Why Trump’s messaging is becoming more extreme, a mathematician explains
Indeed, mathematical models show that the probability of a candidate positioned at the end of the spectrum winning an election can, at least theoretically, reach 100%, if the messages are nothing but extreme. The same does not apply to a candidate positioned in the middle.
Dorje C. Brody
@corlin It reminds me of a piece I read years ago offering a psychologist's perspective on why obvious scams are still effective.
They are intended to be extreme to get the reasonably sceptical people out of the way early.
When this strategy hits a certain level of public momentum, the grift takes on a life of its own.
It is considered shameful to fall for a scam, so instead people lean into it, and perpetuate the scam on others to justify their own co-opted beliefs and values.