Why do we get the wrong leaders? Brian Klaas at Science and Cocktails

Brian Klaas is Associate Professor of Global Politics at University College London and an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, US Politics, Western foreign policy, political violence, and elections. In the past, he has advised governments, US political campaigns, international politicians, the European Union, NATO, and more. Brian is the author of The Despot’s Accomplice, The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy, How to Rig an Election, the book Michela Wrong argues, “…should be read by every voter, civil society activist, opposition politician, election monitor, journalist, and diplomat.” His latest, CORRUPTIBLE: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, is a revelatory look at what power is, who gets it, and what happens when they do. He is also the creator and host of Power Corrupts, a podcast about the hidden - and often nefarious - forces that shape our world. Brian holds a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford and is a Fellow in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics. Recently, he has worked with individuals at the highest levels of government and public affairs in Thailand, Tunisia, Madagascar, Zambia, Belarus, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire. Brian is a regular commentator on an extensive lineup of international media outlets, including MSNBC, CNN, BBC News, NPR News, CNBC, and Radio France Internationale. Previously in his career, Brian worked in many US political campaigns - including operating as the Policy Director/Deputy Campaign Manager for Mark Dayton’s successful bid for Governor of Minnesota.
Does power corrupt, or are corruptible people drawn to power? What is the "Dark Triad," and are there more psychopaths in politics and business than the general population? Why do we keep being drawn to people who clearly are unfit for leadership? Should we worry more about bad systems of power, or bad leaders who wield it? How can we reform the system and ensure that good, decent people rule instead? Are tyrants the products of bad systems or are they just bad people? And why do we give power to awful people? In this talk, professor of global politics and contributing writer for The Atlantic, Brian Klaas, draws on his research interviewing over 500 of the world's top leaders - from the noblest to the dirtiest - including presidents, war criminals, cult leaders, terrorists, psychopaths, and dictators to reveal the most surprising workings of power: how children can predict who is going to win an election based just on the faces of politicians; why narcissists make more money; whether a thirst for power is a genetic condition; and how to fix the mess we're in, ruled so often by power-hungry megalomaniacs. From scans of psychopathic brains, to the effects of power on monkey drug use, Klaas will weave cutting-edge research with astonishing encounters (including a ski lesson with the former viceroy of Iraq, tea with a former UK prime minister, and breakfast with Madagascar's yogurt kingpin president). Klaas, the creator of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, will challenge your basic assumptions about power, from the board room to the war room, and provide a roadmap for getting better leaders at every level.
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[@thomridgeway1438]

"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts and the stupid ones are full of confidence." Charles Bukowski

[@franzitaduz]

Advertising, fashion professionals snd good editing on videos laced with too little interest in political matters.

[@seangomez2331]

I think Bukowski paraphrased Bertrand Russell. Whether or not he did it is the truth.

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

​@@seangomez2331Yeats "The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity." _The Second Coming_

[@ONETEE.HENDRIX]

@@Laotzu.Goldbug literally doesn’t make sense but ok

[@Laotzu.Goldbug]

@@ONETEE.HENDRIX that is a verbatim quote from the original poem by Yates that all the other paraphrases are based off. Bukowski and Bertrand Russell and anyone else were riffing the original.

[@francismcguire6884]

My father was a police man in a suburban village in the mid-west and from my earliest observations, it was obvious that there were two types of people in the police community: those who wanted to provide service to others and those who sought power over others.

[@albeit1]

What if the voters could vote on which policeman was the worst? “Win” that for 2 years in a row and you are fired.

[@jameseadsforth2185]

I think you've nailed it - and could go further - what you've said, applies to every job, not just police.

[@jay_tripp]

I know 2 people that became cops because they wanted to be of service to the community. The older one was in the late 70s. He saw that they were targeting people they didn't like. He saw that when people actually needed help, the police refused. They were only taking part in activities that caused problems for people. He realized there was no way he could help people like that and he quit in less than a year. The younger of the 2 became a cop in 2018 fresh out of the military. He was a cop for less than 3 weeks. He saw the reality of what they really do and who they really are, and he quit without anything lined up to even replace the income. He didn't want to be part of that. Not long after, he opened a private security business. Maybe in some rural areas you could possibly do some good, but in populated areas there is no such thing as a cop with a solid moral compass. Swearing an oath to protect and defend the constitution and then purposely and forcefully trampling on people's rights just isn't something that good people do. Helping people just isn't something that cops do. They serve and protect each other only.

[@PeteThecurious100]

@@albeit1 Keep thinking. Gang members get half a vote? ;)

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

Regardless the police will be forced to be the enforcers of corporate greed and the harvesting of the poor forcing them into slavery. The police are the most fascist organizations in the world. The war on drugs is legalized slavery and terrorism as well as highway robbery and used as a justification for kidnapping. You should be ashamed of your family. You're all on the wrong side of history.

[@davidabulafia7145]

The skill you need to get a job, is very different to the skill to do the job.

[@apersonlikeanyother6895]

And a different skill to keeping the job.

[@markdegroen6732]

Great comment! In the old days when your interviewer was your future boss, there was no possibility of bullshit..you would be found out pretty quickly. Today employment has been outsourced to Human Resources (what an ugly term), and these people are easily fooled with bullshit in CVs and interviews, because they don't have the skills of the future employer.

[@DavidWilliams-DSW558]

Great quote!

[@cdorman11]

The competitive differentiation during the primary, when the 10% most extreme of the electorate hold sway, is definitely different from the finding of common ground when legislating. When politicians are called out by name over national airwaves for not being extreme enough, the resulting inability to find common ground during legislation then needs a cover story: the _other_ side is too extreme. _They_ are doing nothing. _They_ are preventing progress. And then the throw-the-bums-out voters vote against the White House every midterm election, and every eight years that the WH has been held by the same party. It's a perverse misapplication of the mechanism of autophagy, or a Neitzschean faith that tearing it all down will lead to its growing back better. Somehow the risk of growing back the same or worse are not risks that they consider, nor that some efforts require more than two years. As McConnell realized, the GOP just had to hold up legislation for two years to get an uncritical press to repeat the narrative of an ineffective President and Congress enough to fool an electorate that doesn't have time to scratch the surface of these Machiavellian maneuvers.

[@RuthScott-jo5fi]

​@markdegroen6732 A friend asked Human Resources Manager when did they take the humanity out of HUMAN Resources. Most recruiters have no understanding of the necessary skills to do the job, they tick the box. Few are able to discern transferable skills.

[@ygolonacable]

“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.” ― Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse: Dune

[@mamatino3125]

All my 67 years - it has appeared that way… “Money” 🤑blinds🤑 the pertinent few - that turn their heads🫤

[@millennialfalcon1547]

That's problem 1. Problem 2 is that those of us "good" people aren't willing to really stand up and stop these power hungry, psychopaths. Problem 3 is we consistently choose evil people from our Political Party, instead of good people from the other Party or 3rd Parties. This is how they divide us.

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

​@@millennialfalcon1547another problem you seem to be oblivious to is the fact that your brainwashed enough to think that evil exists. Western pagan-based mass delusions are one of the biggest problems we have in our so-called modern civilized society. This is a societal cult of opinionism where you think filling in the blanks passes his thinking and really it's nothing more than accelerant within the Romanesque dumpster fire emulation.

[@johnnyguitar_34]

But do you not also find that these same people are the most fearful. I often wonder if they seek power to control what it is they fear????

[@mamatino3125]

THANK YOU AND A-MEN😩🙏🏼 “Mental Health” professionals - time to SAVE the World😉💫✨

[@Earth_to_Kensho...ComeInKensho]

We need more of these conversations. Our future depends on it.

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

I had many of these conversations in my early twenties and over 20 years later I look back and see that I spent all of my adult life studying the core problems and coming up with curative solutions as well as practical strategies to implement them and now no one will help me. Are you ready to put your money where your mouth is? Are you ready to help me to help you?

[@Earth_to_Kensho...ComeInKensho]

@@MetaphysicalAxiom I'd be interested in learning more

[@bonnarlunda]

I very much appreciated this talk. It puts lots of fingers on lots of important issues. Twenty years ago I studied political science, but was appalled by the lack of strife for making politics better. It was all a study of what is. The reason for this was encapsulated by one professor who said that for the last 50 years or so, politicians have not given resources to the study of politics. They have decided that politics is what politicians do, so no academic should get the idea that they might add to the topic. All we had to learn was how the system works, without any discussions about power and risks of politics. We now live in a nominally democratic system where the form of decision is democratic, but that's it. It's high time to reevaluate how we do politics, so thanks a huge bundle to the people making this info available.

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

Great comment. Just like the videos for recruiting the police shown as an example in this KZbin video, we need to apply that to all of education because education has become one giant brainwashing facility that stagnates our ability to evolve.

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

Colleges are some of the most corrupt institutions in America and of course the interest of the college is to produce a bunch of high-end industrial tools, not teach people to think for themselves and that's just more evidence that all of society is nothing more than a cult of opinionism and a Romanesque dumpster fire emulation.

[@bonnarlunda]

@@MetaphysicalAxiom I am in the process of making a homepage about reinventing democracy. Just now, I stumbled upon the insight that we are quite fooled by the definition of democracy: the rights to our opinions etc. The rights are static. There is no "right to question our leaders", "right to change my mind", "right to evolve and become a better individual" etc. I all boils down to Platonism, generally, from where all the dichotomy, dualism and dialectics are derived. I'm working on using 'three' as a basic division of politics as "The People" are lacking from most models of power. Power comes in at least three forms: power-to, power-with and power-over. Freedom are three things: freedom to, freedom from and freedom for. (I'll have to work on the grammar, English being my third language.)

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

@@bonnarlunda interesting project. Noble goal. I appreciate the structure as well. Also I want to thank you for learning English, I loathe language barriers yet I can't be bothered to learn other languages. (Ty translation software as well) The thing is that democracy is a failed experiment. The ideals of democracy is nothing but irrational idealism, perhaps it's ahead of its time. Without the complete reinvention of our education system with a focus on removal of logical fallacies, cognitive biases and fortifying scientific literacy as well as the application of the scientific method, the majority are going to worship their absurdly stupid opinions as a default modality and we will have nothing but a societal cult of opinionism no matter what type of government we try to apply. Opinion plus opinion equals opinions, not fact. Opinion is defined as an idea or belief not necessarily based on evidence and that's what makes "opinions" Not only total trash but very dangerous items produced by mentally lazy, logically flawed, cognitively biased ignorant simpletons that then quickly through appeal to popularity logical fallacy, bandwagoning and this need for social cohesion become mass delusion and eventually religious beliefs which of course usually if not always come with fanaticism. We need multiple paradigm shifts to pop off simultaneously and there needs to be very carefully designed and applied strategies to compensate for all of the changes.... This is where my life's work comes in. I've spent the past 20+ years of my life studying the core problems with our so-called civilized society and coming up with the curative solutions as well as actionable, practical implementations of strategy to manifest foundationally. Add me on Discord If you'd like to have some interesting conversations and we'll see where this goes: bobboss#3563

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

@@bonnarlunda I very much like that three forms of power and three forms of freedom descriptions... I will be thinking about this more.

[@dougsmith6793]

There are several sides to this. One of them is that being in power means making decisions that affect a lot of other people's lives. Higher-empathy people suffer a lot of internal dissonance when faced with the moral dilemmas that go with the "power" territory, so don't enjoy putting themselves in situations where they have to face that. Lower empathy people are "confident" they can handle these situations -- they aren't troubled by the trade-offs because they don't feel other people's pain.

[@cdorman11]

My brother argued himself out of a legal career for just this reason, but then decades later, with the same revulsion of that grey area in the law and no network of connections in the US, asked me how high I thought he could make it in the Federal gov't.

[@Earth_to_Kensho...ComeInKensho]

What point are you making? Because we need decisive leaders we have to settle for psychopaths?

[@bobzelley5100]

An effective elected official makes 100s of decisions a day. The HAL2000 job. The unpopular ones ( buying the freightliner fire truck instead of the Pearce) accumulate with the voters ... thus the need to always move up.

[@wesleydunn5106]

But in some cases that's a good trait. right ?

[@Earth_to_Kensho...ComeInKensho]

@@wesleydunn5106 For the record, psychopaths can't help not being capable of feeling emotions because they're physically incapable of feeling emotion due defects in the frontal area of their brain and their amygdala is malformed. fMRI's reveal this defect is all of them to varying degrees. They're not train wrecks, the average psychopath probably lives an average life not hurting anyone in any real way but they can't be allowed to have power over others because anyone has the potential of becoming corrupted by power they have over others could destroy lives without feeling any guilt about it. Psychopaths are great in pressure situations but we should never allow a psychopath to be in a position where they're decision could adversely hurt others. I had read some corporations actually screen middle management to identify psychopaths working for them and promote them because a psychopath would have no problem firing 10,000 people if profits were down. That'd do it in a heart beat and probably buzz their secretary immediately afterwards to make sure lunch reservations were set. This probably seems cool but that same executive would have no problem making the final decision not to warn the public their new product is actually poisoning them.

[@notgunnadoit7461]

I volunteered and was deployed to GTMO and was in a specific position for a mission and was the NCOIC. I followed the law and Army Regulations and UCMJ then once removed I happened to be the only Military Police Investigator and created the internal affairs investigation program for all of the detention facilities and ran it for a year. I have had some very unique experiences to say the least.

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

I'd love to have a conversation with you, perhaps make a documentary series as well.

[@NineInchTyrone]

Write a book. But I doubt you would be allowed to

[@notgunnadoit7461]

It's a weird feeling knowing after 20 years have passed and still I'm sketchy about what I should and shouldn't say. It's not a good feeling to say the least.

[@amorosogombe9650]

This is a very timely talk for our times.

[@yerbemate]

Yes, but just 10 to 20 to 50 years ago could have lessened the impact of the many psychopaths we have ruling the largest militaries in the world today. I know it's unrealistic to think someone like him and his findings would show up before we are in such dire straights, it's just that I do wish. 😢

[@leesterism]

Excellent. What you're doing is redefining leadership.

[@Lutz_H]

Yes. And I'd like to add, this talk is a very much needed act of active leadership.

[@maninthemirror9732]

Such BEAUTIFUL work you do Brian! Hopefully we'll live to see humanity utilize your research & opinions 😤

[@thatisme3thatisme38]

"Nobody who wants to rule should be allowed to". Douglas Adams

[@philostreet781]

Picking the leaders who think of power not as an end, but as a means to achieve something worthwhile ❤ BRILLIANT! 46:10

[@latinaalma1947]

Brains of psychopaths

[@georgeflitzer7160]

Beautiful!

[@dncbot]

Not very easily done. A good system cannot only have a good goal, but also needs to be doable in practice. The question he mentioned can be easily prepared for, and would be if a requirement. Also is very unrealistic that someone who has worked their way up politically in an organization would be selected or not based on such a question. That person has usually already positioned itself over time.

[@Ava-km7tl]

This is the best video ever!!! Deserves so many more views!!!! ❤❤❤

[@tylektsarran2076]

A better, more pertinent question would be: "Why do a free people need leaders, and who sold them the idea?"

[@itsfonk]

Fascinating, the “integrity testing” and “periodic oversight selection via random sampling” truly seem like sensible additions to existing systems of checks and balances throughout business and political administrations. I cannot presently envision any downsides, only potential improvements. Thank you for sharing!

[@scotthullinger4684]

Making any government much more complicated only makes it WORSE - Hence ... "Integrity testing", and all the associated bullshit, isn't worth the effort. Guess what we should do when we identify problems ... ? We should SOLVE those problems outright, rather than analyze them to death - That's ONLY what Democrats do: They analyze things do death, but in the meantime, they of course accomplish absolutely NOTHING whatsoever. Examine the evidence staring you in the face.

[@gmchan279]

Because generally people like to hear what their ears want to hear …… and politicians knows that 😞😞

[@lreking8929]

Not the ears -- the brain. We believe the lies about how things were so great in the past because our memories are those of children. I always say, I'd like to shop in the '50s but I wouldn't want to live there.

[@delavan9141]

In the same sense, half of KZbin content is simply garbage pandering to egos and what people already think and believe, or want to believe. It's why China and Russia have been so successful at forming the opinions of citizens of the West.

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

This is a societal cult of opinionism that we live in and the majority can't handle being shown that the wrong about everything they ever thought was reasonable so logic and intellectual honesty are can't amount to a criminal offense or you'll be branded a heretic effectively, heretic branding comes in the form of calling someone egotistical or narcissistic. You're not allowed to be smart. You're especially not allowed to be smarter than nearly everyone else and you can't talk about it so the outcome is that you have a bunch of fucking moronic lying pieces of shit in positions of power instead of listening to the smartest person in every room. Intelligent lives matter!

[@soraiya2065]

Excellent talk! Brian shared information that needs to be out there. Recommend you take the time to watch the whole thing!

[@PaulJacksonOttawa]

What a great talk! Outstanding work Sir. Thank you for sharing

[@mr.timjohnston546]

Man this is so eye opening.. Very well done sir..

[@jerryoliver7963]

I believe Arthur C Clarke said in one of his books way back, that anyone who puts themselves forward to be in power is inherently unsuitable to be in power by virtue of their desire to do so. (I paraphrase his actual words but the point is clear)

[@leothelion5035]

I think it depends a lot on the reason you want to rise to power. If what you want is making sure people are doing better, it is in itself the reason power exist in the first place: to rise our best to the top. Problem is to choose the best against the worse, and to find which one really wants the best

[@lreking8929]

"I don't want to belong to any club that will have me as a member." - Grouch Marx

[@stk293]

Right..!! And in the same book says that in the future USA, a computer was to choose people for government positions according to their recorded skills. Something like the "Klirotiria" of ancient Athens. Now I don't think humanity will live enough to see a future...

[@MetaphysicalAxiom]

All of these quotes serve people's insecurities and their hatred of anyone who has ambition or anyone who owns their intelligence. Just remember that there are anomalies. Just remember there are people that are smarter than anything you've ever seen and you don't know what they think nor what they would do but it's high time you give them a chance. Intelligent lives matter!

[@niranjanpaul2176]

Wow true

[@balajib785]

Great analysis to overcome from wrong leaders. ❤

[@kennethroe4321]

I absolutely love how informative, deep, and nuanced this lecture is. One of the best lectures I've seen in a great deal of time.

[@marketads1]

He is so brilliant, it’s scary, but hopeful at the same time. Because if politics can be seen as a science rather than a vague emotion, more of us would have an idea of how to make a confident decision.

[@atlasadonis3752]

This should have way more views. Come on KZbin algorithm.

[@joandodds7626]

Way to long for me to put on tic tok🤯

[@guillotineblade999]

Power invites those who wants to break the rules and get away with it. Power enables bad ideas. It does not change people. - as per your demonstration in the begining- those who do not have the motivation to bend/break the norms/rules (most people), are not inclined to take these positions (positions of power, does not solve what they crave intellectually/professionally and spirutally.)

[@soraiya2065]

He did say that people who are corrupt tend to for positions of power, as in the dice game test. Watch the whole video. Its absolutely fascinating. This guy knows his stuff. And we know he speaks the truth, because everything he says makes total sense.

[@Damesanglante]

Your last sentence is so wrong. Read it out loud. This is the kind of things people that elected sociopath says.

[@patrickcowan8701]

This talk should have millions of views. Do your part and share.

[@kathy259]

Great video. I have been thinking about this for a long time. The world is unfair, we have the wrong leaders. Make a screening of them before they get into power.

[@svendtang5432]

Leader is a very broad term😮

[@NineInchTyrone]

Elections you ID 10 T

[@yerbemate]

The parties actually pick candidates now not on if they know how to do the job or what they want to do, they pick them for the very reason this gentleman says we stupidly elect undesirables. They pick only for their ability to "appeal" to the voting public. The parties don't care if the person is good or bad, just whether they could get elected.

[@ellanola6284]

Leaders should be empathetic, strong, smart, wise. We are led by narcissists, sociopaths & psycopaths. You average person is ignorant. Money is worshipped & that is problem. Leading one's country should be seen as a great privilege & honour rather than an opportunity to get rich & do nothing for the people.

[@ddduhawk3111]

Consider Lincoln. Greatly understood power but was not run by it.

[@MelissaR784]

There's been private schools in the US, that for over 100 years, the wealthy have been sending their kids to, grooming them to work as civil servants. One these schools, Groton, motto is, "To serve is to rule." Can see where this arrogant attitude from some public servants comes from.

[@bobzelley5100]

How many elected positions have you held? Or you just a noble gas .

[@breadandcircuses321]

“power is not something that’s supposed to be a reward it’s supposed to be a price”

[@OzGoober]

great line

[@Lalallalu]

breadandcircuses321 - we collectively have to enforce that, because until we do so those at the top of the pyramid will continue to reward themselves without accountability.

[@jim6929]

“Power attracts the corruptible; absolute power attracts the absolutely corruptible” as an amendment to the original quote - was made by Frank Herbert in his Dune novels. I think maybe mainly in “god emperor of dune” (it’s a long time since I read these books)

[@singingway]

The book The Dawn Of Everything by David Graeber shows a variety of ways ancient people ensured a better way of keeping leaders humble.

[@GardenerGeorge]

I just started it ! Interesting this talk overlaps in your view .

[@singingway]

​​@@GardenerGeorge I think this applies also to money, not just to leadership and public service. The one percenters and wall street financial sector winners are people who love money, enjoy thinking about it, moving it around and accumulating it. The vision of Scrooge McDuck swimming in his piles of gold is not really far off. The rest of normal people just use money because they must. But it's well documented that middle income and low income people are many times more generous than the wealthy. They end up with lots of the stuff because they put more focus and effort on it.

[@pushpindersingh1819]

Now I understand how we Indians got Narendra Modi as our PM. He is the perfect specimen of a very intelligent and practical psychopath. He is just so good at it, Modi will rule India forever.

[@epic6434]

I thought you'd be more realistic but I don't get it

[@vishwas1868]

Allah will save. Maybe Have a 6th wife, only a complete can think of Congress

[@michaelrosen6814]

Bhaiya pushpinder be careful or you might get in trouble 😵‍💫

[@desiderata8811]

You’re so right.

[@yardman111100]

Shame about your crappy PM. Probably a WEF puppet as well. India deserves to be a great nation.

[@lucasmembrane4763]

Given the huge amount of psychological research done by the Russian security agencies, Putin almost certainly has as good an understanding of most of what Klass discusses in this video as Klaas has, and maybe a much better understanding of how people respond to extremely high stress situations.

[@vivianoosthuizen8990]

Those that are put forward to be voted for are already decided on by the rich families corporations and organisations like WEF etc. They are already meeting these peoples agendas hence democracy is smoke and mirrors.

[@bonsense7004]

Elections have indeed no sense at all, the preselection was held in Davos' school for young global leaders and young global shapers. Both shaped to serve corporations

[@patnor7354]

Rothschilds

[@rasterray]

In discussions, a topic that often comes up is how to create a 'New Government' model. My term for this is not meant to describe how to overthrow or to use any forceful method of change, but to develop a methodology on how to construct a framework that would repair or perhaps replace at least some of the current dysfunctional processes surrounding government selection and much of high level corporate politics. Professor Klass is sowing the seeds of fantastic ideas about identifying problems, and outlining methods and best practices for positive selection of candidates, and fine tuning the direction of those currently in power. Great work. Tough job ahead to integrate these ideas and practices as structural changes into the existing political debacles currently found everywhere around the world. But this is, indeed, a great start.

[@jeanlapoint8297]

Another issue is the money it takes to get into politics. Good people who are struggling financially (because of rampant income inequality) cannot afford the time to volunteer for school board, which by in most states is an unpaid position. Many people who, in another time, would be considered middle class, are working multiple jobs. This would historically be a typical entry point into politics. It takes years of unpaid work to get to a level where you can make politics your career. This also may explain why we (in the USA)have the oldest Congress in memory. No one can afford to get into politics anymore!! We need to get money out of our democracy! Lobbying is simply legalized bribery and dark money has been made legal by the Citizens United decision.

[@xbman1]

Correct. That why the in power politicians created a system that is next to impossible to be invented as independent. Therefore now you’re for to join one of the existing party. The results are keeping the real political competition away.

[@yerbemate]

Yes. We couldn't possibly change a system like the U.S.'s because of Citizens United and the fact that only wealthy people can afford to join. The system is designed to give jobs to the stupid unimaginative unsympathetic/empathetic class and that class has worked hard to keep this a plutocracy.

[@sharonhearne5014]

I volunteered to be the head of a neighborhood (original developers’ established legality) homeowners’ association - a role most homeowners there did not want to play - it was challenging but I instituted policies and programs - voted in as acceptable to the whole - which truly benefitted the entire group and also protected against neighborhood invasive challenges. Still, there was no acclaim for me as a leader even though there were multiple successes in the face of repeated challenges from the city and even from entitled rule breakers within the neighborhood itself. You have to believe in yourself but ego and dominance aren’t the best workable solutions.

[@kathiemihindukulasuriya1538]

Another issue that needs to be addressed in the US is treating the family members of politicians as fair game. I remember being very disappointed that Colin Powell would not consider running for president because he did not want his wife attacked. I also remember the horrific articles run by the New York times about John McCain wife - articles that had nothing to do with his fitness for office, but were a shot across the bow to candidates running against their preferred candidate. I'd your family is acceptable collateral damage, how can you recruit quality candidates?

[@AlbertSchram]

[29:24] The Dark Triad Model of psychological conditions in relation to seeking, obtaining and staying in power, is spot on although depressing. I am not sure if any changes can be made in "systems" so as to obtain better leaders. It seems to me that only a cultural change can improve matters, meaning a majority espousing values that do not allow the dark triad to prevail.

[@PatoM_]

Intresting lecture on a really important topic: How can we fix our system of power so it attracts the most competent people to top leadership? Unsolicited feedback, but I believe this would be more appealing if it was marketed on a positive light to open the debate rather than a negative (how can we elect good leaders instead of why do we elect bad ones - and the choice of a "evil guy" image is a bit odd - not all leaders are psychopaths). Other than that thank you Science & Cocktails for bringing this debate up, really appreciate the work being done and looking forward for the ones coming up! Also thanks for uploading as I couldnt get tickets on time myself.

[@ScienceCocktails]

Thank you for being interested and thanks for watching!

[@SandraMartinez-ko5qx]

Great idea! Test those in position(s) of power, public and private sector.

[@e.afobis3392]

Wow this is an excellent talk. You have touched areas we tend to totally neglect.

[@hippymoustacherides]

This was fantastic. Very eye opening.

[@charliem5254]

I like that word "Sortition" I'm going to make my kid that.

[@allandavies1642]

This should be seen and heard by all . Sad to see that less than 30,000 people have in a world of hundreds of millions !!

[@MarkkuS]

Some would say even billions! Of course those people are lunaticts, wgmhi has counted so high? I dare you to try.

[@justinlaporte9414]

Great watch! I would like to see the system change.

[@alldadsunited]

Oh im so happy you are asking these questions. I am juat too jaded to care enough to act on these questions that ive been asking for years because most folks just do not want to be bothered because we are all waiting for another to take the lead. Thank you

[@garyjohnson1466]

Those who desire wealth and power often will do everything they can to destroy or discredit those who would make good leaders, so, why do people believe those with the most wealth and will say things that are obviously mean and malicious yet are effective at gain power, it’s a popularity contest, anyways this was very good, but to run for any government position requires a lot of publicity and backing by someone with wealth and power, who only back those who don’t threaten them…sadly!

[@slickdarulah8229]

I agree 100. RFK JR. Has money, name, but if the 6 billionaires that own 95% of mainstream media and publications, he won't get the publicity and those attacks and lies about him are effective propaganda. Also censoring him is effective fascist or new "democracy" tactic, to save us from his words lol.

[@joshuagharis9017]

Basically capitalism : undemocratic Socialism: democratic

[@yecto1332]

This guy has public speaking appeal of a good leader

[@ScienceCocktails]

And he doesn’t want to go to politics.

[@imaddream6059]

@@ScienceCocktails😅😅

[@JB-kk4pv]

Public speaking is not the skill we want though, it's just the one that gets them elected.

[@jonathaneffemey944]

thanks for posting.

[@christineplaton3048]

Fascinating and much appreciated.

[@thomasnaas2813]

Most people don't make decisions based on research and critical thought. People make decisions, often important ones, based on 'feelings' or 'intuition.' Very little rational thought is involved in voting, if there were our government might actually function.

[@tomrigo2578]

“Show me the incentive, and I'll show you the outcome.” C. Munger Nothing will change, the incentive in politics is power, and in office or after leaving office, the reward is big bucks. The incentive system drives the (self)selection: power and money hungry people will end up at the top.

[@thecollegedean]

Oh my...the story of Shelia and the Bagwan was so real...I lived just up the road from Antelope, OR. It was such an incredible series of events.

[@Naldo411]

This may be the single best academic talk I have seen in a long time!

[@drumsofspace]

Brian Klaas for President! 2028

[@richwiedeman3128]

Didn't you pay attention? 3 parts he pointed out, noticing power, seeking power, retaining power. Power corrupts. He is inclined to notice power, and trained himself to see how power is maintained. Now you seek to deliver power to complete that dark triad in someone who has been studying power? This is why voting is evil.

[@soraiya2065]

Haha!

[@hompengkomthirath6084]

Great analysis and well presented. This subject definitely needs more attention and shared around the world.

[@yalidoletupua9530]

In Fiji 🇫🇯 there is a native saying.. translated into english would be.. " Power is neutral. Morality keeps it erect. Pride is what bends it"

[@germanarturo11]

This was brilliant!!! Along with the psychological test our technology should and MUST keep politicians honest, under control.

[@chrisogonas]

That was an amazing talk. Totally recommend to any citizen who wants to meaningfully participate in their civic duty 👏👏👏

[@timg2655]

Had a school counselor once tell me out of the blue I should be a police officer 🤷‍♂️ Got zero interest in that.

[@AngCJ-18444]

Many school counsellors in the past and even some now are not actually qualified to offer such advice. In the past they were typically religious people in schools who want to ' help'. Choose for yourself based on what themes of actions you enjoy/ when you are in flow and what lifestyle you desire.

[@Xsiondu]

Excellent!

[@youcangetholdofjules]

Genuinely brilliant

[@TheMaxKids]

We get the best leaders money can buy.

[@rameyzamora1018]

About 1 billion thumbs up Mr Klaas.

[@markbrzezinski8889]

Great summary! Thanks.

[@carolyn7691]

Brian Klaas for US President!!! How in the world can we get this guy in charge?

[@shelleytaylor9188]

This should have way more views and likes (@10k views 12.6.23). Hopefully it is being viewed by folks in positions to initiate/make these positive changes.

[@emariaenterprises]

This is a very old understanding. The wrong people always Want power. The Right people just want to live their lives and do their business. We have to do things outside of our comfort zones.

[@patnor7354]

If only there was a way to give power to a random sample of people instead. Say, by giving power to people randomly born into some families. Yes... Monarchy actually produces leaders with more integrity than our system which chooses for psychopaths...

[@francismcguire6884]

Insightful talk and interesting suggestions that are without flaws, but better than the current system. Ultimately, people need to do deeper research in who they put in powerful positions. Wouldn’t it be great if the media asked the questions that would show us a politician‘s integrity.

[@Ripprock1]

Thank You. This really helps me with my selection in an upcoming political race in my country.

[@farinshore8900]

But we don't get the wrong leaders, we get the leaders that we deserve. Until we are well informed and participating in government, we cannot know who is the best candidate.

[@marketads1]

Who deserves to be led by a despot?

[@kevinsysyn4487]

You keep voting for them. It's not rocket science

[@melburn4596]

Democracy is an illusion. Like a kids get to choose between either this or that.

[@nealluczkiewicz6846]

But WHO sets up the choices? The MONEY PEOPLE. Anyone vs. concentration of wealth and power will not be permitted to run. Bernie Sanders came close - the DNC upended him.

[@nyxiz4232]

Very informative talk. I'm disillusioned by the crop politicians and systems around the world, and you have elucidated a reason for it. Bangladeshi political system just allowed a 5th term to an unpopular candidate who happens to be the relative of the country's founder..From all indications she displays many of the negative attributes you mentioned and is the one after the power. The ones with the ability to be transformative are clearly afraid to come forward. Because this evil system abounds in many so-called democracies, I have started to seek out conversations like yours on what is a better replacement for what obtains today and how to keep nonleaders who are seekers of power and sociopaths in their place and not in offices belonging to real leaders.

[@boblossie3192]

This is spectacular!

[@urkiddingme6254]

I would say he makes good points, but probably just because those are my beliefs. I think our Congress is made up of extremes - saints and sinners. The sinners are there to get power and money; the saints are there to help people even though they could make more money elsewhere for less work. I suppose there are a few inbetweeners also :)

[@davidsuzukiispolpot]

The problem with randomly selected group of citizens is the ease with which such random selections could be gamed so this is the best way for psychopaths to steal power.

[@richwiedeman3128]

This is false. We have jury duty randomly selected specifically to avoid the bias and corruption inherent to popular selection methods. It's not until Voir Dire that the random selections are gamed by psychp... err, lawyers.

[@gJonii]

Random selection kinda by definition makes it impossible to game it or to steal power.

[@davidsuzukiispolpot]

@@gJonii You make a show of it being random, but it is actually "random". Even a young child grasps the concept almost immediately when doing a raffle for example and choosing slips of paper from a barrel. Even today many lotteries etc.. are faked.

[@gJonii]

@@davidsuzukiispolpot It becomes overwhelmingly obvious if you get chosen two or three times within small timeframe, even if we assume no one catches your cheating, which is also quite wild.

[@davidsuzukiispolpot]

@@gJonii Please don't assume that the front-man selected is the person making the decisions in power. I don't think anyone assumes that Turdeau or Biden actually makes decisions or has thoughts. They are the front facing person of the power. It doesn't matter if the same person is chosen a few times or that no selected person is chosen more than once, it just matters that it is not truly random. It is the same as if you cheat on a the selection I gave as an example previously; if you are the computer programmer, you don't select yourself to win the lottery every time but you select from within a group and share the winnings.

[@anafernandes225]

A very interesting presentation. "Snakes in suits" = politicians 😁

[@MacCosmic]

Thank you for this as it highlights there are still GOOD people in the world. Now it's time to start to make changes in systems highlighted in this video. Brian can only do so much.

[@Puzekat2]

It is so sad that the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action. Whether you liked it or not, it was a system regulator because of the bias that’s built in. We elect our leaders by their face it’s true.

[@mikemakuh5319]

"We get the leaders WE deserve".

[@pallieterhutschemakers8730]

We don’t need leaders!!! We are sovereign, we all are. The government should work for us, under us. We are the boss and the government must obey! Not the other way around!!!

[@GardenerGeorge]

Such an urgently needed discussion .! I really think this subject is one of those central to the prospects of what the 21st Century will bring . Here in the US our political system has a good basic structure but it is corrupted by money . Change will have to be forced on the people in power by citizens that demand better . The ideas in this lecture along with campaign finance laws and term limits to keep elected officials responsive to their constituencies rather than financiers is critical if we are going to alter the course of this Freight train seemingly headed downhill with no brakes !

[@eastafrika728]

Democracy, capitalism and politics are not about leadership, they are about entitlement, anxiety and grandiosity of socially isolated boys.

[@tylerdurdin8069]

Lots of judgement there with that statement and a fair amount of sexist rhetoric. Not saying that you are wrong, not going to say you are right either. You can't get anywhere clinging to human fallacies without them bending the direction you go to another dystopian nightmare. I think this guy has it right because he began with a clear and open mind. Food for thought.

[@davidabulafia7145]

And women.

[@eastafrika728]

@@davidabulafia7145 yes

[@X1Y0Z0]

Agreed!

[@theobserver9131]

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a police man, because at that time they were still portrayed as the nice guys who would help old ladies cross the street etc. Then I got older, and I started learning a bit more about reality, and that I would have to enforce some laws that I thought were wrong.... And that was before I learned about the systemic racism and misogyny. So no, I don't want to be a cop in todays United States.

[@louisesumrell6331]

"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Powerful men are bad men. " -First Baron Acton

[@X1Y0Z0]

Thanks 4 an entertaining, informative,useful presentation

[@davidabulafia7145]

Is Biden an example of an incorruptible person?

[@richwiedeman3128]

Yes! It's similar to how vinegar won't go bad... He's been fermenting since the 90s, what more can he do to taint the office?

[@soraiya2065]

​@richwiedeman3128 Lol

[@GailColeman]

There are no incorruptible people.

[@GailColeman]

But Trump is the poster child for the corrupt politician.

[@currawong2011]

You diminish the veracity of your speech by 1) denigrating or suggesting Russia and China are countries with less ethical or moral standards than those in the west which are little better than corrupt democracies. 2) The big man thesis is contradicted by the fact that Australia has had a series of quite small prime ministers, and 3) Even to to suggest (in jest or not) that Putin, a PhD in economics and a leader who, after the disembowelment of his country by the west, just might be a psychopath, is quite offensive and wrong. .

[@mtbikerboy]

Totally agree, I like the speeches and have been aware for some time of our psychological biases and failings which only a tiny number of people are aware of. People have little idea how dangerous psychopaths are and how easily they manipulate us. We as a species are unfortunately susceptible to being impressed by charismatic, confident people, we are apathetic, easily manipulated and brainwashed so we continue to allow these predators to rule us. But as you state I have noticed in the three or four videos of his that I have seen so far there are many images of Putin, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong Un, Chinese leaders etc and I can only assume that he is not very politically literate. To illustrate - one of his talking points was people’s satisfaction with their leaders. Two studies done by Harvard University in the US found that the Chinese rated their satisfaction with how the country was run at around 90%. Try finding that in any western country, especially the US and UK which are also the two biggest warmongers. What a coincidence! In fact if the USA was a person it would make Hannibal Lecter look like a boy scout.

[@bonsense7004]

Indeed, he talks "politically correct for the leftist agenda" with bashing Trump and Poetin. Of course, he needs his posts on unis that are financed by Obama Clinton and Bush adepts. But from those 3 many mean things could be told

[@Damesanglante]

He also use statistics saying white people are more enclined to positions of power... In white majority countries. Plain racism.

[@Damesanglante]

These are not leftists. They are liberals, a right wing ideology. You might want to lower the right wing koolaid. Remember right wing people worship power, hierarchy, elitism and don't care about the poor and sick. They ARE the sociopaths.

[@michalwalenciak2478]

Voice of reason from this presenter. Very good ideas 😊 More checks on politicians, CEO's and man in power. Very nice 😊😊😊

[@OzGoober]

Great presentaion.

[@Zh87119]

Power given to all forms of leadership, should be run transparently. No decisions from leaders without full disclosure... but that does not happen anywhere...

[@jackdeniston59]

So NZ police are different, But What is the effect on crime?

[@hippymoustacherides]

Look it up, get back to us.

[@Hitoritaka]

Thanks for your thoughts. Once I started thinking, it's always been clear we hold our leaders to an impossible level of perfection that only lets the best fakers through. I want somebody that's made mistakes AND LEARNED from them. Hell, I've been in the military, I've seen the insides of highly profitable non-profits, I've seen family and friends trying to balance their jobs as police against their care for people. And luckily, I too had a mother that provided me a wonderful example serving others through volunteer efforts in our communities. I have to agree, with my experiences, there's a definite line drawn between the cases where power was the burden and cost versus when it was the goal(whether for noble or ignoble "ends").

[@rakshamohan]

It takes evolution, critical thinking, and refinement in human thinking to find and groom people to be the leaders appropriate to the times in which we live. PROUT.

[@athenakoios]

That should be watched at school, compulsory.

[@jensen5668]

Great Documentary

[@microxphere]

Absolutely outstanding view points and insights into the avenues of correction - well delivered and inspirational Brian - you're the kind of person I'd love to hang out with...

[@johnsherriff4929]

So is change possible? Given that only certain people are in a position to make the decisions needed to bring about change and these people are either power driven themselves or susceptible to the charms of the psychopathic leader how do we solve this wicked problem?

[@b43xoit]

The people have to organize among themselves to invert the power structure.