The Power of Simplicity

I realize that much of what Trump’s supporters find appealing about him is how simple he makes everything seem. Illegal immigrants? Build a wall. Someone’s built a bomb? Bomb them first. Coal industry is waning? Dig more. Foreign nations selling cheap stuff? Raise tariffs. Drug epidemic? Just tell kids not to use them. World heating up? No it’s not. His analysis and proposed action is always the one that’s the simplest and most tractable, cutting away any nuance or sophistication. This is important because it allows people to believe there’s a simple solution, that the world is understandable and controllable. Difficult decisions don’t arise from complexity, clashing priorities and values, and shifts in economy, technology, and geopolitics. It’s because weak people didn’t do the obvious thing. Now the strong daddy is here, and he’s going to do the right thing. It’s easy to see the appeal. The world is uncertain and from many perspectives terrifying. Who doesn’t on some level want to believe that all this complexity is mistaken and now they can rest at ease knowing how simple it all really is?