For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. – EXODUS 9:14-16
Object Of Desire
- Appearance by creating triangles
- Essential to appear desirable in the eyes of others
- Aura of desirability – of being wanted
- Being courted by many
- Draw closer victims – make them hungry to possess
- No reversal – People are social creatures and immensely influenced by the tastes and desires of others
- Want what other people want
- Gather around those who have already attracted interest
An alternative account of the origins of strategy- indeed, of the origins of everything – comes from the Hebrew bible. There is no suggestion in the Bible that strategy is in any sense unnatural. Many of the stories revolve around conflicts. […] Some stories ( David and Goliath being the most obvious example) still influence the way we think and talk about strategy.The best strategic device in The Bible, however, is to always trust God and obey his laws. God might allow others to shape the game, but he was always the biggest player. When he withheld support the result was often disaster. When he came in on the side of his people the result was never in doubt. – STRATEGY A HISTORY
[…] The stories in the Bible display evident human frailties, with a pronounced tendency for deception as a vital strategic practice. When an individual was in a tough spot and there was a crafty way out, it tended to be taken. For example, Jacob, with his mother’s connivance, tricked his blind father into giving him the blessing intended for his elder brother, Esau. Jacob was tricked in turn by his prospective father-in-law, so he ended up with two wives rather than one. And finally, Jacob was deceived by his sons to believe that his favourite son, Joseph, had been killed rather than sold into slavery. STRATEGY A HISTORY
Targets
- Everything depends on the target
- Keep it simple with some victims – reversal with mixed signals
- Do not bother creating depth for people who are insensitive or even disturbed by it
- Recognize by their preference for simpler pleasures
- Lack of patience for a more nuanced story
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The Floating Gender – Feel separation of sexes to be a burden
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They love to play with their gender, to give expression to both sides
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Seduction by another person of uncertain gender
- Leave this type
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The Bible acknowledges the moral ambiguity involved in trickery, and the outrage of the deceived, yet also accepts its value in the face of superior but unworthy power. In a world of flawed human beings, deception comes naturally and often. There are two possible explanations for the latitude allowed of human behaviour. The first is that there is nothing in the end to be learned from all of this because all actions are subject to a higher manipulation. The second is that humans are able to make their own calculations, but in the end only one strategic judgment matters: whether or not to obey God. STRATEGY A HISTORY