state 2_ is contrary to… Read more »
Per capita it does not cost much if you blink while reading. US royal family first lady upkeep? Queen Bee This is absolutely ludicrous! She and Obama took us literally to the bank. And these Democrats who walk around and complain what our gov. spends, need to be sent this! However, I bet if Michelle ran for office (God forbid), these snow flakes would vote for her. I don’t know what their problems are, but we cannot afford wasting money like this. And they think building theWall would cost more than this, well see for yourself that we could built… Read more »
Kill-ary — the Pedophile — Clinton, & Bernie — the evicting Landlord — Sanders, each, or both together, were they to get into office this time around, they were all primed to remove the guns from the lower caste populace of USA ;
Especially from “Whitey” !
Publicly, Trump promised never to do so.
But, is rendering of the goyim to be defenseless vis-a-vis genocide by the Communists, as happened in USSR [ some 70 / Seventy million genocided ], now happening by stealth in USA ?
https://twitter.com/SallyMayweather/status/966167859381657600/photo/1
Blue-Collar Irish State has increasingly lost Control because of the likes of Me-hole — “Cast Iron Guarantee from Sarkozy Re; Corp. Tax Rate if we vote Yes to Lisbon — Martin. Here now is some more effluent returning to Me-hole’s doorstep ; The would-be Taoiseach for Fianna Fail-again wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/brian-hayes-econ-recommendations-on-ccctb-would-destroy-irish-corporate-tax-revenue-829216.html wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww HEADING ; Paedophile’s victims say abuse was known of for years Tuesday, February 20, 2018 By Caroline O’Doherty Senior Reporter THE ARTICLE ; Victims of paedophile basketball coach Bill Kenneally say they have evidence that gardaí suspected him of abusing children at least eight years earlier than has been… Read more »
Interesting report on significant sinister World Summit just concluded ;
EXCERPT ;
For decades, top globalists, including multiple U.S. presidents from both parties, have been openly and loudly demanding what they call a “new world order.”
Former President George H.W. Bush — Papa Bush [ Clarification by Truthist ] defined it as one in which the United Nations would use its military forces to implement the “vision of the UN’s founders.”
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/asia/item/28339-creepy-world-government-summit-targets-america-freedom
Metropolitan Hillbilly – yeah leave the failed poet where he is, he’s never done anything of note in his life so why change the habit of a lifetime?
mike flannelly – dream on.
Adam Byrne TDs call for class actions in tracker mortgage scandal https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/tds-call-for-class-actions-in-tracker-mortgage-scandal-1.3358099%3fmode=amp State ‘may allow class action lawsuits’ over tracker scandal https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/state-may-allow-class-action-lawsuits-over-tracker-scandal-1.3272906%3fmode=amp There are some great discussions of late about the current crop of failed bankers abuses. Tv3 had John(not Jetro) the x dept of finance guy who told us he called the vultures into Ireland on the Tonight show two nights ago. He was a great guest and believes he was right. The problem is that what was right for failed banks/bankers was not right for bank consumers stuck with debt ratios that did not meet their needs or… Read more »