Blagging

There's an ages old tradition of trying to get something for free. A delightful traditional word for it is 'blagging', with the person doing the blagging cast as a 'blagger'.

Blagging implies bravado and perhaps some bluster. For some it is anathema whilst for others it is a way of life in which there is a certain pride in what you can negotiate and what you can get away with. In a blagger society, there is often much boasting about what has been bought, sold and, most of all, got for free.

A blagger changes minds as much through a projected breezy confidence as through rational persuasion. It is amazing how many people will back down when faced with a person who is brazenly telling lies as if they were absolute truths. Many of us are less than 100% confident and are easily awed by confident others.

For example you might blag a free train ride by telling a sob story about being mugged. Saying you lost your ticket would be too obvious (and, for the real blagger, too boring). Blagging is also about being creative and charming, not sullen and grumpy.

Of course there is an ethical question, but at least it is not about causing others discomfort. A blagger persuades. They do not coerce. They also, of course, stay within the law. You can have relatively harmless fun blagging things whilst practicing persuasive forms. Try getting people who are selling you things to give you a free sample. Have a go at getting free or reduced entry into clubs or museums. See if you can get off without having to pay that parking ticket. Most of all, just enjoy the pleasure of persuasion.

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