HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle

Dilbert Creator Scott Adams on Donald Trump's "Linguistic Kill Shots"

Views: 1051
Donald Trump has a way with words—and with people. Yet despite his popularity, he has been a mystery to the media, which have mostly derided his campaign as consisting of nothing more than random insults and ignorant bluster.

Scott Adams, prolific author, blogger, and creator of the massively popular comic strip Dilbert, has a different theory. He tells Reason TV's Zach Weissmueller that the media are being trolled by a skilled manipulator, or in Adams's parlance, a Master Wizard. So exquisite does Adams believe Trump's skills to be that he predicts The Donald will go on to win the presidency.

"What I see in Trump," says Adams, is "someone who was highly trained. A lot of the things that the media were reporting as sort of random insults and bluster and just Trump being Trump, looked to me like a lot of deep technique that I recognized from the fields of hypnosis and persuasion."

One such technique is what Adams describes as a "linguistic kill shot," in which Trump uses an engineered set of words that changes or ends an argument decisively. According to Adams, when Trump describes Jeb Bush as low energy, Carly Fiorina as robotic, or Ben Carson as nice, he's imprinting a label you already feel about these people. They're not random insults, but linguistic kill shots that you can never get out of your mind.

Similarly, where the media see random insults, Adams sees Trump creating a significant polling gap between those who attack him and those who compliment him, resulting in chilled aggression from his opponents. Trump, says Adams, uses "anchors," which are big, visual thoughts that drown out any other argument. Think, for example, of the billionaire's florid descriptions of a Mexican border wall.

Adams also describes Trump's use of "linguistic Judo," vagueness, and a carefully developed persona to defend himself against attack and promote the image he desires. "You see apple pie and flags and eagles coming out of his ass when he talks," says Adams.

About 8 minutes.

Produced by Justin Monticello. Shot by Alex Manning and Zach Weissmueller. Music by Arnaud Condé, Doug Maxwell, and Kevin MacLeod.

Go to https://reason.com/reasontv/2015/10/06/donald-trump-is-a-master-wizard for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive notifications when new material goes live.

For a longer, wide-ranging discussion in which Adams talks about the power of free markets, "failing toward success," and what to expect in Dilbert, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWJ6rMOtQw.
@ReasonVidsfollow
Thumbnail for Dilbert's Scott Adams on Politics, Philosophy, Hypnosis, and "Failing Towards Success"14:03
Dilbert's Scott Adams on Politics, Philosophy, Hypnosis, and "Failing Towards Success"
ReasonVids
885 views
Thumbnail for Blame Biden for High Gas Prices3:53
Blame Biden for High Gas Prices
ReasonVids
949 views
Thumbnail for This is what happens in America when you mildly criticize israel0:30
This is what happens in America when you mildly criticize israel
bestofupgoat
402 views
Thumbnail for Stossel: No Filming on Farms5:34
Stossel: No Filming on Farms
ReasonVids
888 views
Thumbnail for A tale of two dogs0:58
A tale of two dogs
bestofvoatxyz
494 views
Thumbnail for How Coronavirus Is Kickstarting the 21st Century4:49
How Coronavirus Is Kickstarting the 21st Century
ReasonVids
808 views
Thumbnail for Power of the jaguar0:15
Power of the jaguar
bestofupgoat
185 views
Thumbnail for Stossel: The Science Around Male Brains vs. Female Brains6:18
Stossel: The Science Around Male Brains vs. Female Brains
ReasonVids
1202 views
Thumbnail for Sex, Lies, Jazz: Feb. Reason Preview w Matt Welch and Kennedy3:02
Sex, Lies, Jazz: Feb. Reason Preview w Matt Welch and Kennedy
ReasonVids
959 views
Thumbnail for What Mexican Wrestling Tells Us About the Immigration Debate4:03
What Mexican Wrestling Tells Us About the Immigration Debate
ReasonVids
730 views
Thumbnail for I wish it was irreversible0:23
I wish it was irreversible
bestofvoatxyz
782 views
Thumbnail for Media Manipulation and Unconventional Marketing: Author Ryan Holiday on "Trust Me I'm Lying"7:52
Media Manipulation and Unconventional Marketing: Author Ryan Holiday on "Trust Me I'm Lying"
ReasonVids
806 views
Thumbnail for Couple rescued abandoned dog0:24
Couple rescued abandoned dog
bestofvoatxyz
508 views
Thumbnail for Anaheim Reacts  to Police Shootings2:44
Anaheim Reacts to Police Shootings
ReasonVids
819 views
Thumbnail for Simon Cowell Sings on Stage?! Metaphysic Will Leave You Speechless | AGT 2022 | America's Got Talent5:56
Simon Cowell Sings on Stage?! Metaphysic Will Leave You Speechless | AGT 2022 | America's Got Talent
agt.topic
701 views
Thumbnail for baltimore negroes beat small white child, city says its not a hate crime1:46
baltimore negroes beat small white child, city says its not a hate crime
bestofupgoat
90 views
Thumbnail for Rock Legend Frank Zappa Battles Censorship, Communism, and Conformity in a New Documentary5:42
Rock Legend Frank Zappa Battles Censorship, Communism, and Conformity in a New Documentary
ReasonVids
937 views
Thumbnail for Philly Tour Guides Return to Federal Court1:35
Philly Tour Guides Return to Federal Court
IJvids
899 views
Thumbnail for Has Obama Lived Up to His Soaring Campaign Speeches? We Asked His Former Chief Speechwriter18:47
Has Obama Lived Up to His Soaring Campaign Speeches? We Asked His Former Chief Speechwriter
ReasonVids
947 views
Thumbnail for A qanon supporter, in their most eloquent and rational form0:20
A qanon supporter, in their most eloquent and rational form
murdochmurdoch
1364 views
Thumbnail for Donald Trump Literally (& Hypocritically) Promises to Save Christmas0:53
Donald Trump Literally (& Hypocritically) Promises to Save Christmas
ReasonVids
1047 views
Thumbnail for The Reawakening of the Black Gun-Rights Movement9:21
The Reawakening of the Black Gun-Rights Movement
ReasonVids
893 views
Thumbnail for Remy: Happy (Pharrell Williams Tax Day Parody)2:09
Remy: Happy (Pharrell Williams Tax Day Parody)
ReasonVids
857 views

points

Permalink
Reply
dilbert (comic strip), scott adams (author), donald trump (organization leader)
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle