Manipulation

Yesterday, I talked about the need for power and how it was tied to self esteem. Today, I want to talk about manipulation. As a general rule, no one is so strong by themselves that they can control a great deal without some sort of manipulation. Genghis Khan might have been a might warrior, but he had to lead and control others or he would have been on his butt in a heartbeat.

As much as we'd like to believe otherwise, Adolf Hitler must have had skills in manipulation or he would not have "accomplished" what he did. Unless we are willing to believe that Germany was people largely with soulless sadistic monsters, we must acknowledge the fact that decent people were manipulated to both do and condone monstrous things.

We like to think the ignorant masses are really the most easily manipulated and that's probably true. But, we'd be fooling ourselves if we think that everyone isn't susceptible to some manipulation. We might even know we're being manipulated and be powerless to stop it.

What do they use? The easiest forms of manipulation (and most common) are hatred and fear. In fact, in my opinion, I've reached the conclusion that someone trotting out hatred and fear regarding some other group of people is almost undoubtedly up to no good and is manipulating. In my opinion, good people with right on their side don't need to find targets. You are, of course, welcome to your own opinion.

Hatred and fear work best on the masses, though, the ones who aren't necessarily thinkers, who are most comfortable being led. And, as the masses become better educated or are exposed to more and different forms of information, it becomes less useful. For those that can and do think, it is rarely effective, at least not with broad strokes.

So what do you do if you crave power and you need the support of capable people? You find what will work on them. For some, it's offering them the opportunity to pursue their dream...right after they complete yours. Or you twist what you want to sound like it's part of that dream. I suspect that - and likely a measure of fear - were what convinced Von Braun to help Hitler. Nor was he the only scientist, respected before and often after, who was convinced to work on Hitler's behalf.

And sometimes you use a specific fear, not a broad faceless fear like death or society as you know it coming down, but threatening a specific loved one, or the individual himself with death or worse.

Many of us believe there are things we'd never do. I want to believe it. But I know, if my daughter were threatened, my husband, even an innocent stranger, I would be struggling not to do almost anything someone asked me.

Just thinkin'.