Snippets Of How They Control You In Or As A Crowd

It all depends on what comprises your universe. Is it a family, a WhatsApp group, an organisation with hundreds of employees; a country, or the whole world? Your universe best dictates the most suitable resources, tactics and strategies. Tactics are short term in nature while strategies are longterm based. Control is about wielding power over others.

Let us begin with relationships between a man and a woman. Humans have an emotional side represented by reasoning from the heart. They also have a rational side represented by reasoning from the mind. When the two work simultaneously, they meet midway and help to maintain a healthy balance as the relationship has rationalised emotions.

When we keep to either extreme with men digging into the rational side and the women firmly anchored on the emotional end or vice versa, it takes the delicate application of skills to return to normalcy and this is where the rational mind is manipulated using well-reasoned arguments and seasoned with just enough emotion.

The emotional type is tugged in using heart seeking talks and actions. To sustain the relationship, either partner takes into consideration the building blocks which include: a long term side, something to look forward to at all times, a shared culture, finances, common interests and a supportive attitude. These are also the tools of control.

Let us not get into the nitty-gritty. Everyone knows their mate well enough to exercise control over them. The pants' wearer keeps shifting between the couple depending on their relationship's emotion/reason dynamics. For the traditionalist, other rules apply.

At the family level, there are as many manipulative styles as there are families. Different styles work with different age groups and the simplest form is continuous crying by a child or by one of the parents. The most effective styles depend on family culture.

Some parents exercise power simply by just clearing their throats, and immediately, the children know that it is bedtime even if their favourite program was airing on TV. A second clearing of the throat spells doom for the defiant child.

Some parents make everyone around them feel guilty to firmly maintain control while others make kids do things that get them to continuously search for perfection. Many set unattainable targets to escape financial obligations.

Some get their kids to feel like heroes all the time. But the true test of the success of this approach manifests when the kids are up against giants and minions. Will they be consistent or do they collapse?

Different approaches bring different results.

In WhatsApp groups, the admin is meant to be fully in charge but we have many invited characters who do different things to shape the opinions of members around the prevailing discussions.

Liberal admins leave the groups to find their own flow but five characters are constant and will always control our discussions.

First, is the admin who controls those joining or those forced to leave. They hold the disciplinary keys.

Second, are the serious guys. They want to be associated with serious discussions. Sometimes they are dismissive of those who try to lighten the moments with funny stuff. They discuss the economy, politics, and react to news items about organisations. They control the group's long term outlook.

Third, are the jokers. They have nothing serious to say but they always comment on all topics in the group. They have all manner of things queued up in your Whatsapp chats. They don't control much but must keep sending stuff to catch everyone's attention. They test and control your patience if you allow them.

Fourth, we have the controversial guys. They twist things around. Rabble-rousers influence how people engage. Many members first watch out for what they are up to before reacting to their contributions. These guys control your reactions through irritation.

Finally, you have the guys who take care of the group's optical nutrition requirements. These guys share very catchy pictorials and videos. They are the best at filtering stuff so that the most impactful make it in the forum. Many times, all who subscribes to their contribution look forward to their juicy input. They control your imagination as they keep you yearning for more.

Let's focus on the workplace. Organisations have people wishing to control them for whatever reasons those people have.

Effective bosses know something about everyone and will attempt to utilise everyone for something other than their work. Some people are good at arranging parties and meetings and others are good at spotting business opportunities. Whatever it is, the bosses try to use them positively or suppress them depending on how it benefits them or the organisation. They control the opportunities that come your way or are kept from you.

Two main types of employees also bring out two kinds of bosses. First, we have employees who understand that the boss must never be challenged for power in any way when opportunities to do so present themselves. They do a good job and await to be pulled up the ranks for they are no threat.

This type of employees usually rise faster because the bosses want to have a dependable guy who isn't a threat even after they exit the organisation. And many times, it's for personal gain. These types work like good conductors of electricity by never disrupting the flow of control.

Then we have another type. This is the guy with plenty of self-belief. They have all the required competencies and have an attitude of challenging and questioning the system. They push their way up unlike the first type that gets pulled up. They work like a self-regulated cut-out switch and can disrupt the flow of power and control.

So these two kinds of employees thrive under different types of bosses. 90% of the time, bosses wish for those who can be pulled up. This type of boss and junior pair up well in status quo dependent situations such as where longevity is driven by shared secrets like hidden deals. When hard times manifest through economic or pandemic challenges, the first type of bosses cling on to anything else that maintains familiarity. This includes the predictable employee types.

Unfortunately for them, desperate times call for the self-driven types and dynamic bosses acknowledge this attribute as a vital contributor to the organisation's success. Smart bosses send these types to head branches away from the headquarters. These guys will get things done with limited supervision. So the dynamic boss will exercise control by utilising every employee in the place where their positive impact is felt the most.

At the country level, we know that not everyone is of the same circumstances in terms of knowledge levels, wealth, gender, affiliations et al, all the time. Every government exists to uplift and grow the aspirations, living standards and to ensure the security of its citizenry. But no government is in full control of all the circumstances within its jurisdiction.

So they are forced to be creative with control strategies and tactics. Most times, they go along what citizens like. For instance, sport is a big area for crowd control. All sporting activities have fans and their favourite teams form a big part of their conversations and priorities.

There have been instances in other countries where mass action was contained by threats to cancel football matches because of the potential friction between the authorities and the fans. For the ardent fan, the stadium experience cannot be traded for any other option and this has worked. But perhaps not in situations where the reasons for mass action rank higher than the upcoming game.

In other countries, widely practised activities are utilised by the authorities as control baits. For as long as these activities are tied to long term gains, and that they keep reasonably high levels of hope, the masses bite hard.

Maize farming is one such activity here at home. It occupies many people. We know that everyone else in the supply chain of inputs is the true gainer. Even better for you if you are an importer. At the end of it all, the hope for a different result annually, keeps the millions of people dependent on maize growing, focussed and occupied by the cereal's politics. They are disappointed but the allure of next year's fortunes soon takes over. And the government ticks off the box of yet another year of crowd control success as it kept the peace.

Price discrimination is another favourite tool. Water finds its own level. We all fall into place based on what we can afford. To keep people away from certain areas, you either secure them using the police, watchmen, technology-based measures or you simply use pricing. If it has a scarcity element to it, the better.

When people vote with their pockets, the majority find themselves in densely populated neighbourhoods as the monied families breath the fresh air provided by their leafy surroundings.

Aspiration for a better life is in itself a control measure that plays out throughout our lives. That is why every government must cultivate and maintain the hopes of its citizens. There is nothing worse for authorities than fighting to control a multitude that has lost hope. They have nothing to lose anymore and they now direct their energy to any course that exacts revenge for slipping into hopelessness.

At the world stage, muscle wins you, friends. The rich and powerful countries dictate the pace for mankind. They decide for the world. The formal structures at the global stage work for them and when they want to discuss things that matter to them alone, they go offline and use an informal gathering called the G7. The ramifications of this informal club, find their way into the formal workings of many lesser governments.

In geopolitics, some amended principles of physics apply. For instance, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The difference here is that the G7 determines both the actions and the reactions.

For their countries to continue thriving, the opposite must happen in some poor African country. To grow their technological dominance, they must create a banana republic to supply the critical raw materials that feed their tech-based companies. They then come back to give grants and loans from the proceeds. They instigate and control the undemocratic events at the source countries whilst exercising democratic principles at home.

Further, they come for the continent's best brains and make these work for them throughout their productive lives. The spent forces then return with accents and stories.

This article is not exhaustive but it nonetheless serves to stimulate further discussions.

As an individual, what do you control? That is your admission ticket to bigger things to control, for, at any stage, practice makes perfect for the next big thing.