It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences -- makes them, as the poets tell us, "charm the crowd's ears more finely." Educated men lay down broad general principles; uneducated men argue from common knowledge and draw obvious conclusions. -Aristotle Make your audience feel smart, and they will think you are smart. Make them feel dumb and they will hate you... Makes you wonder if our system of government is doomed to be run by fools.
I was thinking about this the other day, apparently Aristotle already beasted it out for me. But yes, I feel often people hate the government, or rather the president (or rather, Obama) because, well, he's just smarter than they are.