persuade/inspire/motivate/stimulate etc is just the politically correct way of saying what it actual is, which is manipulation.
Persuade has a fairly neutral connotation for me, that is “I was persuaded to give 10k to a scammer” and “I was persuaded by a friend to quit my day job” both seem correct to me. I would nominate that as the word for describing what it “actually” is, rather than “manipulation” which seems overly negative/cynical.
As I points out in my answer to SeñorDingDong below, we are manipulated not persuaded into certain actions. Just as you do not persuade an excavator to dig, you manipulate the system into the digging action by pulling levers and pushing button. The same must apply for other systems, including humans, as well.
Persuade has a fairly neutral connotation for me, that is “I was persuaded to give 10k to a scammer” and “I was persuaded by a friend to quit my day job” both seem correct to me. I would nominate that as the word for describing what it “actually” is, rather than “manipulation” which seems overly negative/cynical.
Thank you npostavs for your comment,
As I points out in my answer to SeñorDingDong below, we are manipulated not persuaded into certain actions. Just as you do not persuade an excavator to dig, you manipulate the system into the digging action by pulling levers and pushing button. The same must apply for other systems, including humans, as well.