Following Directions and The Life of A Southerner

All my life, I have been raised to defer to the wisdom of my elders; to follow their directions, whatever they may be, with the assumption that they are imparting knowledge (even though I may not realize it). With all of this talk of “manipulation” I cannot help but now apply this lens to following directions. Is it possible that my parents could have just been having me do their biddings? Tasks such as washing the car, or cleaning up the yard? I can’t help but ask myself, were my parents just manipulating me into doing certain things? Anytime a child is told “follow the directions” is that not another way of saying, “do what I tell you to do”, and therein by that definition, just blatant manipulation? With this in mind, “following directions” is just a guise for overt, prescribed manipulation.

Coming from the south, respect and deference are preached ad nauseam; proper manners and a desire to warm the heart are two of the lifeworks of the South. Although in the scope of manipulation, it certainly appears to make manipulating a southerner much easier. We are apt to follow directions and do what we are told, given that the requests come from someone of authority (elders, teachers, etc); it is all in the upbringing, I guess.

****Allow me to take this moment, though, to clarify the fact that I am no complaining. I absolutely adore the upbringing and adhere to, even in light of situations such as these, the values instill upon me. I do think that respect and deference are paramount in certain situations, however, it is still necessary to address the idea that these two character values can foster manipulation.****