Middle Ground –You All Know the Same

Like the pitched battlefields of World War One, this is where the most ferocious and prolonged duels take place. Two people, of equal standing on the one subject, need to prove their worth over the other; this is the protracted game of ‘who knows the mostest about the middlest’. They will drag in allies from near and far, every inch of terrain will be showered not by blood but by saliva from the constant bickering. The outcome will probably be decided on a whim by someone in the high ground after a liquid lunch. Holding the middle ground is awkward; it can be attacked from above by ambitious fuckers, and cannon fodder, en masse and cheeky, from below. Middle ground is also the home of the motivated who wish to get somewhere, but have no desire to stomp on heads to get to the top. They are vulnerable to attack and character assassination, but because of the stability offered by positions of ‘responsibility’ characteristic of the middle ground, defence is the norm and it is fostered. If both warring parties are on the middle ground a truce needs to be called and an inventory of what is known or not known needs to be made. If all parties feel the venturing is too rough, hire someone to take the fall for a wrong decision. Again,  speed dial the consultant to come in and deconstruct the problem, or delegate one of your minions to pull their hair out over it.

If you are entrenched in a middle ground duel to the death or unemployment office, do not dig yourself into a fortified position that you will die of embarrassment defending. Although the stakes are high, be flexible at all costs. Take your opposition’s point of view, and make it your own. Give them a bit of what they want and take as much as you can from them. Confuse the situation until your opponent is worn out. There is nothing worse than a stalemate, so keep the lines of communication open and keep the action happening; exchange ideas and coded insults. Think of it as a dance – when the music’s over – so is the fun. If this is your domain, read the section on ‘Tactics’ at least twice.

Make the host and the quest exchange places – Chinese Strategy