Covert Metaphor

The following is a stream of consciousness which I wrote sitting at a café one morning. I was thinking about things which disturb me, and this is what came out. Read it carefully because there are a few key components of persuasion and manipulation sprinkled about.

What do I find disgusting and revolting? Now as I attempt to produce an answer I can’t think of much that really gets to me. Where some people might tend to resist the image of blood and guts, I think what makes me cringe the most is the effects of successful persuasion and manipulation which break all ethical boundaries; those insidious techniques used against people to ruin lives.

Even slightly more mild examples make my skin crawl. I can’t stand watching small children parrot every commercial they see, or spew forth religious dogma on cue like trained puppies, their parents smiling so proud. Vomit.

I see it everyday when someone manipulates their partner using emotional techniques of give and take. The willing victims are those who don’t analyze their own actions, question their own beliefs, and accept everything at face value. Is an unexamined life really worth living?

It is a disturbing thought to think humans may be nothing more than organic vessels carrying loads of useless memes around, infecting each other at every opportunity.

If there is such a thing as absolute truth, I have only seen glimpses of it indirectly. That is through pure intuition, devoid of any symbols, stories, language or thought.

It is possible to translate this experience into language and art, but you are still left with only symbols which represent the experience. This is the reason language will always fail to give that which it promises.

It may seem perplexing to some that I study and teach techniques of persuasion and manipulation when I find many of its effects revolting.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, life does not work without it. We are all manipulators. Every child manipulates its parents, every lover their partner. It is inescapable.

Of course not all outcomes of persuasion and manipulation are negative. Wouldn’t you try to persuade a friend who might be walking down a path of self-destruction? It all depends on the context doesn’t it? Context is everything in this game.

There are some recent ads targeted at teenagers against the use of methamphetamine (speed). I’ll take two of these ads to clarify the point I am trying to make. The first billboard shows a young man with lesions on his skin, dark circles under his eyes, and a caption reads, “Actually, doing meth won’t make it easier to hook up.”

Imagine if we changed the context and put him in a completely different environment. For example, change the background and put him underneath a tropical sun standing before a beautiful pool, surrounded by a group of skimpily clad bikini models. The caption remains the same, but the story changes completely.

The second billboard is a picture of a filthy toilet stall and a caption that reads, “No one thinks they’ll lose their virginity here. Meth will change that.” Now keep this caption but instead of a filthy toilet stall, replace it with an image of a beautiful room, a large ornate bed with silk sheets and a young attractive half-naked man with muscles. The effects will obviously be different. The context tells an entirely different story. Context is being used to control the masses on a daily basis.

Also, recognize the type of appeal being made in these ads. They are targeted at teenagers who tend to be more susceptible to emotional appeals rather than rational appeals. Ads using rational appeals are declining because of an increase of less-educated people.

Speaking of stories…

Humans are hardwired for stories it would seem. Depending on your own stories is what determines your life outcome. The stories you consistently tell yourself determines your own reality. Is yours a story of frustration, sadness, and failure, or one of success, happiness, and health? Do you hate your job? Well, that’s a story too.

Perceive what is behind the language, symbols, and metaphor. Recognize the context and write your own story.

admin :: Dec.23.2007 :: metaphor, persuasion, psychology, storytelling, symbology, propaganda, deception :: No Comments »

Do you know the difference between a lie and deception? At first, they almost seem like the same thing, don’t they?

A lie is simply telling an untruth, but deception encompasses a whole slew of techniques which use both language and silence, action and non-action.

As children we are told not to lie and always tell the truth. As we grow up we learn to sugar-coat our words in order to spare people’s feelings. Some lies are seen as necessary, and sometimes the truth is best left unsaid.

Other types of lies may be sleightly more unethical, but still don’t necessarily hurt anyone. You may lie about your job experience on a resume or tell someone something about yourself which is not true in order to be accepted.

Whether this is good or bad is not my call, but all lies have one thing in common: They are not based on truth.

You must first create the lie, and hope they will take the bait. Lying seems like an awful lot of unecessary stress to me. Deception, on the other hand, is more powerful, has many more options, and can require very little effort. Although lying is not seperate. It is merely a subset of the game of deception.

For any of those poor souls out there who are just getting there feet wet in the corporate world, let me give you some advice…

Deception is alive and well, and if you don’t know how the game works, you will most likely suffer dearly.

For example, let’s say you have discovered a big problem within your company that is not being addressed, and probably hasn’t been for years. You have a solution that would benefit your company, but some of your work colleagues or those in management may feel otherwise because it may hurt their career or status in some way. They will most likely deceive you and wait until you shut up or leave. Don’t underestimate those who deceive. Some of them have extraordinary stamina.

Here are a few things they might do to lie and deceive you.

They will omit certain truths.

You’re not lying here, you just aren’t giving the whole story, and so that story doesn’t exist. This is disinformation.

They will avoid your topic or issue.

You will either be constantly interrupted, passed on by politely, ignored, or belittled. Again, if it isn’t heard, it doesn’t exist. This is a disinformation tactic as well.

If you unknowingly make a false statement, they will not correct you.

Let’s suppose you get a hold of some bad information, but you think it is legit. If no one tells you differently, you will continue to look ignorant. This makes you look bad and them look good.

They will outright lie.

Lying is a part of deception, and it is very effective if it’s done correctly.

Well, those are the basics. I’ll go more in-depth next time I post within this category.

admin :: Sep.11.2007 :: deception :: No Comments »