THE COLLECTIVE SHORTCIRCUIT.
By FB - Alex Holmfjord - Norway-Human Synthesis-27 January 2026
This is a post for those who still think politics is about emotions. And for those who lose their temper just by seeing a name. Yes – we are talking about Donald J. Trump.The man who – in a purely cultural and psychological sense – has probably sent more Norwegians to psychologists than any other American president.
Not because he is dangerous. Not because he is unpredictable. But because far too many people have stopped thinking analytically and started reacting reflexively.
Trump says something. Anything. And the world clicks.
That in itself is the most interesting political phenomenon of our time. Because this has not happened before. Not in modern politics. Not to this extent. Trump is not just a politician. He is a stress test. A test of intelligence. Of media understanding. Of the ability to separate words from actions. And a great many fail.
Tariffs – when words actually had consequences. Take the word punitive tariffs.
Just by using it, Trump created more actual political movement than decades of EU declarations, summits and powerpoints. France called. The EU called. Negotiations began immediately. Exemptions and relief were put in place. World leaders – who are otherwise experts at “expressing deep concern” – suddenly had to work. So what did Norway do? Nothing. We didn’t call. We didn’t negotiate. The result? Norwegian aluminum became more expensive.
Here at home, it is clearly easier to hand out billions in aid and declare oneself morally superior than to defend one’s own industry, one’s own jobs and one’s own value creation. Voters applaud. Politicians smile. The bill is passed on. NATO – pressure that actually worked. Trump was ridiculed for pressuring NATO countries to pay what they themselves had committed to. He was called dangerous, divisive and “undiplomatic”. The final result today: More NATO countries are paying more. The 2 percent target is no longer symbolic politics. This started before the Ukraine war.
In other words: Trump got through with pressure what polite diplomacy couldn't do for 20 years. WEF-Davos – again, and right now. That's why he was at the World Economic Forum. Not only in the past. But also this year. Same scene. Same audience. Same reactions. Before he had barely finished speaking, the headlines were clear, the commentary in panic and social media in collective affect. Not because he declared war. Not because he put forward something extreme. But because he said things straight.
Without wrapping. Without diplomatic velvet. Without pretending.
The Middle East – when peace doesn't fit the narrative. Under Trump, the Abraham Accords were signed – historic normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries.
Real progress. Real dialogue. Real results. No UN show. No endless conferences. No self-congratulatory EU declarations.
Result? Little coverage. Even less applause.
When something actually works, it fits poorly into the narrative – and is best ignored. North Korea – style vs. result. Trump was called crazy for talking directly to Kim Jong-un. The media hyperventilated. The experts warned. Facts:Less escalation during the period. No war. No new US military operations there. people reacted to the style, not the outcome.
War and Peace .
Here is the contrast many hate to be reminded of:Under Barack Obama and Joe Biden, military operations were expanded, normalized and exported. Soldiers were sent into conflict zones. Wars were continued. Norway participated. Silently. Trump did not start any new wars.Yet he is portrayed as the incarnation of chaos. The media – reactions without action. Why? Because Trump reveals something unpleasant:How dependent politics and the public have become on narrative rather than reality.
He says something → the media interprets it in the worst possible way → people react → and often … nothing happens. Or the opposite of what was feared. And then comes the absurd. That's why we have our own current affairs program about him on Tv2: Trumps World. Not one program. Not a special. But three seasons. Think about it for a moment. If you hate a man so intensely – and yet sit through three seasons about him – then maybe Trump is not the problem.
Then it's completely understandable that people seek out a psychologist. But the reason has little to do with Trump. It's about intelligence. About the ability to think for yourself. And about a society that has become so emotionally fragile that a person with uncomfortable opinions is experienced as an existential threat. It's not Trump who is dangerous.
IT'S YOU !!!
Editors Comments
THREE MAJOR points I have personally experienced, is that BUSINESS, RELIGION and LAW-COURTS should NEVER be mixed with POLITICS to avoid total misunderstanding. They have different language an different targets and will cause total confusion for the inhabitants of the country they have been elected to handle to everyones satisfaction. Political negotiations if not ending with an agreement must be civilized enough to end up with a compromise instead of a war.
