Jedi mind tricks

My ex-husband was a master at getting people to do what he wanted them to do. He called it Jedi mind tricks. He would plant a seed in people's minds then voila, desired action.

I remember him letting me into his secret shortly after we were married.

"Watch this," he told me one afternoon when we were hanging out with one of my unsuspecting sisters. He raised his hand to his face fanning it, "gee it's hot in here," he observed. He turned to my sister, "aren't you hot?"

She looked at the window which was closed, then down at her body. She raised her arms looking at the sweat under her armpits, "Yeah, now that you mention it, I am a bit hot. I hadn't really noticed..." she looked at the window again, "wow, I think we need some air in here," she noted, going over and opening it.

A cool breeze wafted in and I marvelled at my new husband's skills. But he wasn't done.

"Gawd," he drawled in his American accent, "I'm so thirsty!" turning to my sister again he asked, "you thirsty?"

"As a matter of fact I am," she smiled, "I'm going to grab a glass of lemonade from the kitchen," she turned to go, glancing back at my husband and I, "you guys want some?"

"Sure, thanks," my ex winked at me as he replied.

Again, I marvelled. But this time I got nervous.

I began to wonder how many times had he'd done this to me without my knowing it?

Over the years, I saw him pull his tricks on countless unsuspecting people and I became acutely aware of when he was doing it to me.

"Jedi mind tricks!" I would howl whenever his suggestions of hunger or thirst sent me hurtling unconsciously towards the kitchen. Often I'd get that cup of tea anyway.

It was a fun game in some ways, but there was this sinister undertone to it. I started to realise how frequently the power of suggestion was used to galvanise people into action.

Advertiser's do this constantly. I remember years ago, watching as the television assailed female viewers with a cringeworthy question from a well known brand, selling douche,

"Do you feel less than fresh?"

Being familiar with Jedi mind tricks I became angry. These bloody parasites were making women feel bad about themselves at one of the most vulnerable times of their monthly cycle to flog their product! I wondered how many women simply felt 'less than fresh,' at their suggestion and bought the thing.

It happens all around us, all the time. We're watching "The Block," and Scottie Cam extolls the virtues of Bunnings or Placemakers. All of a sudden our toilet or our bathroom tiles simply aren't good enough and we're off to said stores to rectify the problem.

We're watching MAFS (Married at First Sight), and beside us, our twenty something daughter sighs saying something like, "I want flowers just like those at my wedding."

Donald Trump was a master of the planted suggestion. He realised that if you repeated something frequently enough or used subtle language cues to set yourself up in opposition to the political status quo*, people swallowed it hook, line and sinker. And not only could you influence people's behaviour, but if you didn't like the actual facts in any given situation, you could simply claim, "fake news," and people would believe that too.

This constant grooming is often done where you least expect it. I recall a local Melbourne drive time radio show before the 2019 Australian election. One of the hosts decided to call his dear old mum and have a chat.

"Oh I don't like that Bill Shorten," she chortled, "don't trust him as far as I could throw him."

Again, I got really mad, stopped listening to the show actually. Another opinion I hadn't asked for was being forced down my throat.

I remember wondering to myself, "How many people will listen to those comments and take them onboard without even realising their voting choice has been influenced?"

The Information Age is amazing. You can do a google search and find videos on everything from how to write a good resume to how to make a Molotov cocktail. But hidden within it's glittering array of facts and instructions, lurks a beast; pointing us this way or that, steering our desires, turning our dreams into algorithms, providing us with ads for products we'll need to raise that baby before we even realise we're pregnant.

My point? I just want you to be aware; Jedi mind tricks exist and they're used on us every day. Being 'woke' in this era is more than just being vegan and having a morning meditation practice. It's understanding that every time an uninvited suggestion or opinion is fired at you it is hoping to plant a seed in your subconscious, to fire you to some form of action.

Just make sure that action is truly representative of you and your values.

I'd love to hear from you. What Jedi mind tricks have you seen recently? How did they make you feel?

* https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-inauguration-president-psychological-tricks-language-twitter-tweets-convince-americans-a7536866.html