I have been reading quite a bit lately on mind-coercion and brainwash.  There are some very interesting articles on the net about this.  One fact that stuck out in my mind, is that almost everyone, when being influenced, makes decisions on emotions instead of logic.  That makes perfect sense if you think about it.  How else could dictators or cult-leaders convince the masses of their ideology being true?  It’s all about charisma; and if you think about it, that’s a pretty scary thought.

So, how can one be so easily influenced?  How can someone, just like me or you convince an enormous mass of people to follow them?  What separates them?  Well, that’s what I’ve been reading about a lot today.  It comes down to sales tactics.  It’s the same principle that car salesmen use.  Convince someone that they need something (from a car salesman point-of-view, a car) throw in some comforting words, and bam.  It’s not that different with cults.  From what I gather, these cults start by stripping away built-in instincts and values that we grow up with, and start with a clean slate.  Then, they start using the simplest building blocks, laying a foundation.  If you think about it, we read people’s minds every day, in an attempt to persuade or get what we want.  You may not even realize you’re doing it, but you are.  Day by day, you feel out people’s moods to see if they’ll give you what you want, even if it’s something as simple as getting your spouse or parent to cook you something, all the way to convincing your spouse you need a new vehicle.

I read another interesting article about persuasion using twisted logic.  A method I’d never really thought of before, but am guilty of doing.  Think about it.  How many times have you told a story and left out some of the points that alter the story?  Maybe I’m just weird, but I know I am guilty of it.  That’s a form of persuasion.  In a way, we’re manipulating.  But, as humans we use justification to eliminate the feeling of guilt.  A little off topic, but personally I believe justification is the sole cause of any major crime or action.  People begin justifying how they  can steal, rape, murder, etc… and it becomes easier and easier.  It’s scary to think that our minds and bodies, when broken down, aren’t different from some of the worst people in history.  But, on the flip side, we aren’t that different from some of the great minds either.  I like to believe that everyone has potential to be something great, and I do believe that.

Life is so similar to a game of poker sometimes if you think about it.  In poker, people unconsciously give off something called a “tell.”  This means that judging by many factors, such as their facial expression, reaction when given cards, breathing, mannerisms, eye contact, collectiveness, amount they speak at the table, among hundreds of other things,  you can actually read these people and figure out exactly what cards they are holding.  Unless of course they are a pro, and have the ability to send “false tells,” but we’ll talk about that in a moment.  Well, that being said, my point is that you can relate that to life.  Why do some people act like they act and do the things they do?  I don’t mean genetically opposed to surroundings while growing up, that is another post completely.  What I’m referring to is why people have to complicate things?  Why are simple situations sometimes referred to as uncomfortable or awkward?  I think there are many factors here.  Regardless of how perceptive you are, most likely you know the established behavior pattern of your friends, family, and those that are close to you.  This being said, it’s quite easy to know when something is wrong, because that particular person may go out of the established pattern.  However, many people are very clever.  As I stated earlier, in poker there are “false tells.”  False tells in life are quite different than those in poker.  See, a false tell in life would be purposefully doing something in order to fool someone into believing either that everything is ok, or something is wrong, by either twisting the situation to meet their needs, harm someone, or simply increase drama.  I’ve found that the more adamant individuals are about proving that they don’t act a particular way, the more likely it is that they are.  This is the perfect example of a false tell.  That person is over-compensating.  For example, someone claiming they dislike conflict may actually like it, but feel that it’s wrong, therefore claiming they hate it, or try to avoid it.  Look on millions of myspace or facebook profiles, and see what people say they hate.  You’ll find women that claim they hate arrogant jerks, but they’ll be dating them.  You’ll find people who hate drama, but cause it.  It’s human nature.  We’re programmed to attempt to be normal, or at least what the world views as normal.  I’m starting to believe that honesty is a thing of the past.

I’ve been manipulated quite a few times in my life, and almost always catch it.  This is an ability that everyone has, but some don’t use it or fine-tune it.  Some people simply don’t pay attention to people, or simply don’t care.  I have a few friends that wouldn’t even notice if I were bleeding out of my eyes, and others that know and can almost pinpoint exactly what’s happened to me when I’m down.  I remember once a classmate of mine did a speech on how humans as a whole are “Generally stupid.”  At the time I thought it was just him, but in the last few months I’ve rethought that speech, and he’s his points were pretty accurate.  We as humans don’t think logically 99% of the time, especially women.  I can’t wait for the feminist bloggers to hit me up with a derogatory comment, but sorry, it’s true.  However, that being said, I believe that’s how God made us.  Men are more logical (most of them anyway), and women are emotional.