Manipulators oftentimes feel accomplished by successfully imposing their will and influencing the outcome of other people’s actions. In fact, I would go so far as to assert that the goal of most manipulation is to force a desired result. Manipulating is simply being cunning to get what you want from people. And if it’s that simple, how often do you think you’re being manipulated? For instance, airing a Taco Bell commercial after 10PM, when the majority of fast food joints are closed, and highlighting the fact that the economical restaurant is open until midnight is an attempt to get hungry insomniacs out of bed or off the couch and to the drive-thru. And that’s a form of manipulation because it’s essentially a call to action that targets the commercial viewer’s necessity for food while taking advantage of the fact that there aren’t many midnight fast food options. Outside of capitalists manipulating for monetary gain, and aside from manipulative tendencies mainly caused by mental illness, I believe that the most manipulative people are those who suffer from feelings of inferiority. Being unable to maneuver at one’s own accord, especially if under some form of control or constraint, is liable to cause a person to resent superiority. If faced with feelings of inferiority, a great way to feel superior is to create an inferior, and the easiest way to do that is through manipulation. If you’re a human who strives to be as “normal” as humanly possible, I regret to inform you that you’re a glutton for manipulation—you live for that shit! Do you know what trends are in my eyes? They are methods of manipulation. Trendsetters manipulate how people think, dress, live, act, talk, dance, what they eat, etc. And who’s a bigger trendsetter than the president of the United States? Presidents manipulate by exploiting their power and influence to set precedence and preclude the reversal of their decisions. However, if you know enough about politics, you’re aware that American presidents aren’t omnipotent. There are very necessary checks and balances in place to prevent autocracy in a democracy. And in your life separate from the imposition of the government, a little self-governance could help you make waste of manipulation. How much of what you do is your idea? Better yet, how many of your thoughts are original? Again, as intelligent as I am, and as compelling as my writing is, I don’t read or research anyone else’s personal perspectives. Everything that you read here, besides some of the definitions that I don’t reword and historic quotes that I cite, comes straight from my brain. Plus, I don’t use any AI-assisted writing programs. Sorry, there are humans out here who are smarter and more talented than you, just accept it. Freethinking is a manipulator’s worst nightmare—their arch nemesis! To circumvent manipulation, decline extramural influences. Are you comfortable with being wrong and making mistakes? I believe that many people follow trends and succumb to manipulation because it’s easy, and it gives them someone else to blame if things go awry. That may seem like an oversimplification of capitulation because that’s exactly what it is. Acquiescence and conformity are the peanut butter and jelly sandwich of life, as they are widely accepted and hard to mess up. But because these are humans that I’m talking about, I want you all to realize that being normal is the easiest thing for people to do, and somehow they still manage to fuck it up! Please bear with me, because shit is about to get a little too real. Normality is as simple as everyone doing what’s expected of everyone, right? But do you know why that shit never works out? It’s because everyone expects everyone else to be better than they are, despite them knowing that superiors and inferiors exist, even though they never want to be inferior, and in addition to them necessitating a superior’s influence to follow! If that doesn’t make sense, neither do you!
In popular news, Compton’s boogieman, Kendrick Lamar, recently announced that he will head the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans next year, and Lil Wayne’s fans are reportedly pissed. Personally, I don’t watch that boring-ass shit in the first place, so it’s no big deal to me. But as a K. Dot fan, I’ll make sure to catch the replay of his performance on YouTube. Of course, Lil Wayne is a New Orleans native, and that’s why his fans are apparently upset. But Wayne featured Kendrick Lamar on a well-liked song named “Mona Lisa,” and that would be the perfect opportunity for Mr. Lamar to insert Mr. Carter into his Halftime performance. I’d be surprised if they don’t work that collaboration into the allotted slot, but it’s still no biggie for me. Moving on, FOX 5 Atlanta has reported that “dozens” of Georgia students have been arrested for making treats following the shooting that killed four people at a Winder, GA high school last week. Additionally, it has been reported that the Apalachee High School shooter’s mom attempted to warn the school of the ominous tragedy before the shooting took place. I believe that the onslaught of terroristic threats subsequent to the deadly shooting is a sad sign of students’ social suffering. Diverging slightly, how do you feel about people who don’t like you? Personally, I don’t see the point in expending any energy on considering the positions of opposition or contemplating on how to convert adversaries to allies—at least not in my private life. Indubitably, human life would cease to exist without socializing, and I appreciate that. But according to the fuck-ass FBI, a human takes another human’s life approximately every 33.5 minutes in America, and that’s reason enough to at least keep your circle small. Deviating a bit, do you hate Diddy? The disgraced hip hop mogul not too long ago listed the Beverley Hills mansion that the Feds raided for sale, asking $61 million, and he has been spotted out and about in New York lately. Honestly, I don’t trust anyone’s public opinions. Without a doubt, once again, people with even a lick of sense are always going to respond and react in accordance to propriety. I believe that there are droves of dirty, deplorable, and distasteful dudes and dudettes in politics, entertainment, sports, and society, because humans be humaning. People fuck up, fail, falter, fall, fake, and have flurries of faults by nature. I never pretend to be perfect, but there are motherfuckers out there—who don’t even know me—that pray to discover a chink in my armor to prove that I’m not special. And it’s because they know, but are reluctant to accept, that I’m a stronger person than them. Ain’t that fucking pathetic?! Let me tell y’all how to know how much you hate yourself. First, how frequently do you compare you or your material possessions to other people and their earthly items? If you’re chasing other people’s dreams, you probably hate yourself. Second, how important is it for you to impress or curry favor with people who shall remain strangers? If you’re discouraged by discontenting people who serve no purpose in your life, you probably hate yourself. Third, how often do you tell yourself that you’re worthy? If the lion’s share of your daring to defy the odds derives from any place other than your first mind, you probably hate yourself. I’m not saying that you should want the world, but you should for damn sure want your part of it to prioritize you and yours. Being selfish can’t always be wrong, right? Whatever I want, I want all mine! I’m not sharing, and I’m not giving a fuck. A wise man once said that “giving a fuck is like getting fucked without giving a fuck!” And what I meant when I just made that shit up was, where’s the pleasure in the unpleasing, and how can you lose what you never had? Figure it out! Peace.