Manipulation: As Old as Democracy Itself (and Sometimes Dangerous)

When we think of manipulation we are likely to come up with a list of nefarious examples. High on my own list would be the following. “Ideology” and “false consciousness” (Karl Marx). “The manufacture of consent” (Walter Lippmann and Noam Chomsky).1 “Hidden persuaders” (Vance Packard). Brainwashing. And movies: The Manchurian Candidate. The Stepford Wives. The Truman Show. All of these, and many more besides, draw upon a deep well of anxiety about being manipulated. This is not necessarily a neurotic but an altogether healthy anxiety. To the degree that our thoughts and actions are manipulated by others, we are unfree and our autonomy is threatened. Or so it might appear. I want to suggest that such appearances may be misleading, at least in some circumstances.