Manipulation: It Even Sounds Odious…
Manipulation is a word that when heard immediately conjures thoughts of deception. Puppets come to mind as their hidden master pulls their strings. Even the word sounds odious with its unscrupulous connotations. And yet as much as we abhor it, whether we recognize it or not, it’s a large part of our lives.
As I attempt to arrange these words into coherent meaning, stemming from unbridled flow of thought, their landing on this screen have more to do with manipulation than from where they sprung. It’s critical to recognize that writing is a form of manipulation. It’s the writer’s attempt to paint his or her picture on the canvas that the world is. With picture on canvas, the world sees his or her point of view, and ideally, acts upon it.
The world is filled with agenda and as such it’s filled with manipulation. Manipulation is the art of bringing those around, who may it deem otherwise detrimental, to a certain point of view and action.
We needn’t look far to see this. Whether it’s commercial or government advertising, political campaigns, social activism, personal or business relationships, or religious promulgation, we’re bombarded as to what we should think and do. Manipulation is not a matter of logic, but a matter of emotion, for emotion drives behavior (see Behavior: The Essence of Character…). Tell the world that the average temperature rose by .8 of a degree over the last hundred years and nothing happens. Show the world a video of a polar bear looking for ice and the world goes into meltdown. That is the power of emotion; that is the power of manipulation.
Throughout history, dictators, despots and other master manipulators have preyed upon the world. In the words of Russian communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924), “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” Without parallel, it’s the manipulator’s aim to shut down the mortal enemy of lies, namely independent thought and free speech. Only critical thinking and the ability to express it can protect against rampant manipulation. Without independent thought and free speech, lies run amok and group-think become the norm. One individual’s reason and action can prevent a herd of mass hysteria from running off the cliff, but only if allowed to do so. Shut down debate, and it’s a matter of time before that herd falls into the abyss.
What can we do to defend against manipulation? The biggest step we can take is awareness. We must be cognizant that sometimes it’s not easy to see. Healthy skepticism never hurts. It attunes us to what doesn’t feel right and to what doesn’t make sense. It alerts us to those that feign our interests and pretend to do what’s right. Only then can we embrace the truth, and only then can we mitigate the odious sound of manipulation…
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