Microstory 392: Approval

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Validation

Just because people are listening to what you have to say, and are even agreeing with you, doesn’t mean you’ve been approved. Lots of speakers have seen people nod their heads at their words, but it’s gone no further than that. Many have had great ideas, but these ideas are all but meaningless if they’re not capable of effecting real change. Of course, you only hear about the successful people, because few stay long enough to make a lasting impression. That’s the point. There are exceptions, however. Am I talking about Donald Trump again, you ask? Yes...yes I am. Trump has a lot of voters; a scary amount of them, actually, but he’s only gotten this far on the strength of his own image. People like when famous people try to become famous for something else. Why is this? What is the psychology behind this phenomenon? I don’t know, I don’t have a psychology degree, and that’s not what this blog is about. Trump has no clue what he’s doing. The news relatively recently reported on him asking experts multiple times essentially why the U.S. can’t just go ahead and bomb our enemies. Sounds like a reasonable request if you’re literally a supervillain. He’s not fit to lead our government, and most people recognize this, I really believe that. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean he’s going to go away. Because even those who have no intention of voting for him still validate his voice on the regular. Every time you read an article about his latest shenanigans, or every time you write one, you’re giving him the fuel he needs to persist. Hell, even these entries that I’m writing have the potential to keep him in the global conversation. He’s loud and he’s in your face and he just won’t quit, but very few people approve of him. We’re all paying attention to him, whether we like it or not. This is not a healthy practice, and we should be able to recognize it when it happens. Since most don’t know the difference between validation and approval, the truth behind what’s going on becomes distorted and misunderstood. Eventually, this could lead to actual approval, without us even realizing it. That’s how Hitler rose to power, and I don’t mean that jokingly. That’s really how it happened. Trump is campaigning exactly like Adolf Hitler.

Honor