“When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.” – MJ DeMarco
A young woman was doing the closing at the bar where she worked part-time to make ends meet. The night had been uneventful until suddenly, the door flew open with a violent crash. A man rushed inside; his eyes wild with panic. Before she could process what was happening, two other men burst through the door behind him, guns drawn. Shots rang out, echoing off the walls. The man who had stormed in first crumpled to the floor.
Terrified, the woman hid behind the bar, her heart pounding as the two men advanced with menacing intent. It seemed she would be next. But then, the sound of police sirens pierced the chaos, and the gunmen fled the scene. Shaken, she was escorted to the police station to give her statement to a detective.
While she recounted the terrifying events, the detective was called away by a colleague. He stepped into a nearby meeting room, and from where she sat, she could see them watching something on a screen. Intrigued, she left her seat to take a peek—and her blood ran cold.
On the screen, a video played, showing her running into the bar with a weapon in hand, chasing down the man, and shooting him in cold blood. Her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had been there, and she knew that wasn’t what happened—but the video told a different story.
Before she could gather her thoughts, panic set in. She ran. By the time the detective returned to detain her, she was gone. In a matter of minutes, she had gone from being a victim to a suspect—and a wanted one at that.
This was the plot of the pilot episode of The Equalizer, starring Queen Latifah. But beyond fiction, these kinds of scenarios happen more often than we might think.
The Power of Little Fingers Behind the Scenes
Every day, we see similar stories play out in real life—though perhaps less dramatically. A Black mayor accused of slavery. A politician or celebrity suddenly embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal. An activist branded a criminal or even a terrorist. These narratives don’t arise out of nowhere, behind these accusations, there are often unseen forces— “little fingers” pulling the strings and shaping the narrative. They are carefully crafted, engineered by handsomely paid little fingers hired by powerful forces with hidden agendas for their expertise in deceitfulness.
Those little fingers behind the scenes belong to maestros of manipulation, experts in deceit. They know how to tell a story in a way that touches you deeply, how to choose the words and images that will trigger your outrage or empathy. They know which music to play, when and where; they play with precision, curating each element of the narrative to achieve a specific goal.
This is how public figures, journalists, and whistleblowers find themselves fighting for their reputation, their livelihood, and sometimes their very freedom. Once accused, they are too busy defending themselves to expose the nefarious dealings of the powerful people pulling the strings. And that’s the point.
Who Is Feeding Us The News?
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between real victims and those paid to play the victim. Between genuine heroes and carefully constructed villains. This isn’t a new game—it’s one of the oldest stories in the world.
But with modern technology, the stakes are higher, and the tools of manipulation are more powerful than ever. Propaganda, fake news, deepfakes, and selective editing have turned truth into a malleable concept.
And those little fingers? They’ve never had more tools at their disposal. Again, the game is old, but the stakes have never been higher.
Staying Awake in a World of Manipulation
We live in interesting times—but also dangerous ones. The line between truth and fiction is blurrier than ever. So, what can we do?
The first step is awareness. Understand that not everything you see or hear is the full story. Question the narratives being fed to you, especially those carefully crafted to provoke strong emotional reactions. When you feel anger, outrage, or fear rising from a story, pause and ask: Who benefits from this narrative? Why am I being shown this version of events?
Don’t be a passive consumer of information. Practice healthy skepticism. Ask deeper questions:
- Who stands to gain from the public believing this story?
- What was the accused person doing before they suddenly became embroiled in scandal?
- Why are mainstream media outlets all pushing the same angle at the same time?
When the same narrative is echoed loudly across every major platform, it’s time to wake up. This isn’t about paranoia; it’s about cultivating critical thinking and being intentional with where you place your attention.
Not everything is a manipulation, just so, we are clear, but anything can be a manipulation orchestrated by those little fingers working everywhere.
Conclusion: Little Fingers, Big Impact
The world is a stage, and too often, we’re just the audience, reacting to the carefully scripted performances playing out before us. But we don’t have to stay in the dark. By staying awake, asking questions, and sharpening our critical thinking, we can begin to see the strings and the fingers pulling them.
The truth may be elusive, but the search for it is always worth the effort.
Salima
Just thinking out loud over here