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The Economic Crisis: How We Were Played!

By: janev6 Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Thanks to the media, no one is exempt from the dismal news of the economic collapse of Wall Street.

The very fact it happened is ludicrous. But how did it happen? How could such a thing blindside the best minds of the financial world? And, who is really to blame? Is the very notion of holding anyone accountable outdated? Such are the questions on everyone’s mind.

I believe it was not a freak occurrence; it was not an unforeseeable consequence of a perfect storm of global factors which just happened to converge at one single time.

On the contrary, beneath the surface of this crisis lies a set of dynamics concealed from public view that made it not so much happenstance as inevitable – the predictable outcome of a sinister choreography I prefer to call The Game.

In reality, The Game has been around for millennia. It rises and falls with the fluctuations of circumstance. Like the phoenix, out of the ashes of one Game comes another – different in form, but remarkably identical in substance. A deeper examination of the latest incarnation – the consumption bubble which led to the collapse on Wall Street – reveals the necessary clues to how this Hidden Game is played out right before our eyes.

First, we know what goes up must come down, so it is no surprise that the enormous bubble created by the sales-driven economy would burst. Nonetheless, when it did, its brutal reality of chaos and carnage shocked every last one of us.

How that bubble grew is simple, really. Over the last several decades myriad products were foisted upon the public who drifted into a buying trance. As needs gave way to wants, specific wants gave way to addicts buying for the sake of buying. Consumption became rapacious, driven by slick advertising and enabled by easy credit. A population of shopaholics became so habituated to shopping that even when the money ran out last fall, penniless people carrying maxed out credit cards filled the malls coast-to-coast.

Because humans are driven by emotion and not reason, effective salesmen know that more can be achieved by a manipulative appeal to our emotional weaknesses than by the most cogent, brilliant argument. Being a master manipulator then, is their goal.

Manipulation is the art of managing impressions. It stands to reason then that through the process of natural selection those who are the most talented at impression management rise to the top of the organizational hierarchy. I call these the “Players.”

Manipulators – Players – are born, not made. Their art requires a degree of congruence in presentation that is simply not sustainable for those who are not naturally inclined to manipulate. The defining element in the character profile of a player is narcissism. But they are not merely narcissistic; they are narcissists to their very core.

The narcissist is a predator. Their motivation is power, status, and instant gratification. Lacking conscience, they exist without barriers; they hold no regard for the law or any social norm. They execute their plans without question to the methods and means they employ to achieve their goals.

Despite being supremely self-serving, Players, like wolves, form a type of tribe, or pack. They share a common worldview and instinctively draw to one another, seeking each other out in the crowd. Once this ‘tribe’ gains control of an environment, all others are barred from the upper ranks and so The Game begins.

A contra-selection takes place wherein the best and the brightest are pushed aside to make way for the Players and their loyal followers. Since excellence is the natural enemy of mediocrity, and people of excellence have a conscious, it stands to reason that over time the Players exclusively occupy the upper ranks. Their challenge then is to create a game which looks fair and open on the surface, but whose outcome is fully predetermined. No matter what the role of the dice, Players come out on top.

How do they do this? Hypnosis.
I’m not talking about the kind you see practiced by mentalists and stage magicians, no, Players are much more covert. They disguise their game far better and are far more successful than mere actors.

The Game itself is in reality nothing more than a trance induced by the Players and is only sustained by our collective belief in the fabricated reality we are duped into believing. Once we wake up, The Game evaporates and in very short order becomes a vague and distant memory; the way we shake off a nightmare when we rise in the morning.

Are you ready to learn the inner workings of the Players? Are you ready to gain the competitive edge and thrive in their arena without compromising your integrity?

If you want freedom from your captors, let me share more with you about how The Game is played and how you can reclaim your life.

In my book series on, The Hidden Game, I reveal the tactics and motivations of society’s ‘Players’ and how they operate. My goal is to give you the leverage you need to not only out-smart the Players, but to play – and win.

My passion is a call-to-arms to every thinking man and woman to free themselves from the yoke of The Hidden Game.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: John Berling Hardy is dedicated to helping you to reclaim your life and revealing the tricks which are being used to manipulate you. For more of his writings please visit www.playingtheplayers.com.