Comment by micromacrofoot

I disagree. Short of wearing a blindfold and putting my fingers in my ears there are many opportunities for someone to influence me against my will every day. You have to be exposed to this sort of manipulation to exist in society.

This has gotten a little off-track into pedantry though, I agree.

The parent post's assertion that the author of this post is somehow using "tricks" and that it is unhealthy, is what I take issue with.

It's a bit of unfair framing to claim that people who naturally develop these "tricks" are somehow superior to those who have to learn them. By that reasoning people with poor social skills would be doomed to poor outcomes for the sake of some trick-free "pure" personality.

Or another way... if I take elocution and debate lessons to make my point better and use that to get what I want in life, is this "unhealthy"? I don't think most people would say so. In my eyes this is no different.