Part 1
FUNDAMENTALS of WORLD DOMINATION
1.
Total World Domination = Epic Fail
// Let’s face it: Total world domination never works.
(OK, you’re probably confused. Maybe you’re wondering if you’re actually reading the right book. You probably read the title and picked it up thinking world domination sounded like a pretty good idea, but then you opened it up and—what the … ?—the title of the first part seems to contradict the title of the book! Yes, I am tricksy. What were you expecting? This ain’t no textbook. We need to understand each other before we go any further: I operate in one way and one way only—always in your face, but on your side. Copy? OK, so, let’s clear the air. You are asking, “Josh, are you actually contradicting the title of your book in the first paragraph?” Yes, I am. Onward …)
When I was just a little boy wonder, there was this cartoon called Animaniacs. You probably don’t remember it, but the show featured a recurring segment called “Pinky and the Brain” about two genetically enhanced lab mice: Pinky, an idiot, and Brain, a diabolical genius much like yourself. Every episode began with these two lines of dialogue:
 
Pinky: Gee, Brain, what are we going to do tonight?
Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky: Try to take over the world!
 
And try they did. Using all manner of cunning schemes and high-tech absurdities, Brain—with often disastrous “help” from Pinky—would mastermind a plan for total world domination.
It wasn’t just “Pinky and the Brain.” Every show I grew up on, from Care Bears (did I just admit to watching Care Bears?) to Masters of the Universe (much more manly) to Transformers, had a villain trying to subjugate the other characters. (Confession: I don’t even know what “subjugate” means, but my book editor told me not to talk down to teens and to challenge them with big words. Well, I have challenged myself and failed. I am crying right now.) These villains went by names like Professor Coldheart, Skeletor, Megatron, and Monty Burns. They often emitted evil, cackling laughs. They nearly all had henchmen, and sometimes they had mustaches … which stirred up jealousy in me due to my complete inability to grow facial hair, even to this day. Tear.
Fast-forward to today: Dark wizard Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters terrorize humanity in the Harry Potter series; the merciless Volturi cause trouble for Bella in the Twilight saga; and, after all these years, Decepticon overlord Megatron is still bent on destroying Earth and everyone on it. All of these villains—and every villain from our books to the big screen—are after the same thing: Absolute power, complete control, and total world domination.
But power-hungry villains aren’t just the stuff of fiction. In fact, the villain’s quest for world domination is a classic case of art imitating life. When I was in school, the only homework my foster parents could ever force my ADD brain to focus on was history, particularly the stories about real-world dudes who built vast empires—like the Egyptian pharaohs, Xerxes I, and countless other emperors, kings, queens, warlords, generals, and dictators. Let me tell you, actual history is really just a big soap opera of crazy people trying to take over the world. But here’s what I discovered. These historical figures—from Hitler to Napoléon to Genghis Khan to Alexander the Great—all had one thing in common:
(Actually, they had a lot in common—egos the size of Texas, an insatiable thirst for power and wealth, a common serial killer’s disregard for human life—but I’m talking about besides that.)
None of them ever succeeded. That’s right, not one.
Sure, they had people running scared for a while, and some of these guys conquered huge chunks of territory. But no matter how big their army, how prosperous their economy, how abundant their resources, how advanced their technology, how brilliant their devious plan, or how epically bushy their facial hair (I’m looking at you, Genghis) … they could never quite pull it off. Their empires always crumbled.
To this day, no one has been able to take over the entire world—not in cartoons, not in books, not in movies, and definitely not in history!
// Yet the villains keep trying
Despite the dismal track record of ambitious tyrants who’ve tried and died before them, modern-day villains remain fascinated by and fixated on their personal quests for world domination. Ancient rulers tried to conquer the world in search of mythical items like the fountain of youth, gold (btw, what’s with all those gold-bar infomercials on TV after 2 A.M.?), or ultimate glory. But these days, it’s usually about political power, natural resources, weapons, and cold hard cash. It seems that everyone is looking for that magical force or item that will allow them to control everyone else or give them a leg up in the race of world domination.
Fortunately, the vast majority of these selfish and destructive individuals won’t become rulers of nations or commanders of armies. But, something you need to understand is that it doesn’t take an army, a giant moon-laser, or a mustache to try to control others’ lives.
Would-be villains are still out to dominate other people’s worlds every day, and I’m not just talking about national security or terrorist threats. Lean in for this one:
Your world is under attack by an assortment of villains right here and right now.
I’m serious! Through manipulation and physical strength or through passive-aggressiveness and psychological warfare, there are villains in your life today trying to control your world for their own gain.
Let me be clear to make sure you heard me. The villains are real and they are coming for you. But if you don’t believe me, this book isn’t going to make any sense to you and you’re not going to last.
In fact, there may be villains among us right now, even reading this book. Are you a villain? Are you? Huh? Don’t look away from the page—I’m not kidding, here. Think about it, you DID pick up a book called The Teen’s Guide to World Domination! YOU might actually be a villain trying to control others’ lives for your own gain. But let’s be honest, I don’t entirely blame you: World domination does have a certain appeal, doesn’t it? Even to noble citizens like us.
Sure, people like you and me probably don’t really aspire to overthrow governments or create secret lairs guarded by sharks with lasers on their heads in order to bring small nations to their knees while our merciless conquest is broadcast live on CNN with Larry King (the emperor of suspenders). In my experience, most people don’t want to do that. Most people aren’t psychotic megalomaniacs. (Ooh … “megalomaniac”! How’s that for challenging teens? I think it means either a crazy person or something about breeding giant LEGO blocks; I heard it on a random AM radio station and it seemed to work here.)
The idea of getting other people to do what we want … well, that sounds kinda fancy, doesn’t it? But trust me,...