The Wizard of Mar-a-Lago: The Social Psychology of Performed Political Strength
@jorgebscomm for @empowermedia The Wizard of Oz (1939) [Image: Flickr ] W hat makes a political leader look powerful? Is strength something a leader possesses, or something a society collectively agrees to see? In a recent interview with journalist Nicolle Wallace , historian and Professor Timothy Snyder offered a striking interpretation of Donald Trump's political persona: "He lives entirely by the strength that is conferred upon him by people who believe the story", Dr. Snyder told Wallace. "It's like the end of the Wizard of Oz . In a moment you realise — wait a minute, there actually isn't anything there". Taken psychologically, this argument is less about Trump's private personality than about a fundamental feature of social power: power is partly relational . A leader may ...
