RED RIBBON SPEAKER WARNS ABOUT MANIPULATION

RED BLUFF - Even very smart people can be fooled, this was the
message given to students, parents and teachers at Monday's Red
Ribbon Week Kick-off held at the State Theatre.

Robert Fellows, motivational speaker and professional illusionist was
the keynote speaker. Fellows is a Harvard graduate with a master's
degree in theology and is well known for his message which promotes
self-responsibility.

"No one wants to be trapped in jail," said Fellows. "But what is much
more dangerous is being trapped in our minds."

He punctuated his remarks with illusions which kept the audience
laughing and scratching their heads. He did tricks with rings and
even escaped from a straitjacket. Fellows broke the number one
magician rule by explaining how some of it was done. However, he did
this with a purpose, to show just how manipulation can be used as
mind control to get people to do harmful things.

"A lot of good people who have been taught all the right things make
really bad decisions," said Fellows. "It's a natural human trait to
want someone to lift the burden of making decisions for them."

This is why peer pressure is so powerful.

"Some very smart people can be manipulated," said Fellows. "We need
to take responsibility for our own actions."

Fellows used the example of a sign that read "Keep off the the
grass." He noted that most people when they read it, are used to the
message, these are bright people who don't spend time studying the
sign because they understand the meaning of it, they neglect to read
the second "the" and read the message as they think it should be.

In another example, he asked a volunteer to pick one of three cards.
When she picked a card, he turned it over to show printed on the
back, "I knew you would pick this card."

As the audience watched in amazement, he asked the volunteer what
would happen if she picked another card and he then asked her to do
so. After selecting another card, he had her look on the back of the
envelope the cards came from exposing a similar message. When she
picked the third card, he asked her to open the envelope where she
found a third message saying, that he knew she would pick the card.

"The audience member really does have free choice," said Fellows.
"But I can make it look as though I knew what she would choose
depending on the next step I take."

In his book "Easily Fooled: New Insights and Techniques for Resisting
Manipulation," Fellows gives a list of common personality traits that
make people easily vulnerable to manipulation.

He lists such items as stress, transition, dependency,
unassertiveness, gullibility, the desire to want simple answers to
complex questions, an idealistic view of things, disillusionment,
unfulfilled desire for spirituality, and traumatic experiences.

To sum it up, he said basically, "That is anyone."

Fellows told the audience that one of the reasons people do drugs or
make any kind of bad decision, even if they know the right decision
is that they put authority in other people. Most people want to be
right and be accepted.

"This is what peer pressure is all about," said Fellows.
"Manipulation is mind control."

This is a message that Fellows has written in his book and taken as
far as the White House. This week he's been visiting schools in
Tehama County as part of Red Ribbon Week sponsored by the Tehama
County Department of Education's prevention project.

Fellows stressed that a bad attitude can and will hold a person back
from success.

"Whatever you think is holding you back, you can overcome it," said
Fellows. "You can break free."

In his book, he offers 10 steps to critical thinking.

Recognize social conditioning. Fellows warns to resist mind control,
the ways that groups and certain social situations can manipulate people.

Remember you can say no. Sometimes we agree with people to just be
polite. The problem is that each time we do that we are practicing
going along with people. Recognize faulty dilemmas. Fellows
recommends adding "none of the above" to multiple choices before
making a decision.

Sleep on it. Recognize pressure to decide quickly and don't act under stress.

Look for the hidden agenda. Fellows advises to look at what is really
being said. What is not being said. To whom and why.

Recognize logical fallacies. Fellows warns of arguments which mix
invalid unrelated facts to prove a point. For instance, saying "I'm
sure both agree the sky is blue," then the next thing said is, "So it
must also be true that..."

Know what a group or belief a person represents. Fellows notes in his
book that many unethical groups change their names and use fronts to
fit the situation.

Recognize flattery. Fellows writes that these are emotional buttons
that can get easy results.

Ask questions. Fellows suggests to challenge claims of authority.
Does a person's training, education or background make them an
authority on the subject. Is she outside the field. Retain
self-esteem. Fellows adds that people shouldn't be afraid to be
different then everyone around them.

Fellows concludes in his book that the world really is a wonderful place.

"We need to trust people and expect that they will treat us fairly,"
he writes. "We need to be vulnerable to have relationships that
work." He adds that trust, wonder, and innocence are the keys to
being fully human.

He said he hopes that those who listen to his message and read his
book will be inspired, motivated and entertained to reach beyond
established patterns and think outside the box.

In his case it just means escaping from the box, locked in a
straitjacket to get his message across.

For additional information on the book, go to www.robertfellows.com.