# Persistent Manipulation By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2025-02-21 Ideology seeks to perpetuate the status quo. Most of what is presented is designed to preclude meaningful change. The rich remain rich. The poor remain poor. Those in power stay in power. This understanding is fairly straightforward. What is less understood is the extent to which we are subject to ongoing manipulation. Our wants, desires, and thoughts are shaped by what we see, hear, and consume. It is unrelenting and also exhausting. Without isolating ourselves, there is likely little hope for escape. So, what can be done? Perhaps an effective strategy is to shift focus from self to others. The dominant ideology emphasizes individualistic consumption and offers little regard for our desires for others. Because this aspect is largely overlooked in the dominant ideology, focusing on others may provide a perspective from which we can gain insight. What do we wish for others? What is the life we hope they can achieve? The answers to these questions vary. Generally, a society where healthcare is a universal right, work offers economic security and creative fulfillment, leave can be taken without anxiety, individuals can pursue personal development and excellence, and there is a sense of solidarity that does not demand conformity seems both attainable and sustainable. We are conditioned to be self-absorbed consumers. The society arising from this pursuit is both sick and confining. Liberation awaits. As Sartre explained, one cannot be committed to freedom unless one desires freedom for all. Focusing on the freedoms we want for all our brothers and sisters—such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—is crucial for establishing these freedoms for ourselves. Unless we secure these rights meaningfully for the most vulnerable among us, all our individual gains remain precarious. Breaking the cycle of persistent manipulation by the dominant ideology compels us to look beyond ourselves, to recognize each other, and to care for those we see. #### Related Items [[Ideology]] [[Manipulation]] [[Freedom]] [[Solidarity]] [[Rights]]