A few weeks ago, I got the following notice of a new subscriber who had signed up to my email list:
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Name: ur a vaxxed faggot
Email: killl@yourself.com
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A few days after that, I checked my 10 Commandments of Con Men etc. book on Amazon. I found that, along with a handful of new 5-star reviews, I now also have a new 1-star review that said:
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A bunch of stories loosely strung together. Grammatical and spelling errors. Poor quality.
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The name of that reviewer on Amazon is “Nemesis.” I checked, and this Amazon shopper has posted no other reviews, ever. Apparently, “Nemesis” had it in for me so bad that he or she decided for the first and possibly only time ever to create a custom account name, write up a book review, and even press the “Submit” button.
So do I have a nemesis now? And is it the same person whose first name is “ur a vaxxed faggot”?
I hope not. Not because I’m afraid of having a nemesis, but because I’m waiting for a worthy nemesis.
Sherlock Holmes has Professor Moriarty, a criminal genius.
Batman has the Joker, carnage and chaos personified.
I hope I’m not left with some troll who slinks around the web leaving 1-star reviews on Amazon and who spells “killl” with three l’s.
But let me get back to my 10 Commandments book, because Commandment IV is actually relevant to the topic of refusing an unworthy nemesis. Commandment IV of my book states:
“Remember the push-pull, to keep thy adversary’s interest keen”
That commandment lays out a bunch of stories, loosely strung together, to illustrate how screenwriters, pick up artists, and con men have figured out that the human brain works by contrast, and that without adequate contrast, the world becomes invisible.
These “influence professionals” have also figured out specific techniques, such as the “near miss,” the “push-pull,” and the “prat-out,” that are fundamentally about taking advantage of our brains’ need for contrast, in order to influence people in subtle and powerful ways.
Applying the core of those techniques to nemesis territory, my conclusion is that your nemesis should both be very like you — in terms of power, size, ability — and very unlike you — in terms of core beliefs, style, and method.
I’d now like to invite you to buy and read my book.
Worst case, you buy the book, you find it fascinating, and you decide to leave a 5-star review.
Best case, you buy it, you find it the most preposterous thing you’ve ever read, and you also happen to be well established in your field and have a large audience and a lot of authority. If that turns out to be the case, then write me an email, because I’m happy to discuss entering upon a mutually beneficial nemesis relationship together.
In either case, here’s where to get started: