(Note: Like Kestrel said, we're getting off topic by the fact that it's not the same topic as the OP. Yes we naturally went there, but it's not what people are going to be coming into the thread to discuss. So I'm dropping it after this. I just didn't want to do that right off the bat and make you think I was ignoring you or anything).
Well, she is TC, so, yeah ;p
In other vords, most ppl are blind, impresionable sheep. Unfortunatly I have to agree. And it pisses me off to no end vhen I think about it. That is literaly the only reason a smal group of rich manipulative motherfuckers can run the world and do shit at the expense of everyone else. I hate manipulation. Literaly. Hate. It. (and it showed in my result, my Machiavelian score vas less then half). If ppl had any sense at all (some do, but a very smal minority unfortunatly), they'd spit those disgusting oligarchic parasites on stakes publicly and have them bleed out slowly. Basicly Vlad Tepes style, but in this case fuly waranted. And its stil a LOT beter then they deserve.
While certain persons are more impressionable than others, you and me too, are being manipulated in many facets of our lives. I think it's important to understand manipulation isn't inherently evil. For example, most of us ended up on Iwaku because it scores pretty decently in search engines when searching for roleplaying sites. In other words, many of us are here because Iwaku shows up higher on google than other sites, thereby influencing our decision what site to join. This is manipulation.
We benefit off of manipulation more than you might think. For example, a supermarket in the Netherlands has this bonus card. You can get it for free and whenever a product is on sale and you show the card at the cashier you can get a nice discount. ie; it saves you money. Why would the supermarket use this bonus card system? Because having a physical item you carry around you in your wallet also reinforces brand loyalty to that supermarket. You open your wallet; it's there. The brand name. Even though on paper, the only thing it should really do is get you discounts.
Likewise, sales can be used to promote a product. Say the same supermarket puts a new brand of, I don't know, cookies on the shelves. Most people are creatures of habit, mostly buying the same things over and over. However, when there is a sale, they might be more willing to try something new. And if they like it, they may continue to purchase it even after the sale has ended. This form of manipulation benefits both the consumer and the supermarket.
And then there's the J.C. Penney's effect. Which basically means that people want to be manipulated by marketing because this manipulation makes their decisions feel better, even if they're not actually better. This is more common in clothing or electronics stores. People prefer buying a computer at 800 euros when they see there's a discount of 20% (making them think they saved 200 euros on a 1000 euro computer) versus the same computer that is always priced at 800 euros in a different store. Even though the second store is infinitely more honest with it's customers, people just don't feel as good about their purchase. I guess you can say this example is a little more evil, but at the same time, in a way it is exactly what the customer wants.
Long story short. Manipulation isn't inherently evil. It can be good as well as bad for the consumer and is more a part of society than anything else. Sometimes it is there to benefit us, or make us feel better about the same decision, just as much as it is for corporations to influence our patterns.