This is one of the most important chapters because it’s relevant today. Soothsayers, charlatans, and authoritarians have a big toolbox and are adept at using them. I go into great detail in the book at the tactics and how loser-leaders apply them, but here are two of the more popular:

The Drama Triangle.

I thought I had discovered this but then learn that Dr. Stephan Carpman had developed it back in 1968. Here’s how it works:

First, they’ll identify a villain. It has to be a single person, not a group. Then, the loser-leader identifies as a “victim,” along with the people they’re trying to con. Once they get the masses wound up, they switch to the “hero” and share how they’ll get even with the villain. They’ll hover between victim and hero until their target (the villain) is destroyed. This is the simplified version of it. It’s very popular today.

The second one I’ll list is the “Cloward-Piven” technique, also developed in the 60s. Columbia University professors Richard Cloward and Frances  Fox Piven sought to advance socialist ideas but discovered that as long as people were comfortable, they weren’t interested in their ideas. The answer? Blow up the existing system. They targeted the welfare system and worked at enrolling as many people as possible to overload the system and cause its collapse. 

Once the system fell apart, the people would clamor for their fix. This is a staple among loser-leaders. The easiest way to get people where they want to go is to destroy the current system, not work within it, or fix its deficiencies but blow it up entirely. Keep a sharp eye; this one is overplayed.

There are many more techniques highlighted in chapter 14, and once you learn how they work, you’ll be able to spot them from across the street.