It is undeniable that knowledge can be used to gain power over an individual. Such is most of the basis of blackmail, and the rationale behind most secrets.
This brand of knowledge is, of course, knowledge which is thought to be able to harm an individual if widely known. For example, for some congressmen, the things that they do in restrooms. The exact contents of the stash under the mattress which was so popular before the Internet. Who someone is attracted to; who someone hates. Thoughts, emotions, and so forth.
Of course, that is only scratching the surface. I find that the past is the greatest source of power over me; knowledge of it is something which I would much rather have abolished (I was incredibly dorky, in a bad way, and I'll leave it at that). It's sort of a dark secret, I suppose, in that I would rather that everyone not mention it, ever. Most people seem to have picked up on this, or at least most of the people from the past. Sadly, one person has a tendency to mention it, and, more importantly, to allow that knowledge to scatter further.
This gives him a fair amount of power over me. Of course, a fair amount is relative; he does not seem especially inclined to exercise it - instead watching me squirm when he mentions it - although on further thought he might simply not want to exercise it directly.
That past is a foreign country, as they say, and it is not one which I would care to vacation in.
Compared to that, other knowledge - like who I am attracted to, what is on my computer, or my horrible taste in Anime/books/processors/whatever else - seems insignificant.
Oh, and for the record, my desktop uses a Celeron. So does my laptop. I'm not proud.
[ Minor addendum: I'm writing this at about 11:20. It's not very good - I'm still awake enough to know that - and I'll probably never get around to fixing it. Also, I apologize for the fact that this is turning into more of a blog and less of something which is shaped like a blog, looks like a blog, even feels like a blog, but is not a blog. Also, blog is a very silly word - something which is pretty well known, but I felt like mentioning it.
[ Probably, this post won't mysteriously vanish, like the last one, as soon as I wake up enough to realize how horrible it is. It might be editted slightly, though.
[ Oh, and about that last post? It will be back up, eventually, if I ever remember to edit it and repost it. As for why it went down? Well, recently I've found myself feeling very lonely, and in need of companionship - the warmth of another body, I suppose - and that post spawned out of those feelings. Yes, I am human. Yes, I've finally admitted it. No, I don't know how many people have just lost/won bets, or how many I owe money to, but I would guess none. If anyone actually is betting about when (or if) I'll admit that I'm human, what the fuck? Am I really that interesting, or are you just very bored? ]
[ Further addendum: Idea for a future post: exactly what is going wrong with my brain (it involves dehydration). ]
This brand of knowledge is, of course, knowledge which is thought to be able to harm an individual if widely known. For example, for some congressmen, the things that they do in restrooms. The exact contents of the stash under the mattress which was so popular before the Internet. Who someone is attracted to; who someone hates. Thoughts, emotions, and so forth.
Of course, that is only scratching the surface. I find that the past is the greatest source of power over me; knowledge of it is something which I would much rather have abolished (I was incredibly dorky, in a bad way, and I'll leave it at that). It's sort of a dark secret, I suppose, in that I would rather that everyone not mention it, ever. Most people seem to have picked up on this, or at least most of the people from the past. Sadly, one person has a tendency to mention it, and, more importantly, to allow that knowledge to scatter further.
This gives him a fair amount of power over me. Of course, a fair amount is relative; he does not seem especially inclined to exercise it - instead watching me squirm when he mentions it - although on further thought he might simply not want to exercise it directly.
That past is a foreign country, as they say, and it is not one which I would care to vacation in.
Compared to that, other knowledge - like who I am attracted to, what is on my computer, or my horrible taste in Anime/books/processors/whatever else - seems insignificant.
Oh, and for the record, my desktop uses a Celeron. So does my laptop. I'm not proud.
[ Minor addendum: I'm writing this at about 11:20. It's not very good - I'm still awake enough to know that - and I'll probably never get around to fixing it. Also, I apologize for the fact that this is turning into more of a blog and less of something which is shaped like a blog, looks like a blog, even feels like a blog, but is not a blog. Also, blog is a very silly word - something which is pretty well known, but I felt like mentioning it.
[ Probably, this post won't mysteriously vanish, like the last one, as soon as I wake up enough to realize how horrible it is. It might be editted slightly, though.
[ Oh, and about that last post? It will be back up, eventually, if I ever remember to edit it and repost it. As for why it went down? Well, recently I've found myself feeling very lonely, and in need of companionship - the warmth of another body, I suppose - and that post spawned out of those feelings. Yes, I am human. Yes, I've finally admitted it. No, I don't know how many people have just lost/won bets, or how many I owe money to, but I would guess none. If anyone actually is betting about when (or if) I'll admit that I'm human, what the fuck? Am I really that interesting, or are you just very bored? ]
[ Further addendum: Idea for a future post: exactly what is going wrong with my brain (it involves dehydration). ]