David R. Henderson, Manipulator of Crowds
David posted the below video of his talk at Middle Tennessee State University, on how economists helped end the draft. I haven’t watched this particular talk, but I’ve seen/read David on this topic before, and it’s really good stuff to help all of us think that maybe we can make a difference.
However, the real lesson here is what David does after his song. In his post, David says, “If you want to see me sing, go to the 30:20 point.” So naturally, that’s the first thing I did. What’s great is, look at how David just owns this crowd.
Three points:
(1) He gets them to ask him to sing.
(2) He busts the kid for being asleep, thereby putting the whole room on notice that he’s watching.
(3) He does a slight little head bob at the end, letting them know, “Now’s the time when you all clap for me.”
This blog post isn’t a joke or something; I am being dead serious. This is the kind of stuff you have to watch if you want to improve your Econ Celebrity game.
Wow, Bob! I’m busted! I do do these things very consciously. Glad you noticed.
Oh, and by the way, it occurred to me a little later that I might have been out of line in announcing to about 150 people that the one student had been sleeping, and so I did apologize to him afterward. He said that there was no problem.
You did it in a nice way. That’s also why I called attention to it. You made it sound like, “All right, I finally did something to warrant your attention.”
Thanks, Bob. I’m glad you saw that. The student did, too, which probably explains why he wasn’t upset.
David R. Henderson is an excellent lecturer. I only planned on listening for a little while, but I watched the whole darned thing. So warm. So charming. So engaging. So Canadian.
When you wonder where your free time went, Blame Canada.
Thanks, Ash. I appreciate it your comments.
Very interesting talk. My dad was a teenager during the vietnam era and when his brother was eligible they would gather around the living room and watch the live draft results. I can’t help but picture a scene like the Hunger Games.