I completely disagree. The three-step process of breaking the script, establishing authority, and creating urgency is universal—it’s wired into human psychology, not just American culture. Where cultures differ is in their relationship to authority and their perception of time. Russia, for instance, has a far deeper sense of historical continuity than the U.S., while Americans, immersed in commercialism from birth, may develop a kind of cultural immune response to sales tactics.
But for those from societies less saturated in hyper-commercial messaging, encountering these techniques can be like Native Americans confronting smallpox—there’s no built-in defense. How else do we explain the unsettling reality of so much of the world falling under the sway of American culture? At the very least, exposing these tactics brings them into conscious awareness. And with awareness comes a measure of resistance—an inoculation, however small, against manipulation.
The salesman trick can only work in American culture.
I completely disagree. The three-step process of breaking the script, establishing authority, and creating urgency is universal—it’s wired into human psychology, not just American culture. Where cultures differ is in their relationship to authority and their perception of time. Russia, for instance, has a far deeper sense of historical continuity than the U.S., while Americans, immersed in commercialism from birth, may develop a kind of cultural immune response to sales tactics.
But for those from societies less saturated in hyper-commercial messaging, encountering these techniques can be like Native Americans confronting smallpox—there’s no built-in defense. How else do we explain the unsettling reality of so much of the world falling under the sway of American culture? At the very least, exposing these tactics brings them into conscious awareness. And with awareness comes a measure of resistance—an inoculation, however small, against manipulation.