Re: Manipulation LO751

Jim Michmerhuizen (jamzen@world.std.com)
Wed, 12 Apr 1995 20:52:13 +0059 (EDT)

On Tue, 11 Apr 1995, Richard Karash wrote in LO736:

> Interesting to me, one of my most language-conscious friends feels that
> when we say "manipulation" we mean that the person pulling the strings
> is doing so *unintentionally*. This meaning is not mentioned in any of
> my dictionaries -- Do others recognize this in the word?

Huh? *Unintentionally*!! The usage we're referring to here I think
implies the exact opposite. I cannot imagine referring to someone, for
example, as "manipulative" and then saying "...and on top of everything
else, he's doing it intentionally." If that were a common idiom, we would
be justified in concluding that intention was not part of our concept of
manipulation.

But in fact we hear such constructions as

"Oh, he knows what he's doing all right; I call it downright manipulative!"

A: "The poor dear - I just feel so sorry when I see her crying like that."
B: "Don't let her manipulate your feelings like that; she can turn the
tears on at will."

It seems to me those examples prove beyond controversion that intention
_is_ part of the everyday concept of manipulation.

Regards
jamzen@world.std.com
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. . . . . . . . . . Actions speak louder than words . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . but not as clearly . . . . . . . . . .