Amorality

[blueguy]

Hi all,

I've seen the thread "The Amoral Wasteland." This thread isn't in reference to that thread but rather a trend that is occuring in my own dating and friendship patterns as of late.

I find myself becoming increasingly amoral. Am I proud of it? Sadly, I don't even know if it effects me. If someone were to ask me if I were somewhat amoral, I would tell them no. That's how bad I am now. We've all been hurt, stepped upon and used, and we all develop games and manipulations to counteract that -- mostly unconsciously. The funny thing is, I was raised very religiously and now at the age of 25, I'm finding myself manipulating and consciously doing things that I never thought I'd ever feel comfortable with but now do.

The things I am talking about are not physical brutality or anything of that sort but rather manipulating things in my favor and also manipulating others' outcomes (whether good or bad) to benefit my own. Yes, it sounds awful. My justification? People do the same to me - always have, always will. I think the book 48 Laws of Power, which I had just recently picked up, has really sped my actions in this direction... that book even details outright scams and how you could effectively use the same tools to do the same.

I wasn't aware that all this amorality was quite so widespread until a few months into reading this forum. It's evident in some of the big posters who I'm sure we're all aware.

I found this quote from azanon to be interesting:

Sure there are both men and women out there that never develop the maturity level of a normal adult. No adult male wants to be with a genuine child, regardless of their age. But fully developed and skillfully employed craftiness is definitely an art of a true adult, and is an art despised by those believing in the false utopian and fair world.

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=117478

I guess what I am looking for is an open and honest discussion about to what extent this occurs among all of you and to find out if this is something that is actually quite normal as a person matures or if I am stepping into territory that the average person does not charter. I would also find it intderesting to see to what extent some of you have drawn a line.

 

[Mind_Body_Soul]

Blueguy - Having read 48 laws, art of sed. and 33 rules of war, I can tell you this. The average sheep in this country DOES NOT think about these things. The only people thinking about them are the political figures that are pulling the strings of the puppets that inhabit this country.

You are not alone. I find myself manipulating people consciously and subsconsciously. It is not amoral in my opinion. This is part of what being powerful entails. Just because you read it in a book does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

The question really comes down to how you are applying your newfound "powers". I am a true believer in karma and therefore I only use my power for good (like superman )

For example, 3 years ago, I left the company I was working for to start my own business. About 3 months later they started a lawsuit against me hoping to sue me out of business (as I was in competition with them). My business partner and myself read 48 laws over and over and applied those tactics in everything that we did in order to gain the upperhand on this bully of a company. Guess what ---- about 3 months ago the lawsuit finally ended and we won. The other business isn't even a player in our industry now.

Karma is really important though. Keep that in mind.

 

[azanon]

I would also find it intderesting to see to what extent some of you have drawn a line.

Thanks for the quote!

I draw the line at doing everything i can to minimize harm to others, and outright prevent it when at all possible. On the priority scale, my happiness is pretty high up there, but if thats going to come at potential harm to someone else, I either proceed very carefully or not at all.

I was going to type more but this wine is starting to take effect.....

 

[Latinoman]

Blueguy - Having read 48 laws, art of sed. and 33 rules of war, I can tell you this. The average sheep in this country DOES NOT think about these things. The only people thinking about them are the political figures that are pulling the strings of the puppets that inhabit this country.

You are not alone. I find myself manipulating people consciously and subsconsciously. It is not amoral in my opinion. This is part of what being powerful entails. Just because you read it in a book does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

The question really comes down to how you are applying your newfound "powers". I am a true believer in karma and therefore I only use my power for good (like superman )

For example, 3 years ago, I left the company I was working for to start my own business. About 3 months later they started a lawsuit against me hoping to sue me out of business (as I was in competition with them). My business partner and myself read 48 laws over and over and applied those tactics in everything that we did in order to gain the upperhand on this bully of a company. Guess what ---- about 3 months ago the lawsuit finally ended and we won. The other business isn't even a player in our industry now.

Karma is really important though. Keep that in mind.

I am amoral. I have been for years.

I don't believe in karma. But that's beside the point.

I don't see how manipulating people to gain power is a good thing...unless it MUST be done as a last resource for survival. It is like saying "killing" is a good thing. Killing is NEVER a good thing and should be used as a last resouce for survival . And still, it is not a good thing. I know it is an extreme, but one necessary to make my point.

The thing is, if you have to conningly do things to manipulate people in order to get what you want...then, that on itself is a clear indication that you lack a LOT of things. That on itself, you are weak.

So, you are taking a short cut. One that eventually is going to be short lived as we don't live an enternity. And no everybody can be manipulated. Always remember that...there are a group of people that are very smart and conning out there. Some with considerably more power than us. Once the manipulator is unmasked...it is over.

I have both books you are referring to. They are well written books. And serve as a tool to identify manipulators. To unmask then. To protect yourself from them.

Now...the ability to INFLUENCE people? That is truly a skill. As it does not apply deception (which is a tool that manipulators use).

I personally prefer the book written by David J. Lieberman "Get Anyone to Do Anything" as it relies on INFLUENCING people by understanding some psychological techniques.

I personally believe that using his techniques (influence instead of vicious manipulation) would allow us to avoid getting into the as a last resouce for survival situation.

Hitler was a Great Manipulator. Gandi was a Great Influencer.

Both to the extreme. Moderation is always the key.

In Conclusion:

The "killing" as well as the "manipulation" topics I wrote in my response are NEVER good things. Even if you are using them as a last resource. Why? Because it shows that you lack on other things. It has nothing to do with "morals", but more to do with "what could I have done to prevent this predicament".

If you know how to influence people and for that matter understand people's motivations...more likely than not, you would avoid a lot of predicaments in life. Including killing and manipulation.

 

[Rollo Tomassi]

I think you're confusing the use of Power with it's application in a Moral or Amoral context. Power in and of itself isn't right or wrong, it's simply a means to an end, and your refusal to use it or attempt to understand it doesn't make it moral or immoral. In fact you really have no choice but to be subject to power (even when you're ignorant of it) - you can either manipulate it or you can be manipulated by it.

It's like fire. I can cook my food and warm myself with it or I can set my neighbors house on fire with it. Power isn't moral or immoral, it's the application of it, and the behaviors that follow that defines an outcome in a set of conditions. It's the outcome of it's use that you're questioning.

I constantly reference 48 Laws of Power and when I first began reading the book my wife accused me of "lusting after power" and that it was 'evil to learn how to be powerful' (not her exact words). I had to convince her that this was never my intent, becuase throughout my professional career I've worked with man men that popular concensus would term as "powerful" and I have no desire to emmulate these men. Most were (are) so self-consumed that they made themselves all the more easily manipulated by those who genuinely understood how to effectively play the chess game of power. In fact the most wealthy and powerful men I've ever worked for generally understood it the least. They'd subscribe to a handfull of Laws that came to them (and most) naturally and held onto them selfishly and tenaciously. This of course only opens them up to a world of manipulation and strategy by those who know and can put into practice other Laws to counter the ones they cling to. I most definitely don't aspire to that sort of life.

Rather I like to think of myself as a Leonardo Da Vinci. That may seem a bit grandiose and I certainly can't put my talents up to that comparison, but in principle I'd rather emmulate Leonardo. He understood the nature of power and how to deal with powerful people while putting it to use for himself and ensuring his own well being. I have no desire to run the company I work for, or replace the owner, but I play his game better than him and think several moves ahead to make sure that I'm indespensible and in the right place at the right time to profit from either his successes or his mistakes.

The reason for my wife's trepedation about reading 48 Laws is because the word Power gets associated with negative connotations.What do you think of someone uses the word power? A popular perception of someone with power is a person (usually male) who controls others either personally or financially, maybe even emotionally, but this is almost always looked upon as a negative situation. People who desire power are usually cast in the role of being aggressive, controlling or manipulative. I think this is a bad rap for Power, because it's really all in the definition.

Power isn't about controlling others. Power is the degree to which you have control over your own life and your own direction. Sometimes this involves directing other people to act in accordance with what you want, but real power comes from being able to freely make your own decisions without being constrained by others.

Now think for a minute about how you have power now. Using this idea of power, what can you do for yourself and what options do you have that aren't influenced by other people or outside needs? I have to live by certain rules and certain convictions for me to be able to do the thing I find important. As a married man, I have option closed off to me that others don't. As a father, as an employee, as a supervisor ect. there are certain areas I'm completely powerless in. On the other hand I have complete control over my actions and I have to own the responsibility of their consequences.

There are those who seek power by changing the game - by lowering the basketball hoops in order to better shoot a basket - but in 'leveling the playing field' they only succeed in changing the nature of the competition to better suit their individual abilities, neither improving the game nor themselves.

Then there are those who accept the game for what it is, they understand it and they master it (or at least attempt to do so). They understand the need for adversity and the benefits it gives them when they reach the next level of mastering the game - not only in technique, but from the confidence this genuinely and verifiably confers.

 

[Vulpine]

Guns don't kill people, people do.

Tools, laws, tips, gimmicks... it's all a matter of the operator's discretion.

Morality? Who are you trying to please? If you were raised religious, you are trying to please a god. There is no regard for "what pleases you" in many religions. In fact, things that please you are often deemed "the devil's influence".

I don't feel that is a "pleasureable" or "happy" lifestyle, so I've developed other measures. Now, I see things as right/wrong, good/evil, pass/fail, in/out, fair/foul, etc. These are MY measures. And, what do you know? My life is shaping up as a result of pleasing MYSELF.

Vocally, I frequently refer to myself as "an operator" instead of "player", "PUA", "Seductionist", etc. There are certain ways I "operate". These "operations" may be called "manipulations". However, the connotation is wrong for "manipulation". If people are happy, pleased, content, and feel it is fair to do as I wish, then where is the negativity? So long as you have certain respects for people and aren't unnecessarily cruel, there is nothing wrong with power or control.

For example, FB's. If they are happy, and I'm happy, what's the problem? Why do you have to label it "amoral"?

Ultimately, moral/amoral/immoral are a terms relating to other people's perceptions, or how they would judge you. Well you know what? It's none of their business, and I don't care what they think about me anyway, so moral/amoral/immoral are obsolete terms to me. They aren't living my life, I am. And I can't really call my lifestyle "amoral" because I still have my own measures of right/wrong, fair/foul, etc. Plus, I maintain respect for other people. To be truly "amoral", one would have to be on a serial killer level of psychotic. I'm fairly certain you aren't there yet, blueguy, so it's a non-issue. Don't get down on yourself. That's some "old ways" and society's pressure getting to you. Shake those ticks and leeches.

I think your amorality concern is your red pill buzz wearing off. Pop another one.

 

[MisterNigma]

Think of it this way...

What would you do if you knew the world would end in one day?

Think about it for a second, make a mental list.

Now take that mental list and think about it more.

Which actions have you come up with that have consequences in every day life?

Definately a few huh?

Morality is simply a cage that has been built into our society. It is designed to channel our behaviour. Make us predictable. Make us sheep.

The world is a mean place that doesn't play by the rules. So personally, I don't think I should have to play by some arbitrary rules either. Though I do find it convenient that there are people who follow these "rules" makes manipulating them so easy.

I'm not out to hurt people, and generaly I would actually prefer to help people, but life's not fair, there are no rules. So to be held back by something as vague as "morality", that's just a waste.

Manipulate away.


-E.Nigma

 

[Strip Club Inspector]

You can pursue endless idle pursuits, stimulation, etc. Or you can pursue true happiness. Real morality and real happiness coincide. Screwing endlessly in meaningless affairs probably will not make you truly happy. Sure, variety is the spice of life, and a wide range of female contact is probably a big part of a successful happy life. But being a PUA should ultimately be about finding the one or ones that make you happy, not racking up score.

You can't control this world. You can't ultimately control others. You can attain self-control, self-awareness, and serenity, though, and people that do that are the happiest, the most charismatic, and the most attractive to everyone they meet.

 

[realsmoothie]

We've got two versions of morality going here.

1. the version that says sex in itself outside of marriage is bad and that kind of thing. This is the version that would say having an FB is "immoral" even if both sides wanted it.

2. the version that says "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" or the libertarian version. This version would say that an FB is OK as long as she wants it... and that you're not manipulating her to THINK she wants it.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as I'm not hurting someone else, it's OK to do. Of course, there are fuzzy areas here... let's say a girl is going out with a guy and he's kind of a ****. Is it immoral for me to steal her away? Depends on just how much of a **** he is, doesn't it.

But fuzziness is a key to life.

 

[Strip Club Inspector]

One other side of morality is the side that says being a coward, being a glutton, or otherwise doing things that are not in your long term intersts, are out of control, and unlikely to live up to your dignity as a person are immoral because you're in the world for a reason, to do something good and useful hopefully, and not merely to amuse yourself until you kick the bucket. It has nothing to do with marriage, and there seems agreement that the golden rool is good to go.

It's really an extension of the 'Are you doing this for you?" self-improvement principle around here. I think having lots of females in your life is part of self-improvement, and even if some are just friends, **** buddies, exes, girlfriends, whatever, that you can add to their lives and they to yours without using anyone or living in an adolscent stage of merely racking up numbers.

I have no idea how many women I've been with. It's somewhere north of 100. But I have almost zero enemies, and none among my exes and women I've been with, many of whom I have been in touch with for yours. Why? Because I'm not a user and I'm not trying to suck the life and love out of anybody. I"m just myself, and when I'm with a woman the only thing I offer is the chance to get to know me better. It seems to work.

 

[d9930380]

For all you who see religion has horse****, ignore below ;-)

However since YOU are religious and therefore have a problem with this knowledge, I'll quote Jesus:

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

Knowing this information isn't what's evil, it's what you do with it. And just because others (the wolves) do it to you shouldn't be the reason why you loose faith. Ultimately remember life is supposed to be a test of your belief in God. Even Jesus' belief was brought into doubt as he asked why God had forsaken him on the cross - it's a part of being human.

I'm in a similar situation from a similar background, however going down the path of seeing everything cynically doesn't help you as it makes it difficult to trust. However being naieve can also lead you to get hurt - however it's impossible to go back to that bubble. It's all certainly a balancing act, one I haven't begun to master (you can probably see that from my past posts because my morality/faith flip-flops all the time).

 

[djbr]

Underage poster. Poster is 20 years old

 

[d9930380]

BTW - I love the way that people who have racked up a large tally of women are the ones that say finding the one is important. For THEM maybe!

However I disagree with this statement because I think that finding the one when you are READY is important. Some are ready when they are virgins, some are never ready. Both can be happy with their lives, assuming the virgin finds the one.

You should not limit yourself, If you want to **** all round you then you should, as long as you don't intentionally and try not to hurt others in the process. You will probably come to the above conclusion naturally.

 

[blueguy]

The kind of amorality I'm talking about here is deception and manipulation with no regard to others' circumstances.

I'll give you an example of something that just happened today:


I'm 25. I purchased a $600,000 house last year, lived in it for awhile with some of my friends then moved to a nearby city and started renting the house out back in December '06. I rented it to a black family of 5, the husband being only 26 years old. The rent period is 4 months, giving them the option to purchase the house at the end. If they didn't buy it, I would then sell it. He paid for the entire 4 months rent upfront.

Starting in mid January (a couple of weeks ago and shortly after an inspection), Eric (the husband and tenant who signed the contract) installed a security system in my house without my permission. He then started ignoring my phone calls regarding inspections. I then had reports from my old neighbors telling me that he purchased and drives a Lamborghini ($250,000 car) in addition to the Corvette and Range Rover he currently drives and stores in the garage. And other reports coming in of strange cars driving by in the middle of the night then leaving. Just a few days ago - yet another report of three police cars at my house and him standing at the door with a pit bull.

I begin to worry. I become naturally suspicious about illegal activity such as the making of drugs occuring inside my house. I was thinking of evicting him at the moment he installed the security system 2 1/2 weeks ago and started ignoring my calls. I live about 40 minutes away now and time passed. I left a message on his answering machine giving him 24 hour notice that I was coming in to inspect the house whether I received word from him or not.

I unlocked the front door and walked into the house today with an interested buyer. The alarm went off. I look inside the house - it is trashed. Nobody is there. Cigarette butts all over the living room floor, dog urine all into the carpets, stair rails pulled out of their sockets, clothes all over the place. We don't go into the basement due to the pit bull being stored there - however, I am truly concerned about what is going inside the basement. I can't imagine that 3 children also live in this place. The cops come shortly after to question me about the situation.

Here is where I am getting to:

My neighbor also walked inside the house. My neighbor who also happened to be a fairly good "friend" of mine during the time I lived there - he is married with kids and older than me. I am not naive although I certainly act like I am naive at certain moments on purpose to gain the upper hand as a power ploy. My neighbor calls me after the incident to try to take advantage of me:

"Wow, I'm so sorry about what happened to your place. (Fake concerned tone) It's completely trashed. It looks like you're going to have to replace the carpets and do all this work to get it back into shape. I imagine it'll cost you a lot to get it back to condition to sell on the market. You can't sell it now. I feel so bad. (Fake tone) I was actually just talking to my friend who was there and he said he was interested in buying the house AS IS. It may not be as much as you were looking to get out of it, but at least you'll have the situation taken care of. Do you want me to give him your number?"

This is the kind of amoral I am talking about. My old neighbor is only looking out for himself and his family with no regard to me. He is religious too. I can and have already started fixing this situation with a bit of communication with the police and the tenants' friends after the situation. Yet my old neighbor wants to profit from my disfortune by buying the house cheaper than he knows I could sell it for, fixing it up then selling it. This is definitely not the first time this has happened to me either. It happens more than I can count. When people see things they want from you, they try to use whatever tactic they can think of to try to get it.

This is what I am referring to doing myself now. I see it more in older, more experienced people than in younger people.

 

[blueguy]

Clearly my neighbor could have done a better job at his manipulation.

I personally prefer the book written by David J. Lieberman "Get Anyone to Do Anything" as it relies on INFLUENCING people by understanding some psychological techniques.

I'll check out that book.

Power isn't about controlling others. Power is the degree to which you have control over your own life and your own direction. Sometimes this involves directing other people to act in accordance with what you want, but real power comes from being able to freely make your own decisions without being constrained by others.

I agree, but oftentimes in getting what you want, you know you are benefiting from (or hurting) somebody else. For instance - my business. If some of the people knew what kind of money they make for me and easily too, they would just do it on their own. But I won't tell them.

Jerry Seinfeld dated a married woman, she divorced, they married, and he tricked her into signing a prenup. He clearly draws no line to some of society's "rules" or regard to the other man. And he seems to have the last laugh.

I do the same thing to the girls I date. And if one of them turns into my wife - Can I live a marriage like that? A marriage where part of my behavior is still an act?

On the other extreme, if you you wanted to be completely "moral and honest," you would lay down all of your faults to "make sure she knew what she was getting into." That is like a bad salesman. Clearly that does not work!

Are there relationships that even exist where deception is not involved?

Ultimately, moral/amoral/immoral are a terms relating to other people's perceptions, or how they would judge you. Well you know what? It's none of their business, and I don't care what they think about me anyway, so moral/amoral/immoral are obsolete terms to me. They aren't living my life, I am. And I can't really call my lifestyle "amoral" because I still have my own measures of right/wrong, fair/foul, etc. Plus, I maintain respect for other people. To be truly "amoral", one would have to be on a serial killer level of psychotic. I'm fairly certain you aren't there yet, blueguy, so it's a non-issue. Don't get down on yourself. That's some "old ways" and society's pressure getting to you. Shake those ticks and leeches.

I think your amorality concern is your red pill buzz wearing off. Pop another one.

You're right about that.

 

[Rollo Tomassi]

,. I disagree with this statement because I think that finding the one when you are READY is important. Some are ready when they are virgins, some are never ready. Both can be happy with their lives, assuming the virgin finds the one.

There is no ONE. This is the soulmate myth. There are some good Ones and there are some bad Ones, but there is no ONE. Anyone telling you anything else is selling you something. There are LOTS of 'special someones' out there for you, just ask the divorced/widowed person who's remarried after their "soulmate" has died or moved on.

We're all free to believe what we will, but do you really believe we are? I'm still curious to know if by believing in a ONE you also subscribe to predestination? Or for that matter free will? I'm not asking to be irritating. I would just think that a belief in a ONE would preclude (or follow) a belief in predestination and a rejection of the concept of free will. The reason I ask is because I often run into young men who claim to be very scientific, systematic and pragmatic in their approach to life, who deny any 'higher power' or are at the very least agnostic, and are very proud of themselves for this; yet these guys will in the same breath declare how fortunate they'd be when the planets align, the gods smile upon them and they find the ONE that they were 'intended' for.

What I find more fascinating is how common the idea is (mostly for guys) that a nuts & bolts view of life should be trumped in the area of intersexual relationships. Guys who would otherwise recognize the value of understanding mathematics, humanities, psychology, biology, sociology, evolution and the interplay we see these take place in our lives on a daily basis, are some of the first guys to become violently opposed to the idea that maybe there isn't "someone for everyone" or that there are a lot more ONEs out there that could meet or exceed the criteria we set for them to be the ONE.

I think it comes off as nihilistic or this dread that maybe their ego investment in this belief is false. It's just too terrible to contemplate that there maybe no ONE or there maybe several ONEs to spend their lives with. And what's more ironic is ironic is that personally I have a very strong belief in God and yet don't entertain for a second that anything is predestined or that there isn't a whole world of people out there that could just as easily be a 'perfect match' for me in any given circumstance.

I agree, but oftentimes in getting what you want, you know you are benefiting from (or hurting) somebody else. For instance - my business. If some of the people knew what kind of money they make for me and easily too, they would just do it on their own. But I won't tell them.

Why should benefiting from others necessarily be harmful to them? I subscribe to enlightened self-interest; I cannot help others until I can best help myself first. Knowing what you do about your line of business, would you hesitate to financially help an employee if he had medical problems? I employee a small staff in my studio here and I can tell you if one of them were ill I'd make an effort to support them to the best of my ability. In addition, all of my staff benefit from my knowledge and what I teach them as part of our careers. A few of them could very well be my future competition (were I to teach them everything). In fact my best friend, who was an former employee that I hired while the art director of a series of casinos, as a result of my tutelage assumed my role as art director when I left that place for my current position. He and I still collaborate on freelance projects and we both profit handsomely because we understand how the game of power is played amongst the people for whom we work (or take contracts from). And I am repeating this process with new "students" who are also my employees as I write this very post.

Enlightened self-interest. I make the most of myself for my own benefit (and those I care about) and then, at my leisure, I can help those who need it. It's far too easy to get trapped into thinking that power necessarily must be evil, immoral or unethical. In fact those who'd preach this are themselves manipulating power by teaching others to avoid understanding it, much less using it. As I'm fond of saying, there are those who would like to change the world and change the game to better suit their individual conditions and there are those who master the game and use it their own (and other's) benefit.

Don't wish things were easier, wish you were better.

 

[Latinoman]

I'll give you an example of something that just happened today:


I'm 25. I purchased a $600,000 house last year, lived in it for awhile ...ETC ETC ETC

In reference to your post (the long one in which you explain your issue with your tennant). This is one of those cases in which I consider "last resource of survival". And this is a situation in which manipulation is more than acceptable as you are actually dealing with a criminal or somebody that is blatantly damaging your property and lifehood.

You are doing NOTHING wrong.

 

[blueguy]

No, I agree with both of you about the business thing. It is socially acceptable and the term enlighted self-interest is a good way of describing it. I do benefit others from benefiting from others. I guess it is a mild example - other examples could be taken to a more extreme measure (for instance, the ultimate extreme - killing - as aforementioned). In those more extreme cases, I think that using the term enlightened self-interest could be laughed at. I guess I posted this as a means to determine where to draw the line based on others' opinions as a means to determine my own (since I have been thinking of pushing my own boundaries), but I guess I will find out with more experience.

 

[Latinoman]

One of the questions asked to Robert Greene in an interview.

Sonshi.com: A criticism of your books is the ideas you propose are "without scruples." Amoral is perhaps a better description. What is your response to these critics?

Greene: Well, I use the word amoral to describe them, as opposed to immoral. I try to look at the various subjects (power, seduction and war) with as dispassionate an eye as possible. This is human nature, I say, and this is how it operates in conflict, or when it is threatened, etc. Sometimes we humans do things that are bad, in order to get power—we hurt others. Sometimes we get power in ways that are not at all harmful. Here is the full panoply of stratagems, manipulations, maneuvers. You can look at them and decide for yourself—"this is too evil for me, but I am glad I know about it." A lot of the book is deliberately defensive, in the sense that it arms you with knowledge, so that you can understand the manipulations of those around you.

For instance, in Hollywood, I was a frequent victim of Law #7: Get others to do the work for you but always take the credit. Half the reason I wrote this chapter was to make people more aware of how this could happen to them and to take defensive measures. I get a lot of feedback from people who have told me how much the book has helped them in this way. They would never use some of the harsher strategies I talk about, but they are very glad to know the games others are playing on them.

I treat readers as adults. Instead of preaching to them about what they should or should not do, I lay it out for them, and I let them decide what is useful and what is not. I cannot deny there are people out there who might use these ideas for bad purposes, but what are you going to do? I think it is better to reveal the power game in all of its amoral reality and let happen what happens.

I also make the point, in the WAR book (and also in POWER) that power has traditionally been something reserved for elites. Elites have always objected to knowledge being given to the masses. Military strategy is the most elite form of knowledge that there is. Soldiers were taught tactics. It was too dangerous to allow them to get their hands on books on strategy. They could use this valuable information to foment revolution. People still think the same way, but for different reasons. I want a level playing field and everyone to be armed with the art of war.

My books have been very popular in the African-American community. They appreciate knowing how people have used power in the past, often against them. They want to know how the game is played, in as realistic a fashion as possible. They want the truth. I find those who rail against my books often have a lot of personal issues, and are generally people who can be classified as quite manipulative, in the passive aggressive mode.

 

[blueguy]

Interesting... thanks. I've been a victim of #7 many times as well in my more than naive past, sad to say.