Clarissa's Blog

I think Obama just said that the biggest threat that we have on the planet today is climate change, and a lot of people are saying, did he really say that? We have people chopping off heads and he’s talking about climate change. I call it weather. I call it weather. You know, the weather changes.

This is coming from Donald Trump, of course. And it’s a profoundly dumb statement. But can’t you see why it’s seductive? A complex, confusing, scary reality is reduced to the simplicity of the eminently comprehensible slogan “The weather changes!” People like Trump because he makes the world sound less confusing.

And come to think of it, isn’t this why Bernie Sanders is so attractive? The complex, scary reality is reduced to the extraordinarily simple trope of evil Wall Street banksters who don’t let good people have good things. Trying to understand the workings of the economy will defeat most of us, but reduce the economy to the cowboy movie struggle between good and evil and people will support you out of sheer gratitude for making their world more comprehensible.