TL;DR - cognitive dissonance is a design flaw of the human mind, learn how to use it to build leverage in order to get what you want.

Of all the things that amuse me this election cycle, perhaps the most amusing is Donald Trump, and how Dilbert creator Scott Adams is the only one who truly understands what's at play. Look at some of the things Trump accomplished, and look at how he accomplished them. He got away with insulting Megan Kelly, now ask yourself how he did that? Why have none of the criticisms of him (of which there are many) stuck?

Trump understood that one of his biggest edges in this whole thing was cognitive dissonance. Elites have a high opinion of themselves, and they think they can veto anyone they don't like. They think the people will listen to them, and not to someone else. Meanwhile, many voters truly do not believe that electing Donald Trump is something that can happen in their country (that's something that happens other places, like Germany). Therefore, they underestimate Trump, until its too late, and the electoral die is cast. Popularity and leverage also go hand-in-hand, there's a reason why elections are, rightly, "popularity contests", because votes are a sign of popularity and popularity leads to influence and influence creates leverage. There's a reason why Chad gets any girl he wants: Chad is popular, which creates social proof, which creates leverage. Leverage also goes hand-in-hand with frame: Chad knows he has options, so losing any single option doesn't bother him.

Most men in this world aren't Chad. Most men, sadly, won't see the truth if you hit them over the head with it in the most obvious way possible. I was reading an article on Salon (which I won't link to here) and in the comments, I found this gem (I quote it here fully, because its something that needs to be read):

by user walkingmountain Liberal intellectuals may think they are tearing into Trump, but they are only making him stronger. Trump supporters like him because the Left and the educated conservative establishment hates him. Many people vote Republican because they hate Democrats, not the candidates, but the know it all, smarty pants people who look down on the uneducated working class white guy of rural America. Instead of preaching to the choir, progressives need to engage with Red America that shows an understanding of their world experience. It can work, because I live there, and I do it all the time as an official of my very Red county's Democratic Party. I work for my county as a voice speaking to Democratic leaders in the legislature and getting things done on their behalf. Show you care about the needs of the rural community and you can earn their respect if not their votes. A few changed minds here and there can make a difference eventually.

This guy actually gets it. I was shocked to see this posted on the comments section of a rag like Salon. All the Bullshit narratives of "how to stop Trump" or "what is wrong with people who back trump?" and etc. all miss the fundamental question. This guy, who works in outreach for the democrats in a deep red state gets it: there is a disconnect between people in deep red America and the elites and the educated on the coast. In order to understand why people back Trump, you have to understand his supporters, which nobody has a desire to do, beyond caricature and stereotype. The media would rather call Trump supporters every name in the book than to admit that those supporters actually have real, valid concerns. The media is perfectly willing to admit that millennial white hipsters, who back Bernie Sanders, have legitimate concerns because they are concerns that the media/SJWs/Feminists approve of. The media is suffering from full blow cognitive dissonance, and the tell for that is that they're actively insulting Trump supporters. The more you insult these people, the less they're going to listen to you, and the more they're going to listen to Trump. The media's cognitive dissonance is giving Trump all the endorsements he could ever need. Trump got away with insulting Megan Kelly because even the people who watch fox news don't really like her.

One of my co-workers is an immigrant from Iraq, and he lived through the Iran-Iraq war and the US invasion (he's from Baghdad, and came to the US some time ago). When I spoke with him, I realized how much the difference between what people in the US believed about Iraq, and what people living in Iraq believed about Iraq, played into the Bush administration making the case for war. My co-worker told me about Saddam: "yes, it was horrible, and yes he was tyrant, but for normal people, in the day to day, there was a simple solution: keep your head down. Saddam only persecuted people who were a threat, and who spoke up out of turn. As long as you didn't stick your neck out, and criticize the regime, they left you alone. Now, after the US invasion, the country is a mess. Things were better under Saddam, at least he kept control of the nation and provided order. You knew what happened if you went against the establishment, the rules were consistent." There is what the elites believe about Trump supporters, and there is what people who know Trump supporters believe about Trump supporters. This disconnect is why no one trusts the media: the media only gives one of the two explanations, in every single case (Iraq, Trump, campus rape, the list is unending). Once the media does this on something you know something about, there's no more trust, and you see the media for what it is: entertainment that is not to be taken seriously. That's why the media's approval rating is less than 20%, which is why Trump can grow his support by bashing the media.

Understanding how this all ties together can help you a great deal in your own life. The personal is political, and techniques for the macro can help you with the micro. My co-worker, who I quoted above, is an awesome guy, and everyone who works with him thinks so. He's very good at building bridges with people. He has very little training, and he's going to community college to learn things right now, while he works full-time. His dedication and his attitude have been noticed by everyone. He will make it, because a lot of people like him (popularity -> influence -> leverage) and people won't allow him to fail. I won't allow him to fail. He makes friends very fast, and having friends means he'll have opportunities.

Showing dedication, being the kind of person other people want to be around, can help your career. Meeting other people and building bridges can be more important than what you know or can do. People will always gamble on promotions for those who have a great attitude. Human beings are social animals, we're all hard-wired to like positive traits. The silicon valley, where I work, is full of companies that will lavish resources on people who display the right attitude.

Part of attitude is to be like Donald Trump: understand motivations and don't get taken advantage of. People admire strength more than they admire being right or wrong. If you want something, push for it as often as you can and as assertively as you can. The rise of Trump can be directly attributed to a whole cross-section of America being blind to what a large chunk of our fellow citizens think and feel. Those thoughts and feelings are important, and no one else is listening to them.

Lessons learned:

1) people will follow someone who is strong and shows certainty more easily than they will follow someone who is actually right.

2) There is a gap between what people on the ground, in a given situation, are actually experiencing and what outsiders think they are experiencing. In that gap lies opportunity.

3) No one will ever ask an expert, because everyone thinks they have the answers. If the media/political elites were really serious about taking down Trump, they would diffuse the source of his power and they would invest time and resources into building bridges to address the concerns of average Americans in red states. That's a lot of work, and demonization of those people pays the same.