I would like to start this blog entry with two quotes: From Dr. House: “Everybody lies” and from Kierkegaard: “The world wants to be deceived”. Imagine that.
Deception, of course, is grounded on keeping the deceived in the dark until the very end: conceal your intentions. If the people have no idea what you are up to, they wouldn’t be able to put their guards up. This though is quite like a poker game in a sense that the stakes get higher as you move farther in the game. If at a point in deception, you announce your true intentions or you get figured out, everything from step 1 would crumble and the spell breaks.
To prevent this, Law 3 provides us with tools.
- Decoyed objects of desire and red herrings
Appear interested in something else or something that is greatly opposite of what you really want. This intrigues the one being deceived because you are taking them from a familiar path (shattering what they expected) and leading them to a strange/ unfamiliar world. This leads us back to Kierkegaard’s statement: The world wants to be deceived.
In history, this worked for Otto von Bismarck the former prime minister of Prussia who loved military glory.
- Smokescreen
Hide your intentions behind what is comfortable or familiar to distract people’s attention from your real purpose. If you lead them down a familiar path, they wouldn’t notice that you are leading them to a trap.
This worked, in history, for Joseph “Yellow Kid” Weil who was labeled as one of the most famous American confidence man in his era.
This all seems easy enough but what it requires from us is a deep understanding of human nature. This poses questions such as: “What would people want to hear?” and more importantly, “How far does the deception go?”
Marion Causing
Hi 18 K
43 comments:
You can never win at poker if everyone knows your cards.
But it can't be easy. It's like you said, Marion, what do people want to hear? If they don't like what they hear then deceiving them wouldn't even be an option. Hindi rin sila makikinig.
And then there's what to do after. If and when you complete your deception, can people trust you again? How CAN they trust you if you're a boy who cried wolf? And if no one trusts you, paano ka na?
Sam Bautista
Hi18 - K
I agree that successful deceptions can only be executed if you have a good understanding of human nature. People want to hear interesting, fresh and exciting things, but not necessarily outlandish and impossible stuff or else it wouldn’t work out.
In my opinion, when using the first tool (decoyed objects/red herrings), the targeted victims would later feel as if they could not have known any better and they would think it was partly their fault they were deceived. They would think that it serves them right for being stupid or careless, etc. I feel that if you were to deceive someone, you should use this tool because victims of this would be less likely to be so frustrated or mad as to run after your blood.
When you’re trying to decide on the extent of the deception to run with, simply be honest and realistic in thinking of your back up plan. So I think that if your ass or imagination can’t cover that big a lie, then don’t even try it.
-monica ang, L
Hi Sam!
It's true what you said about if people do not like what they're hearing, they wouldn't even bother listening. Like I said, that is one of the tricky parts. So, I guess, you just have to know your audience well.
For the boy who cried wolf bit, I think it is possible still to deceive even if you have been branded as not a trustworthy person.
Use the law again, make it seem like you've changed when deep inside you really haven't. I'm guessing it would be really hard at first- trying to break a label. But with the right timing and using the tools mentioned in the post, you'll be able to do this.
Take "The Yellow Kid" for example. He was a well-known con artist. That was a label- and yet, he managed to continuously deceive people.
-Marion Causing, Hi18-K
i think the more important question is--
what do you want bad enough to deceive others?
and why do you need to deceive others to gain what you want?
and if you have to deceive others to get what you want, is it worth it?
kyra ballesteros Hi18K
my friend prides himself in the sense of this law. he says that his course is BS FLIRTING MAJOR IN DECEIT and LYING WITHOUT SHOWING IT. haha.
His bashfulness and coy strategies hide his true self and sadly, women fall for that. He really says what they want to hear. Some women can sniff it but most women can't. He takes advantage of situations and he is happy.
This is also what the Police says. in lots of movies, they will say everything that will be able to stop the suspect to do the crime and all that even if the officer is lying. it works. just have to gain trust. that's the important key factor
Raf Sobrepena Hi-K
with this law, you have to take into consideration a number of things. first, you have to know what you want and what your intentions are before deceiving people. you have to know if your needs are important and something you want so badly, that you will have to deceive others. deceit can be risky and can get you into trouble if you do it the wrong way. second, make sure you have thorough knowledge of the people you are dealing with and deceiving. you must have an idea of how you can control them without generating suspicion from them. in short, they must be people you can manage. third, you way you deceive also matters. you must be subtle and show others that they will benefit from the situation. but in reality, you will come out victorious.
-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K
You have to remember that your basic intention is to CONCEAL your intentions, because letting them hang out in the open will attract people who don't want you to get what you want. You want to hide your intent, so you don't just cover it, you lead people away from it too. That's what deception is, JUST THE STRATEGY that's going to help you do what you're gonna do properly (Like if you're in a car chase. Driving away is what you're supposed to be doing. Driving in zigzags is just a strategy). Anyway, my point is, don't concentrate too much on the the telling people what they want to hear and what if they don't listen stuff. Just do whatever you can to keep them the hell away from your secret intentions. This argument may or may not make sense. I lost myself somewhere in the middle. Eh.
Dominique Du, L
if i were to apply this law to myself, i'd just distract people instead of deceiving them and making up stuff. i'm a horrible liar. but i think i'm pretty good at hiding. and i think that's more impt. not necessarily lying and giving out false info. just... not talking. or not showing anything. then people will just think that you have nothing. and they'll look passed you.
ocampo 18-k
@ Monica Ang
I agree with what you said about being honest and realistic in thinking about your plan.
When you say honest, I take it you mean you don't lie to yourself that you can carry out the plan when in fact, you cannot.
Backing out in the middle of the plan, or deviating from the plan because, perhaps, you were too chicken to do it, you would break the "spell". And what impression of you does that leave them with? Someone who takes advantage of people. You get exposed- a transgression of the law since you're not keeping them in the dark anymore. And as Sam had pointed out, it would be harder for you to use the law again, or to even deceive for that matter. :D
Marion Causing
Hi18-K
@ Kyra
I know it's sick that people are "manggugulang". But in my opinion, we see deception in our everyday life. We live in a very very competitive world. Everybody wants to be on top. And true enough, people who reaches the top and stays on top, are those people who are very strategic. What does people want so badly that they resort to deception? To be on top. To get the upperhand, to gain control. Because when you deceive, you control the options.
Why do we need to deceive others to gain what we want? One answer I would propose would be that I think this is because people have this "what's in it for me?" mentality. So, if we twist the tables in thinking that they are getting something grander, it would cause them to let their guards down.
And to your question of is it really worth it?
I wouldn't really know the answer to that. But personally, I don't think it's worth it. 'Cause after that many deceptions, what next? After reaching the top, what next? :| I hope I'm making sense. Haha.
I liked the Dr. House quote.. haha
Sometimes you have to deceive people to get what you want in order to achieve your goals. By hiding your true intentions, you are basically containing and holding your knowledge to yourself.
It is important, however, that one must be careful with concealing ones intentions. If the other party finds out what your really hiding, it is hard to gain back the trust between both parties.
Hi- L Richard Hahn
As I've commented in the other law, the world is full of competitions and rivalries. Having less rivals and competitors would mean higher chance of being successful. Concealing your intentions would somehow relieve your "supposed" competitors and wouldnt think of you as one of their competitors. This process would have to go through the deceiving part, but I guess if the deceit doesnt harm other people much, it is acceptable. As mentioned in the first part, "Everybody lies" anyway. However, I'm not really sure if I can conceal my intentions and deceive the people around me. I think this would require quite long time of practice and efforts for the first-timers.
Yu Chin Hong
Hi18-K
The use of a decoy also poses another use: once you have accomplished your goal, no one will ever suspect that you wanted it to happen that way. They will think you unlucky that you have in your hands an end that you didn't want in the first place. And - if your work involves a lot of benefits that everyone else wanted - they will not get themselves to blame you for what the outcome turns out to be (that is, you ending up with the power and the benefits).
They will think somewhere along the lines of pity and acceptance. If someone who wanted the complete opposite of the outcome turned out to end up in that position nonetheless, then they can at least be happy about the fact that no one who truly wanted it as much as they did actually got it in the end. They will even pity you and think that you do not know the value of your winnings and that you have to deal with it at all.
But be careful with using a decoy. Overdoing your pretend dislike for whatever is at stake may shut all the doors of opportunity for good.
This law sounds too familiar probably because I've done it a few times in the past. I am one who likes the idea of tricking people into doing something. It's not anything serious though. I just do it when I'm bored and I want to amuse myself by tricking my friends into doing unusual things or bringing out sorts of reactions from them.
I can honestly say that the tools, which the law has provided actually works.
Monica Copuyoc
Hi18- K
i think this law is one of the tactics that people actually use: deception. Moreover, it actually works. if you have a clear goal in mind, and you know your target very well, deceiving would be easy as taking a candy from a baby.
nowadays, i think people have geared toward being more trustworthy rather than doubtful. they give "the benefit of a doubt" to most people and practice the "don't judge" principle more often. Deceit, in my opinion, would always be one of the most effective tool to gain power.
Kriska Rivadillo
Hi18 K
Deception is essential in military strategy. The WWII deceptions are probably the best known uses of deception in warfare. The Trojan Horse is used as a perfect metaphor for deception. During the time of Tuthmosis III, Egyptians used deception by passing through an unguarded route to Syria.
A good strategist knows when and HOW to deceive opponents, but a good leader knows when he is being deceived. How does one know when he is being deceived? When he knows the art of deception himself.
Chio Cebrero
Hi 18 L
Ohh... another law related to my law! Again, I’m going to paste a part of my blog here.
“Build up your disguise. You should have a reputable name because the people will not fall for the trap otherwise…. You must not be transparent at all costs to avoiding jeopardizing the risk of your cover being blown. (Keep in mind that your objective is to break down your victim’s barrier so that he/she may be vulnerable for your advantage.)”
On what people want to hear, I guess we just have to butter them up with compliments. Again, the objective is to break down the victim’s barrier and gaining their trust and nothing does it well like making them feel like they have a confidant and “friend” in you.
Mara Liboro
Hi18-K
The silence of slander is valuable.
Indeed, cliches have taught us that the truth will set you free. Not so much in the world of war and power.
Part of what you try achieve out there in the vast expanse of the competitive world (i.e. whatever particular field you wish to penetrate) is an element of surprise. If at the on-set, you provide people a clue as to what's simmering up top, it's pretty much waging a war against the sea from then on in.
By not concealing your intentions, you end up being a product of your environment. But by keeping it in your pants, you're gearing up for the possibility of the environment being a product of you.
Joey Palma
Hi18-K
Always arm yourself with the element of surprise.
Never expose yourself completely, or else you'll lose your essence and whatever you give away could be used against you. Your secret is your power -- trust it with yourself, and yourself alone. Sometimes, even the most trusted friends could turn out to be the most vile enemies, and sharing with them your intentions may lead to disastrous outcomes and put an end to your career.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@ Raf
Yeah. Gaining trust really is one important factor in deception. First of all, someone who distrusts you won't fall for your traps. He or she would always be on guard, right?
I would say that would be a good example. My law came with an opening story of Ninon de L'Enclos, a famous courtesan during her time. She was an expert in seduction (or flirting, whichever) that when she was aged already, parents would even send their sons to her for instructions about love.
Cool, huh?
But, yeah. Poor girls. :|
- Marion Causing Hi18-K
@ Philip
Hey there Philip! I agree with your comment on taking into consideration the intentions and the gravity of the need but I would like to highlight or focus more on the third thing you mentioned, especially the bit about you must show others that they will benefit from the situation.
That reminded me of marketing actually, you can only get people to buy your stuff or avail of your product if you have something that would appeal to their interests to offer. The attitude would always be, "what's in it for me?". This could be seen in the third story that came with my law. As I have briefly mentioned in the entry, a famous follower of the law would be Yellow Kid. So the story was that he met this really big millionaire and dropped casually about planning to make a sneaky easy-money business deal with someone. Knowing all about business, of course the man the Yellow Kid was tricking was instantly interested. If, for example, he said that to a nun, the plan would most likely not push through. Someone must be interested enough to be continuously blinded by the deception. Again, this was shown in this story through a decoy the Yellow Kid used- a middle-aged bear-bellied boxer who was in no means physically fit. The businessman was blinded by how much money he would have that he let this very obvious flaw slide.
-Marion Causing, Hi18-K
@ Dominique
Yeah, I get your point, Nikka. But, the thing is, I still think that telling people what they want to hear is important in concealing your intentions. I think what you tell people and how you tell it is a strategy in itself in the sense that it becomes a decoy. Letting them believe that you're interests or intentions are similar to theirs would create a sense of trust and with a sense of trust, they wouldn't even feel the need to poke into your intentions. If you trust someone, you would of course be less suspicious, right? So in that sense, you are keeping them in the dark of your intentions. You are concealing your intentions from them.
-Marion Causing, Hi18-K
@ Bea Ocampo
Yeah, that thing about not talking or not showing anything works in poker, but the thing is, sometimes silence can be even more suspicious. I think people would want to probe deeper into your intentions if you are to keep silent since people are naturally curious and would want to know things. I think, though, that the poker face strategy would work in seduction since the goal there was not to permanently conceal your intention unlike the Yellow Kid story I mentioned in the above comment. Since you're scaffolding your intentions in seducing, it helps greatly if the "seducee" was to have that curiosity which can only be attained by playing the mysterious card.
-Marion Causing, Hi18-K
@ Richard
Haha. Thanks, I like that Dr. House quote too.
Yeah, exactly, that was basically the point of the law. Once the trust of the other party was broken, it would be really difficult to try to deceive again since you would then be branded to be a liar. And like what I mentioned, it's not only that. If the other party finds out the intention near the end of the plan or the peak of the plan, that trust would be n times harder to regain. Like the poker analogy, the stakes go higher as the game goes on.
- Marion Causing, Hi18-K
Hi Yu Chin!
Yeah, I think so too. Personally, I'm a bit familiar with the law since before, for kicks, I tried applying this to people to see how they would react. Uh-oh. :| In my opinion though, this thing brings more harm that good. I don't know about other people, but I sure wouldn't want to be branded as a deceiver or a manipulator.
I agree also that practicing this law would require quite a long time of practice and effort. It wouldn't be easy to conceal our intentions and make sure that things we do won't give us away.
-Marion Causing, Hi18-K
To Kriska;
That's true! I think knowing your targets should be one of the factors to be considered before making an attempt at this law. Make a bond, form a relationship but never let them realize that this is the first step at deception. Know them like a friend and you'll know what to avoid and how to effectively conceal your true intentions.
Krizia Javate
Hi18-K
Like Bea, I can say that my way of concealing my intentions is by being mum about the situation rather than making things up. Also, between the two tools you mentioned in your blog, I think that the smokescreen tool is what's more applicable for me. I sometimes act as if everything is alright "para iwas gulo", especially when I know that revealing my true intentions wouldn't do good.
Tom Manahan
Hi 18-K
I like this law very much because it is one of the foundations of any strategy, especially in games! You get a good feeling when you employ a strategy that no one in the opponents side seemed to read. Truly this law has many applications.
But it can also lead you the other way around. Since you know the precepts of this law, then one can also assume that your opponents may be doing the same thing, so be wary when reading the movements of your opponents.
Alan Ortiz
HI18 K
I see Bea's point. "leading the person somewhere else" or shiftng the person's attention to something else isn't necessary for this trick. Doesn't THAT make you more suspicious? Just hiding the intention is enough. I'm sure everyone's been reading the different laws and almost every law is about deception. Let's keep this one just about being silent :p you don't really have to lie or do something like that for them not to know what you're up to.
Dana Cammayo
Hi18-L
Deceiving people is a very risky thing. As you said, you have to keep under the dark until the very end. I think it's important to weigh whether or not deceit truly is necessary. You wouldn't want your deceit to cause your downfall. Another thing to keep in mind is how you plan on manipulating others. You have to be consistent the entire way and not leave room for them to suspect something is up. You have to have a good grasp on people and how they think because not everyone is the same, not everyone can be easily manipulated and tricked. It's important to make people believe that they are in the know and are not out of the loop.
Teri Marcelo
Hi 18-K
Remember our Pusoy Dos game earlier? I had to make you guys believe that I'd lower it, but I used a full house instead of a low single card. This law is pretty useful when it comes to games like Pusoy Dos, since deception could easily make you win the game.
The downside of this law is that people tend to lose trust in you if you keep on deceiving them, like what happened to me earlier :-P So use this law at your own risk, lest you want people to hate you in the future for lying to them.
PC Magnaye, Hi18-K
Deception can sometimes be good. During World War 2 at the battle of D-Day. The Allies had a great deception campaign to try to deceive the Germans on where they were planning to land. They would bomb the wrong areas, set up rubber tanks across the channel and such. WHen they invaded, the Germans were caught off guard. Many of their troops were somewhere else. In fact, the deception campaign went so well that the Germans still believed that they were going to be attacked again at the spot where they believed the Allies were landing a while after the invasion already began.
Sean Co
Hi 18 K
well. i think this law is common sense. it's kind of a must in war. i mean, how can you win if the enemy knows exactly what you're doing or are planning to do, right? they'll just have a solution to everything you throw at them or plan to throw at them even before you actually do something. fail to follow this law, and you will lose before you start anything.
kristina tan
hi18 k
You're right, executing this law would require a deep understanding of human nature. You would also need to consider the fact that your audience doesn't consist of a homogeneous people, therefore it would be difficult to find one universal way of appealing to or deceiving them, since they are of different backgrounds and different interests. In order to be successful in using this strategy, you must also gain the trust of those whom you want to deceive, and in order to do this, you must achieve a certain closeness. Perhaps like a pair of hands, close in proximity, but not knowing what the other is up to.
Elise Noelle Anne Lim
Hi18 Section L
Attaining power through deception is good enough, but one can't really avoid the times when "honesty is really the best policy." Being secretive is really beneficial, but you become predictable in the process as well - people expect you to conceal things - and this is why telling them the truth sometimes would put them off your trail. Not only would they be confused in the process, but this would also increase your credibility.
Filbert Tan
Hi18-K
sometimes you might get so consumed and occupied with your "repressed" intentions, that in the end it might turn out that its what you'll want.
Cristal Rodriguez
Hi18-L
I find this law very witty. It reminds me of the old-aged Filipino fable about a monkey and a turtle. They both wanted a banana tree, and when the turtle deceived the monkey, the monkey planned to kill the turtle. As he furiously plans to do so, he asked the turtle where he prefers to be thrown in.
The turtle said: "Please don't throw me in the river, i'll drown!"
Monkey: "Buti nalang sinabi mo (Good thing you told me)."
.... Without thinking it through, he threw the turtle into the river. And since turtles can swim, he was able to escape.
By appearing to be at the mercy of something that is greatly the opposite of what he really needed, the turtle was able to fool the monkey into making him do exactly what he needed to save his life. Such a smart turtle to have employed this kind of tactic.. Slow but terrible! :)
Chua Rojas, Serica
Hi 18 -L
This seems to be a very risky rule to put into action. for one thing, it would be immensely difficult to feign desire for something. for another, it would be just as difficult, if not more, to feign not wanting something. if executed properly, yes, it could get you places. however, if not, it could potentially destroy your reputation, not to mention your career.
-Angelo Mendoza, His18-L
I agree that people like to deceive the world in order not to reveal their true intentions to others. Concealing our intentions requires so much efforts and time. It is naturally hard to conceal what you are thinking of to people around you because as you trust somebody, you tend to tell everything you have in mind. However, we should know who our friends and rivals are. Thus, concealing intentions not to the enemies but to friends whom you can truly trus.
Hae In Lee
Hi18 K
Should we conceal your intentions or say what we really think? The "48 laws of power" teaches us to conceal our intentions, but the "Screw work let's play" teaches us to say what we really think and attract the right people and opportunities that help us. I am perplexed by the apparent 2 schools of thought, what do you think?
https://brainbook.in/ Here are all the law in hindi i found that's awesome
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