Tricks

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that… he was gone. -Verbal Kint/Keyser Soze, The Usual Suspects

Hello coffee lovers and avid readers! Welcome to Olive’s Tasty Quota at Olive’s Café, where you get a taste of philosophy and messages from works of art.

Some years ago, an old friend of mine recommended that I watch this film called The Usual Suspects and I have to be honest: it was pretty good. There were some funny moments, and shocking moments with a really good twist at the end. However, the biggest takeaway I got from the movie was this quote: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. And like that… he was gone.” It’s truly the best quote to tie the entire storyline together, and I can’t help but think about that quote even after the movie ended.

I only knew of the quote because of the movie, but I did learn that it came from a French poet named Charles Baudelaire, suggesting that evil works best when hidden or disguised. Therefore, I had to think about different situations that the quote can be applied to. The way I view this quote is basically a warning to tell us all that we have to be careful with who we let in our lives and in our spaces. I would think about the church leaders, cult leaders, politicians, family members, friends, romantic partners, and con artists in the way they speak and act towards others around them. They would say a lot of things in their speeches and persuade those who follow them, convincing them that their actions are not wrong.

What leaders, con artists, and even members of our circle have in common is the art of persuasion; convincing us that who they are is harmless and selling us the dream of something we’ve never heard of before. Yet, their messages can be deceitful as what they tell us can be too good to be true. Then, we find out later that it’s all lies just for them to “get away with murder.” Not every person we’re close to is evil, but when we look at different patterns of behavior, we can’t help but feel like what they’re doing could be “evil”.

When I think about this quote, I think about how people in the world can believe anything that anyone says, especially when their intentions aren’t so pure. I ask myself, “Can I really believe what they’re saying?” Maybe their point in persuading others is to gain what they want from others, and they would say and do anything they want in order to get it. It could be money, luxury items, sex, anything that can be obtained between people, but how can you believe this person is evil when you’re convinced that they can do no wrong? People have a way with words, and they can say anything they believe you want to hear just so they can take what they can, even when you don’t want to give it up.

If not in real life, think about social media; people can post about anything without showing their faces and they get away with what they post because they are anonymous, except for influential people where we can see their faces. People can say anything they want, say that it’s factual, and that’s how they convince the world that what they say is the truth. Most of the time, it’s dangerous because some people are very gullible when they read things online and think that it’s true. Whether in real life or on social media, people can persuade each other into thinking that what they express is true. They convince the world they have the facts, and they get away with it because people believe them. If they were in the detective’s office like Verbal Kint, they would be able to get away with the crime they committed because they can find the right words to come up with anything to convince them that they’re not the one they should be after. The art of persuasion is their greatest trick.

One thing’s for sure, if I were to be tricked, I would blame myself for believing anything anyone says, especially when people have used their charm and walked away with their “wins.” But not everyone needs to blame themselves because after all, the devil did his greatest trick on the world.

Thank you for tuning in on Olive’s Tasty Quota at Olive’s Café!