Manipulation – The Enemy of Small Minds

When I launched this blog it was an extension of my unrealistic interest in  wiping the power of manipulative people off of the face of the Earth.  (Hey, everyone needs a super power, right?)

There’s no place for people who knowingly lie, manipulate and take advantage of others. (Except maybe careers as attorneys, politicians or owners of certain multinational corporations.)

Though our DNA is against us when it comes to being easily fooled by manipulators, it doesn’t hurt to try to learn how to have better radar against the tactics of predators.

The pain and cost of being a part of the flock of sheep is high. It is a price the majority of the population pays, but we don’t have to. A little common sense goes a long way.

Seth Godin just wrote a post on manipulation that encapsulates some of the best ways to identify and beat the manipulators. Here’s a sample:

Here are a few general categories of behaviors that manipulators seek out:

* Believing something because you heard someone say it on a news show on cable TV.
* Being a child (or acting like one).
* Buying penny stocks.
* Repeating a mantra heard from a figurehead or leader of a tribe without considering whether it’s true.
* Trying to find a short cut to lose weight, make money or achieve some other long-term goal.
* Ignoring the scientific method and embracing unexamined traditional methods instead.

Read the full article here …it’s short and worth it!