One of the most prominent criticisms of TRP is that it's manipulative. "Negging is manipulative. Handling shit tests is manipulative. Dread game is manipulative. Why can't people just say what they mean?"

The implication is that manipulation is dishonest and/or deceptive. But manipulation is inherently neither of these; rather, it's simply getting someone to change their mind. Manipulation is no more than influencing someone who is apathetic toward an idea or opposed to an idea to accept that idea.

For example, say you want to go out to a bar with some friends on a Friday night. They can have one of three attitudes toward this idea:

  1. They're agreeable to it
  2. They're apathetic toward it
  3. They're opposed to it

Convincing them to go out if they are (2) or (3) is manipulation; at the end of the day, they accepted an idea (going out) that they originally hadn't. You manipulate your boss when you negotiate a raise, you manipulate your classmates/coworkers when you convince them to use your thoughts on a project, you manipulate your SO when you get them to go to the movie you want to see. Similarly, you're manipulated by all of these parties when the inverse happens. Unless you've been in total agreement with everyone in your life every step of the way, you've manipulated someone or been manipulated.

So why is manipulation bad?