Unsurprisingly, the idea that all people are inflexibly equal in value regardless of their worldviews or behaviors (which is neither logical nor Biblical [1]) is often endorsed by those who dislike manipulation. Those who oppose manipulation on moral or personal grounds see it as a dehumanizing thing, in spite of the fact that it is entirely possible to manipulate a moral inferior without ignoring their humanity. It is not as if the manipulation of the masses is Biblically objectionable as long as it does not involve deception or genuine dehumanization.
Some people are simply fit for little else besides manipulation, for in refusing to align themselves with reason and justice, they have forfeited the right to any positive treatment beyond the minimum required to not violate their human rights as outlined in Mosaic Law. In fact, many people catch glimpses of this when they decide to use people without truly wronging them in the process. Whatever the reason, even those who already engage in regular manipulation of a morally permissible kind will usually talk as if manipulation is immoral.
Whether this cognitive dissonance is brought about by conflicting social forces or by the needless dictates of conscience is of no ultimate significance, but the moral nature of manipulation is. No amount of sheer desparation will ever change the fact that any moral system necessarily entails a spectrum of moral superiority and inferiority--or the fact that moral superiority is metaphysical superiority. It follows from these facts and from the non-dehumanizing nature of basic manipulation that someone is free to use those of a lesser moral status for personal gain, given that they never do so in an illegitimate way.
On its own, manipulation is one of many amoral tools, and thus the mere practice of manipulating one's moral inferiors is at worst only objectionable on subjective grounds. It can be legitimately used for utilitarian purposes or for that of personal pleasure without the crossing of any moral line. If a society truly seeks morality instead of cultural or subjective moral preferences, its members are more likely to be more comfortable with outright manipulation than they otherwise would be, as they could recognize that manipulation is not inherently a tool of injustice, but one of great usefulness.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2019/09/what-bearing-gods-image-does-not-mean.html
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