Da Whiteman has a manipulation technique which I boiled down today while driving to Angola.
I
My ceramics T.A., last week: Z, the professor does not like you or your work but is afraid to confront you about these matters, so I must.
A relative, somewhat recently: My wife fears your intelligence and this fear is bad for our marriage. She does not have the confidence to confront you about it, so I must.
A relative, years ago: My wife is hurt by your independence and this fear disturbs our sleep. She does not have the strength to confront you about it, so I must.
Z, to the T.A.: I will speak to the professor, then.
Z, to the relatives: I will try to change, then. [This was the wrong answer.]
II
Some time ago I had a similar incident with a colleague.
Colleague: Z, the chair is working against you surreptitiously. You should therefore always vote for me.
Z: I will speak to the chair, then. (Stands up.) In fact, I will go do it now. It is 4:30 and he always leaves at 5:00. It would be good to clear this matter up today.
This colleague’s response was to hit me. It was the only time I was ever hit.
Z: Do you realize what you have done?
Colleague: No.
Z: This is what you have done.
Colleague: My God. My God. What will happen to me?
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
He/she actually HIT you? Was this person disciplined (I hope)–fired, maybe?
No, we worked it out right there. First step in these things according to the procedure documents is, you try to work it out with the person (and yes I did make a report to the chair). Amazingly, it really worked – it may be the only time I was hit, but it is also one of the few times I have had a severe difference with a colleague and actually worked it out.
Heh. yeah I’m getting more into the mode of just doing things. If I want something, ask for it. If I think that something isn’t working out, consider quitting. Live in the moment. Don’t bother with figuring things out any more — you already know too much. Assume that disruptions are caused by waves of incompetence, rather than other people’s thinking.
“waves of incompetence”
Yes. Hard for me to imagine but this really is the source of a great deal.
“other people’s thinking”
Yes. As I try to suggest here, the idea that one should imagine and worry about what other people *supposedly* think (as imagined and reported by third parties, for their own purposes) is a manipulative strategy of whitemen.
I’m learning that others really don’t think that much. It is a shame. I’m getting a handle on the way things are these days. I could see it more clearly than every in the debate that the PM and leader of the opposition had on TV. They were appealing to base levels of consciousness — and I could see what they were. These are the base levels of consciousness that rule us. So, yeah, there is really very little thinking going on, and very much that is hubris or reaction.
One of my main errors in life has been to assume thought where there was none – not realizing that many do not rise above base levels of consciousness, or wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt. Ah, well!
Yeah, that has also been an error of mine. Nevermind, it probably drives us to greater intellectual heights, trying to figure stuff out.
It did give me insight where I had none. Had I not tried, I would have been left thinking people were odd, but I would not have come been able to use these real life examples as a sort of laboratory to understand so much about society: reification, commodification, anti-feminism, etc.! 😉