Sometimes you have a really bad idea, but you need friends to help you pull it off. Maybe it’s something that will benefit you but not them; or maybe you’ve all talked yourself into believing that this obviously stupid idea has some kind of upside.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Pump Them Up With Music
Music ties into our emotions: who hasn’t found themselves crying to a sad song or picking up the pace in a workout when a really great tune comes on? Music can pump you up to kick arse with your team, whether you play it in the locker room before a football game, or at a political rally:
Inside the room:GOP meeting before #ACHA vote includes Rocky song, Patton quotes,“Let’s get this f-ing thing done!” https://t.co/TVS0J5xePd
— Robert Faturechi (@RobertFaturechi) May 4, 2017
The Rocky theme song is a good pick for pretty much any situation.
Downplay the Risks
Sometimes the bad idea is so bad that if you let your friends dwell on it, they will quickly talk themselves out of your plan. So distract them by saying the risk is unimportant; there’s some sort of safety net. Maybe use a work-related analogy, where colleagues will step in and do your job for you.
Tell Them Somebody Cool Wants Them to Do It
Everybody has somebody they look up to, and that goes double if they’re an insecure person who seeks approval. If you want to sell makeup, put Janelle Monáe in your ads. If you want to get a toddler to put on his socks, tell him these are the same socks the Power Rangers wear. And if you want to get a Republican lawmaker to vote for a bad bill, arrange a personal call from Donald Trump.
Trump got heavily involved in recent days, working the phones and personally agreeing to changes earlier Wednesday that brought two pivotal Republicans back on board. Reps. Fred Upton of Michigan and Billy Long of Missouri emerged from a White House meeting with Trump saying they could now support the bill, thanks to the addition of $US8 ($11) billion over five years to [sort of in theory but probably actually not] help people with pre-existing conditions.
It’s all about peer pressure.
Promise Them Beer
Sometimes the only thing getting you through a tough time is the promise of a treat. If your friends help you move, you’ll order them pizza. After a tough workout, you can have a shower beer. After voting to take away health care from millions, you can share cases of Bud Light with friends:
Cases upon cases of beer just rolled into the Capitol on a cart covered in a sheet. Spotted Bud Light peeking out from the sheet
— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) May 4, 2017
The great thing about beer: it’s both a reward your friends will work for, and a tool to help them forget the terrible thing they just did.
Comments