On Soft Power and Love
On Soft Power and Love
Revisiting the nature of influence in politics and love.
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"Love magic was not simply a practice to garner affection but also used as a tool to manipulate fragile relationships in their favor."
"Love magic was not simply a practice to garner affection but also used as a tool to manipulate fragile relationships in their favor."
When the only power available to women is the domestic sphere, women learn the advantages of soft power to navigate oppressive spaces. This careful strategy is explored in my work, La Bruja Enamorada.
Click here for an overview of this work.
Regaining agency:
Regaining agency:
Whether it is for "decolonization" purposes, as noted by the arrest of a Turtle Liberation Island activist who titles himself "Dark Witch" or Satanic Worship by multitudes of secret societies and everyday people, there is one repeating mission: To harness control when everything else seems unpredictable or even unstimulating. We see even historically, the usage of the occult to circumvent formal channels of power. In my work, La Bruja Enamorada, we see Indigenous Women under colonial rule use love spells to ensure domestic safety against oppressive regimes.
For journalists and political commentators, this is most apparent in political figures and populations who profess ideological worldviews. What sustains such sentiments politically? This can vary from culture to culture and historical time period. But we can see a recurring pattern: the devolution into language of divinity and cosmic force rather than military might as the true source of power.
For those interested in storytelling, this lens could refashion how we present rituals and the occult. Rather than use figures as metaphors or depict the usage of rituals as irrational, examining the conditions in which they are used may reframe how we view spiritual life.
We often see the depiction of scheming geniuses devising conspiracies to eliminate competitors, but such a lens is limited. These depictions overlook the less theatrical yet more effective art of persuasion when it comes to any storytelling of high society. I explore this art in my work, The Civil Machine.
"Power does not mean taking down one's opponents, but simply beng more likable and seemingly credible. This is the nature of soft power."
"Power does not mean taking down one's opponents, but simply beng more likable and seemingly credible. This is the nature of soft power."
The Problem of Persuasion
The Problem of Persuasion
“It is the source of freedom for humankind itself and at the same time it is for each person the source of rule over others in one’s own city…the ability to persuade by speeches judges in a law court, councilors in a council meeting, and assemblymen in an assembly, or in any other political gathering that might take place." Gorgias, 452e
“It is the source of freedom for humankind itself and at the same time it is for each person the source of rule over others in one’s own city…the ability to persuade by speeches judges in a law court, councilors in a council meeting, and assemblymen in an assembly, or in any other political gathering that might take place." Gorgias, 452e
For many, there is a common understanding of the 'smooth talker' whose whispers and glances hold more influence than bold propaganda or military force, yet, there is also great surprise when our systems destabilize and afflict the life of the common person due to such mechanisms pervading institutional politics.
For political commentators and journalists, many stories get lost in examining the specificities in each actor's motives rather than examining larger patterns of persuasion and rhetoric.
For those hoping to detail stories of persuasive figures, rather than focus on their actions during their rise, perhaps there is a better story in exploring the conditions that produced such talent.
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