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salami_tactics
A manipulation strategy of achieving a large, potentially unacceptable goal through a series of small, individually innocuous steps. Each step is too minor to provoke resistance, but the cumulative effect is transformative. Named after the idea of slicing away thin pieces that are barely noticed individually.
A government incrementally expands surveillance powers through a series of small legislative changes, each justified by a specific incident.
A landlord first introduces a small 'amenity fee,' then a 'building maintenance fee,' then a 'security upgrade fee' — each charge is too minor for tenants to organize against, but together they amount to a 30% effective rent increase.
A social media platform first makes privacy settings harder to find, then switches the default to 'public,' then quietly removes the granular controls entirely — each change rolled out months apart to avoid a coordinated user backlash.
Binary (yes/no) questions an LLM must answer to identify this aspect:
Is a large change being implemented through a series of small, individually minor steps?
Type: binaryWould each individual step seem unreasonable if the full intended change were stated upfront?
Type: binaryIs opposition neutralized because each individual step appears too small to warrant resistance?
Type: binaryA manipulation strategy of achieving a large, potentially unacceptable goal through a series of small, individually innocuous steps. Each step is too minor to provoke resistance, but the cumulative effect is transformative. Named after the idea of slicing away thin pieces that are barely noticed individually.
Each small step falls below the threshold of resistance. By the time the cumulative effect is noticed, the new status quo has been normalized through gradual adjustment.
Evaluate the trajectory, not just the current step. Ask: where is this series of changes heading? What will the cumulative effect be?
Political power grabs, corporate cost-cutting, erosion of civil liberties, and scope creep in contracts.
Use these tools to detect, analyze, or train this aspect.