One of the highest earning waiters I ever knew of, was also the most outrageous. This charismatic professional would walk up to a table and say quickly, charmingly and with a smile, “so, would you jackasses like to hear the specials?”

People would nod, and off he’d go. He would carry on, a flawless waiter in every other way, peppering insults into his banter so seamlessly that he was never called on it. He controlled the table, and the choreography of everything that happened there. Even alpha males fell under his spell, no honor fights or manager complaints were registered. What’s more, he always was tipped at a much higher rate than everyone else. Not surprisingly, he was a bit of a hero among coworkers. Whatever happened after his customers left, is anyone’s guess.

I often reflect in this: how could acting so far outside of normal behavior go virtually “unseen,” and even get rewarded?  This guy never acted angry, nor did he ever drop his smile, but he sure did drop non-stop insults on his customers, which they consumed along with high-end food.

I’ve often wondered if behavior that is profoundly wrong can make people freeze, then consume in a sheeplike fashion all that comes immediately afterward?  I’ve seen it, and even experienced it firsthand. After all, if this is happening here, it must be okay…

In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), it is understood that people may be effectively “reprogrammed” using shock.  Not by little shocks, or presenting well-crafted arguments, but by acting so far outside “regular” behavior that people are left stunned and speechless. Then these ‘surprised brains’ are very receptive to whatever comes next, and trained to accept it without response.  Just like the wildly insulted big tippers, they didn’t have time to process the surprise that had just befallen them, so they went with the charisma and acted as if all was well.

We are aware of dozens of shocking acts recently, and each is so unbelievable, that people either freeze (then believe), or try to call them out only to reach an audience that seems already blunted, or just plain weary. Congress is not excepted from falling under this technique, and many seem to be carrying on like things are “business as usual,” even though they’ve been served up a heaping pile of tyranny, along with tons of garden variety bad behavior.   It is happening now, it must be okay…

So, what can you do to break through the shock fog, and maybe even reverse things? First, wake up to simple psychological strategies like this, and get so fast at your powerful responses that you command the situation, not the other guy…  That is, if you want to consume real democracy along with all the promised middle-class vittles. Also, be sure you get those too. On the table of the 45th Administration USA, you may very likely be served up something quite different.

#Resist #86Trump #WaitressTales