extreme webmaster evernerve

It took me all my life up until now to realize that basically no one ever understood or cared about my genuine need to help others without expecting anything in return.

This fact dawned in on me some days ago. Yes, there are things that just come to one’s consciousness after a long period of time. Perhaps there are people out there who understand these things with ease, but me, it took me some time to process that.

Maybe I didn’t want to realize that. Once I did, however, I immediately began behaving differently. I shall be a little selfish from now on.

People just don’t accept a free lunch

Image credit: corypina

The educational website that I started my independent Web publishing foray with has free content exclusively. And out of the nearly 2 million people that visited it, perhaps only two dozens thanked me for it and sent a nice e-mail, or made a donation. Most either didn’t care, or worse, made demands that I create stuff that would take me a month to create. Just like that, “I want that”. Fuck you!

Sadly, people seem to frown upon free content. People think that free stuff doesn’t have any value. This is sad for me to realize, because it means that money really makes the world go round. That it means so much to each and every individual, that when you give free stuff, it is either misunderstood or ridiculized.

Everyone is so obsessed with money that it is no wonder when young people grow up, they experience, see and feel the importance of money as something that comes before anything else in life. Despite endless claims to the contrary.

So free stuff must be either something made to lure you in, a scam or a thing without any value whatsoever. “There is no such thing as a free lunch in the universe”. Well, fuck you! I made free lunch for others and am still doing it. Quality free things do exist. But the problem is that you can’t relate to others by being altruistic and compassionate. Stupid humans just don’t understand that. They immediately get suspicious.

Dictators are cool

Ever wonder why dictatorships can and do exist? Ever wonder why people let these ruthless characters take power? Fear is the key. If people are afraid of honesty, if they are suspicious of a genuine display of love, care and compassion, what makes you think that they will ever question authority?

People admire others who make a lot of money and wield a lot of power. Or hate them because of that but are too afraid to say anything. I just can’t understand how far this stupidity can go. I am usually kind to people and always greet others with a smile. This is just who I am. And people won’t respect you because of that, remember.

But as soon as I show some teeth and start grwling they tend to be nice. This is how the majority functions. When you show determination and steadfastness, sometimes even arrogance, they start behaving politely. How retarded is that?! When I used to work in some big companies, I noticed that people look at you differently if you put on an expensive suit (I rarely put these on, it’s not my style, but here and there, I had to do it).

That’s why dictatorships are possible. People will bend over to a display of power and wealth. Yes, display! Not actual power. People perceive power, whether it is real or not. But once someone really grabs the power, it doesn’t really matter if what went on before was just a show for the masses. What’s important is that it worked.

Of course, this isn’t the only reason. You must be aware of the fact that the masses will bear any kind of dictatorship, as long as it is a system in which there is an established order. Take that away and people will become lost. Most humans like listening to what the leaders (be they politicans, religious leaders or media personalities) tell them to do. Because:

1. People are lazy and don’t want to use their own head.
2. If something goes awry, they can always blame whoever’s in power rather than themselves. People don’t like to take responsibility for their own lives. It’s easier to bitch and place blame on someone else.

Dictators are extremely intelligent people. They understand the way the masses function in minute detail. They are master manipulators. Spin doctors.

Do you know what is the first thing that needs to be done while a coup is in progress? The takeover of mass media. You must seize the TV and the radio. Start broadcasting lies combined with deep fear. Then offer relief. It will work. Why? Because people believe what they see on TV and what they hear on the radio. They don’t question authority.

Image credit: konsumterra

This is also the reason why all dictators go after independent media and in more jolly cases, execute intellectuals. Why? Because intellectuals are independent thinkers. They always question authority. Remember this: A man that thinks for himself is a dangerous man. These kinds of individuals are a threat to power.

All marketers are evil wizards

Marketers know very well the facts that I outlined above. So, it follows that:

• A good marketer is a master of manipulation.
• A good marketer understands the depths of human psyche.
• A good marketer understands how fear, illusions and reward systems work.
• A good marketer could easily obtain a doctorate in psychology.
• A good marketer takes advantage of these facts and uses them to earn money.
• A good marketer doesn’t give a flying fuck whether the job at hand is ethical or not.
• A good marketer doesn’t have any ethics. Things just are. They are not good or evil. People are just like that. And if you can sell and feed them shit because they want to buy and eat it, so be it. Why should one educate the masses? The public gets what the public wants. That’s how a marketer thinks.

Authority does not exist: A firsthand account

If humans blindly accept money and the golden rule (He who has the gold makes the rules), it is only natural that they will accept “authority”. I say “authority” because it really doesn’t exist. It is an artificial concept.

Why the fuck should you or anyone else for that matter believe somebody because he or she is in a particular position (a politician, a CEO, a millionaire)? Authority exists in people’s minds only. Read on to see how I had an interesting encounter I had with a person of “authority”.

Image credit: combustible monkey

I remember meeting a man once. This man was (and still is) working as the head of the department of culture in the mayor’s office. Since the city where I live in (when I ‘m not living abroad like now) is a European capital, this man’s department has a considerable amount of money at his disposal. Each year, a portion of the city’s budget is allocated to his department, which in turn is spent on various activities that promote cultural events, help young talented artists, organize concerts, expositions, etc.

This man used to be a deputy in my country’s Parliament. He is also regarded as an expert in geopolitics, current world events, security, etc. He has his own column where he writes about these subjects. As I am very interested in these same things too, and am an avid reader of related books and publications, I stroke a conversation with him. I am a very communicative kind of guy and I find it easy to talk to people, no matter whom I meet. So I spoke to this man as I would have with anybody else.

The things that I discovered during the conversation with this man were very interesting indeed:

1. He is no more of an expert than I am in geopolitics, world events, history, etc.
2. He is basing the majority of his knowledge on just a few sources and a book! A single book!
3. I knew shit he didn’t. I was startled that he didn’t read a well-known book from a bestselling author, even though it was a well-known work. I borrowed him that book.
4. I soon discovered that he was just recycling content from websites that covered the same topics that he wrote about in his column. Sometimes blatantly so.

I was amused. It was clear to me that this guy seemed like a nice person, but also that he isn’t no “authority” at all. Things became even more hilarious when he began having arguments with his wife (we were at a lunch). They were acting ridiculously, having fights over things like what should he eat, etc.

Suits, positions and media appearances don’t mean shit to me. And now that I saw this man, spoke to him, watched him bicker, bitch and argue with his wife I lost any illusions whatsoever. Authority does not exist. All of the media serves just to sell rubbish to the masses.

How the so-called authoritative persons react when they see that you see right through them

Almost a year passed since that encounter. I decided to go back to my city of usual residence to see people that are dear to me and to rest a bit. I also decided to visit this man. Many people would consider this weird and unusual: I just went to see him at his office, in the city hall. I didn’t announce myself or anything.

Knock, knock.

He was clearly surprised. We spoke about this and that, nothin really serious. He was complaining a bit about the corruption. He asked me if there is anything that he can do for me. Clearly, he thought that he owes me something because I borrowed him a book, took his wife and him to lunch and because I was generally nice and good company.

He must have been even more surprised and puzzled when I thanked him for his offer but politely declined it. He was still that same man that I met. This time, he had a suit and was seated in his big office. That didn’t phase me at all. We had a conversation and that was it.

So, people who are supposed “authorities” will react to yours being honest in one of the following ways:

1. Puzzled. They don’t understand that you can actually just talk to them, without any hidden intentions.
2. Pissed. You don’t show them the respect they are used to when dealing with others. So you irritate them, because you don’t conform to the norm.
3. Arrogant. They will try to patronize you and may even be rude to try to show their non-existent perceived value to you.
4. Distant. Ignoring is an excellent option when everything else fails. Throw in some arrogance and you’re effectively stonewalled.

I saw that man on TV some months later, where he was one of the guests in a discussion panel. Current affairs were discussed, conflicts, politics and such. People called in asking questions. My acquaintance was responding by giving answers that I already knew (the same recycled stuff). The thing that caught my eye was the way he responded to the viewers’ questions.

While a viewer was posing his question, the man closed his eyes behind his glasses, nodding his head only slightly, as if in profound contemplation. And he was very good at it. Then he answered with a voice that was boasting with confidence. The answer wasn’t anything deep. A few facts, that’s all. But this man knew really well how to market himself. Surely, he read books. He went to seminars and appeared at conferences. But he isn’t an academic. Yet he manages to present himself as an expert. Marketing is everything. He churned out a few books, that are well promoted. Smart fellow!

Conclusion: Earn money by selling marketing to the masses

When you are a good marketer, you are not selling whatever it is that you are selling to them (a car, a book, a subscription to some content, etc). You are selling them marketing. It is your story that they buy. They will buy whatever dreams, illusions, hopes, lies, images you may be selling to them.

So, to be successful: Master a subject. And then market yourself.

Basically, you can’t miss if you follow that. If you know your shit, people will start to notice that. And once you inject good marketing, you will become an authority in your chosen niche. People will buy your stuff at a good price. You will bring them what they want and they will be happy.

Besides, you are doing a good thing, because people will get real value if you truly dedicate yourself to your subject of choice. You will churn out a quality product sooner or later.

Afterword

In this blog, I am enjoying sharing my experiences with you. I like to give advice based on what I have seen and experienced. Although I love self-improvement, success and knowledge sharing, sometimes this means not-so-jolly things, like the first half of this post. Because that’s life too, and I want to discuss such aspects of it also. They come in handy, yep, even when there is some negativity around. You must learn to see a lesson in each experience you pass thorugh. In that way, you will become wiser and stronger.

Image credit: moonwire

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to my RSS feed or leave a comment. Share and bookmark: