Times Square, July 29, 2019, 11 p.m., 86°F and high humidity.

Imagine four young people, aged 20 to 30, surrounded by crowds of onlookers on this hot and humid evening. The ringleader, a boy of no more than 25, addresses the spectators in a powerful, confident voice. His script is like clockwork, meticulous and well-rehearsed. His story flows smoothly and powerfully, and his three accomplices regularly repeat some of his phrases in unison, giving them even more vigor.

In a matter of seconds, he manages to win over the crowd, making them smile, laugh, and applaud, even though nothing has happened yet.

To the sound of music coming from a small electronic device, the four young adults perform a few breakdance moves, one after the other, encouraged by their “colleagues” and applauded by the spectators. The whole thing took no more than five minutes.

Silence. People fall quiet. The leader walks around the circle formed by passersby and stops in front of a child of about ten years old. He takes him by the hand and leads him away. The kid goes along with it, smiling and his eyes sparkling with curiosity. There are now five of them. After asking his name and explaining that one of his accomplices is going to perform an acrobatic feat, he hands him a $20 bill, explaining that he is paying him because the next act depends largely on him. He then places him in the center of the circle and asks the people in front of him to make way for one of the three other performers. The latter takes a few steps back, runs up and performs a somersault over the young boy.

Sincere applause from the crowd, pride from the mother who has watched everything. Another 10 minutes have passed.

The ringleader then approaches a man in the crowd and asks him to raise his hand, which the individual willingly does. With a touch of humor, he says, “And here is our next volunteer.” The audience laughs, won over. The three accomplices then begin to select various people who find themselves lining up behind the boy, the hero of the previous “trick,” and the ringleader explains that the same acrobatic feat will be performed over the eight people in the circle.

Before the start of this trick, the highlight of their show, the leader addresses everyone and asks them to show their appreciation for the show by putting whatever amount of money they wish to give into a burlap bag. Then, each of the eight people chosen by one of the four young people during this last act is confronted, in front of everyone, with a direct request for a donation, made aloud, for amounts of €10, €20, €50, and even €100. One by one, each of them complies, often without complaint, like a programmed automaton, sometimes offering weak resistance, which is quickly broken by the crowd, who are encouraged to exert their influence. After deciding that they have collected enough “donations,” the artists perform this last trick, or rather, a simplified version of it that adds nothing to the show. The show is over, another 15 minutes have passed, 14 of which were spent collecting money. The earnings certainly amount to several hundred dollars.

The crowd disperses at this point. The four young people are ready to start again elsewhere.

No, you don’t have to be dressed as a politician, a salesperson, or a street surveyor to manipulate your fellow human beings. Unfortunately, anyone can do it.

At least six techniques are combined here to lead people to make donations, sometimes substantial ones:

• Social proof
• Guilt
• The illusion of freedom
• The halo effect
• The principle of sympathy
• Commitment and conformity

How can you resist? A fine illustration of manipulation!