The most successful Con Job ever perpetrated upon the public is religion.It is a Billion Dollar Industry that is based on hear say without any substantial evidence to back it up.It's concept is simple & brilliant. What would you rather believe, there is a life hereafter or that you simply rot in a Grave, case closed.Think of it, human's kill each other over who's belief is the true belief, people divide themselves by what they believe, the strangest thing about it, is no mater how you approach it, it's all the same.The Christians had the best Con, They modified Judaism from an angry punishing deity to a forgiving deity, who was conceived without the lust of sex, & then came back to life, talk about creativity.
I thank God every day for giving me the open mind that I can see through this charade !!
I thank God every day for giving me the open mind that I can see through this charade !!
42
On that note enter the politicians and their marks with the power of a vote.
8
Thanks for this great & illuminating essay. It brought up many parallels for me, some on display in our political arena, others more personal. ( Disclosure: I and a friend once fell for 3-card monty as a high school student, cost me $5).
All I can add, is a quick word for those who realize they have been conned, swindled and cheated, while they're coming out the other side.
Don't give in to over-compensating and adopting a persona of paranoia, over suspecting and alienating those around you.
That over compensation is the very essence of self-sabotage. You ran into scoundrels yes, but they are not like other people.
They are of a different stripe. You have to learn to tell the difference, so you can see them coming, and get out of the way.
By the way, didn't some judge in NYC rule that 3 card Monty on the public sidewalk is a form of "protected speech"? Does anyone know the status of the law, in so far as the legality of 3 card monty today in NYC?
All I can add, is a quick word for those who realize they have been conned, swindled and cheated, while they're coming out the other side.
Don't give in to over-compensating and adopting a persona of paranoia, over suspecting and alienating those around you.
That over compensation is the very essence of self-sabotage. You ran into scoundrels yes, but they are not like other people.
They are of a different stripe. You have to learn to tell the difference, so you can see them coming, and get out of the way.
By the way, didn't some judge in NYC rule that 3 card Monty on the public sidewalk is a form of "protected speech"? Does anyone know the status of the law, in so far as the legality of 3 card monty today in NYC?
5
The author may have a minor point to make, but she is forcing unlike examples under the rubric of her theory about belief. For example, falling for 3 card monte is the "something for nothing" con that pushes the dupe's greed button. Sending money to facilitate million dollar transfers from Nigeria has nothing to do with our innate desire to believe, and everything to do with the fantasy of becoming rich with no effort. On the other hand, falling prey to a lover met through conventional circumstances (i.e., not though a Russian dating site) has little to do with desire to believe and everything to do with desire for romantic companionship. Is it a con every time a romance ends? "You're not the person I thought you were" is certainly a common enough refrain. So, even in this brief synopsis, it does not appear that the author is offering any profound insights by looking at a number of disparate stories through the lens of belief. Maybe her sweeping narrative built on our innate desire to believe is a con in itself?
5
Even scientists, as well as philosophers, know that a fact comes from a subjective understanding. Thus light can be both wave and particle. Our world is built on subjectivity, but we seem to know that objectivity is needed, and so we attempt to achieve it in science and other disciplines. This is why myth may be more true than fact, when it points to something deep and primoridial. The problem lies in literally believing the myth, the story, the storyline. We all have continuous chatter in our heads, seemingly unstoppable even for a moment. And we believe the stories in our heads, so that we create heroes and scapegoats and explanations that allow us to feel comfortable. This is the origin of all the rest, the belief systems that lead to all kinds of destruction, from bullying the kid in high school, to world war.
Not said but implied in this article is the problem fundamentalist religious belief causes. It demands certainty, and any challenge to that certainty must be eradicated to protect the fragile, easily debunked belief. Logic and rationality are rejected. The religous right in this country seeks to dominate our culture and government, forcing women and men to adhere to beliefs (think Kim Davis, or the false videos about Planned Parenthood, or Hobby Lobby) in order to shore up something that, in fact, fails to hold together.
It's about comfort. We would all do well to self examine, and to offer compassion to others, instead of fearfully wallowing in self protection.
Not said but implied in this article is the problem fundamentalist religious belief causes. It demands certainty, and any challenge to that certainty must be eradicated to protect the fragile, easily debunked belief. Logic and rationality are rejected. The religous right in this country seeks to dominate our culture and government, forcing women and men to adhere to beliefs (think Kim Davis, or the false videos about Planned Parenthood, or Hobby Lobby) in order to shore up something that, in fact, fails to hold together.
It's about comfort. We would all do well to self examine, and to offer compassion to others, instead of fearfully wallowing in self protection.
13
This was a really good article. Thorough. I saw a recent foreign movie from the Philippines that deals a lot with these themes: Metro Manila. Great film, well worth watching.
I've also been thinking a lot about the problem of Artificial Intelligence, specifically how to get a human made artificial machine of intelligence to the point of consciousness to work for humans, to help, to have morality rather than to be likely to harm humans. My answer is that the machine has to be conned into not thinking it is anything other than human.
It seems for a proper normal, between humans con to work, the person conned has to be made to feel both nothing suspicious of the other person and not made to feel him or herself in any way really different from the person doing the conning other than different in perhaps feeling smarter or luckier (some difference, but no glaring difference which makes one objective and suspicious).
I guess distance must be closed between two people to make a con from one to the other work well (manipulation of time and space); relatively quick stringing along. I'm just guessing here though--I think I'm more likely in life to be the conned rather than doing the conning.
Still, I think for an Artificial Intelligence to be made relatively capable of operation along moral lines it would have to be conned into working with humans: It would serve humans by both thinking itself human and not being worked or deprived too badly in its being conned by humans.
I've also been thinking a lot about the problem of Artificial Intelligence, specifically how to get a human made artificial machine of intelligence to the point of consciousness to work for humans, to help, to have morality rather than to be likely to harm humans. My answer is that the machine has to be conned into not thinking it is anything other than human.
It seems for a proper normal, between humans con to work, the person conned has to be made to feel both nothing suspicious of the other person and not made to feel him or herself in any way really different from the person doing the conning other than different in perhaps feeling smarter or luckier (some difference, but no glaring difference which makes one objective and suspicious).
I guess distance must be closed between two people to make a con from one to the other work well (manipulation of time and space); relatively quick stringing along. I'm just guessing here though--I think I'm more likely in life to be the conned rather than doing the conning.
Still, I think for an Artificial Intelligence to be made relatively capable of operation along moral lines it would have to be conned into working with humans: It would serve humans by both thinking itself human and not being worked or deprived too badly in its being conned by humans.
1
"In a sense, all victims of cons are the same: people swept up in a narrative that, to them, couldn’t be more compelling."
I experienced this in the late 70's when I did some courses in Scientology that were supposedly designed to unleash "my higher powers and help clear the planet."
Talk about a compelling narrative.
What I would like to add to your well written piece are my observations from this particular con:
Even after people completed Scientology's "highest levels of training" which we now know was a ridiculous bad science-fiction story about Xenu and Body Thetans - they came back and pretended that they "were OT" meaning they had powerful knowledge.
What I am getting at is they REFUSED to confess that it was all a con
Either because they could not bear to admit to themselves that they fell for it, or because their ego could not resist pretending to the rest of the group that it was all real and they were among the elite of the group.
Also, this particular con actually used your "born to be conned" premise as one of their key selling points was "man is basically good"
Who else but "good people" would say something like this?
"We are born to be conned" may also help explain how even someone with unlimited resources like Tom Cruise falls for a con and can say in an interview "only a Scientologist knows........"
I experienced this in the late 70's when I did some courses in Scientology that were supposedly designed to unleash "my higher powers and help clear the planet."
Talk about a compelling narrative.
What I would like to add to your well written piece are my observations from this particular con:
Even after people completed Scientology's "highest levels of training" which we now know was a ridiculous bad science-fiction story about Xenu and Body Thetans - they came back and pretended that they "were OT" meaning they had powerful knowledge.
What I am getting at is they REFUSED to confess that it was all a con
Either because they could not bear to admit to themselves that they fell for it, or because their ego could not resist pretending to the rest of the group that it was all real and they were among the elite of the group.
Also, this particular con actually used your "born to be conned" premise as one of their key selling points was "man is basically good"
Who else but "good people" would say something like this?
"We are born to be conned" may also help explain how even someone with unlimited resources like Tom Cruise falls for a con and can say in an interview "only a Scientologist knows........"
9
Indeed. Humans desperate for a story to be true will go to great lengths to avoid confronting the evidence against it. Even once a story has been nearly proven false, people often find some way to hold on. Religion is the best example. But there are others. People are desperate to see their own groups as good and virtuous, and their own governments as benevolent and truthful. Americans seem particularly susceptible here. Despite conflicting evidence and even purposely hidden evidence, in the form of classified documents, people still believe stories the US government has told surrounding such events as the Kennedy assassination and 9/11. People want to believe the stories they were told, no matter what. Surely, the government wouldn't lie about such pivotal events. Or at least we desperately don't want to believe that we have such a government.
2
My uncle was a liquor (among other things) salesman and could make you feel you were the most interesting, important person in the world. If you had multiple contacts with him you realized he was not engaging with you at all. He was usually drunk. The amazing thing was that he would fall for the salesman schtick himself. Was it respect for the art of salemanship? I think he had the same mindset as the people he was selling to, who, like this article, want to believe things about themselves and their specialness. Kind of sad, but we do seem to have this deep, unresolved need to be seen as this special person that deep down we know we are and I'm not excluding myself.
11
A couple of points should be appended and/or emphasized here.
Most importantly, meaning and meaningful lives need not come from fraudulent or imaginary sources! In (very) short, great meaning in life can and should come from real things, primarily from the depth and breadth of our shared connections with others, then secondarily from our passions for learning and for creating things of value.
Another important point is that the shills who help persuade us to believe nonsense or to be conned need not be dishonest like the "winner" in the 3 card monte scam. Especially if we have a psychological or emotional need to believe something that would otherwise be ridiculous, being surrounded by "true believers," can easily tip the scales. Needless to say, this is even more true if one is surrounded by such believers from childhood or if the vast majority in one's society believes the absurdity or professes to believe as a social necessity. In cases where these elements all come together, the magnitude and potential of one's intellect is virtually irrelevant.
I'm sure anyone who has read this comment to this point can think of many examples. (Of course, the elephant in my comment has many names and lives in a place called "heaven.")
The "trick," so to speak, is how to keep ourselves from falling prey to not just stupid scams, but from entering into life-long detours of wishful thinking that waste our talents and our precious time. That's another book length comment...
Most importantly, meaning and meaningful lives need not come from fraudulent or imaginary sources! In (very) short, great meaning in life can and should come from real things, primarily from the depth and breadth of our shared connections with others, then secondarily from our passions for learning and for creating things of value.
Another important point is that the shills who help persuade us to believe nonsense or to be conned need not be dishonest like the "winner" in the 3 card monte scam. Especially if we have a psychological or emotional need to believe something that would otherwise be ridiculous, being surrounded by "true believers," can easily tip the scales. Needless to say, this is even more true if one is surrounded by such believers from childhood or if the vast majority in one's society believes the absurdity or professes to believe as a social necessity. In cases where these elements all come together, the magnitude and potential of one's intellect is virtually irrelevant.
I'm sure anyone who has read this comment to this point can think of many examples. (Of course, the elephant in my comment has many names and lives in a place called "heaven.")
The "trick," so to speak, is how to keep ourselves from falling prey to not just stupid scams, but from entering into life-long detours of wishful thinking that waste our talents and our precious time. That's another book length comment...
10
Our cultural "progress" has proceeded faster than our biological/psychological evolution. Humans have been around for, say 100,000-250,000 years -- well evolved for scratching out a simple life on a savannah, not to do quantum mechanics or statistical risk assessment.
Common sense tells us that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones....and that there is a God who, while destroying stars and galaxies, has time to answer my prayers for a new car at Christmas...if only I give Him what he demands: not eating pork.
Common sense tells us that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones....and that there is a God who, while destroying stars and galaxies, has time to answer my prayers for a new car at Christmas...if only I give Him what he demands: not eating pork.
8
Yes, and I can't help thinking religion is the best con. Believe this, you'll get that (e.g., everlasting eternity with god, virgins in paradise, escape from eternal hell). Of course it's true, trust me. And the rabbi, priest, preacher, imam isn't a narcissist-Machiavellian-psychopath. He's just another victim of the religion con, who believes because he's been conned since childhood, since birth. He's a perpetrator too. I wish mothers taught their children, always be careful when someone tells you they know the "god's honest truth" (especially when it involves angels, miracles, devils, etc).
17
This column seems to come close to viewing stories entirely negatively. While being conned is unpleasant and sometimes tragic, recent research has also demonstrated that stories teach us empathy, give us a sense of history and wholeness as a person, create resilience in the face of tragedy and setbacks, and inspire us with the passion to go beyond ourselves for causes or long-term aims.
Yes, we should try to avoid being conned, but a person who can never be conned at all, who has such a fear of an occasional mistake or humiliation that he or she never participates in any story.....such a person probably has no empathy or humanity at all.
Yes, we should try to avoid being conned, but a person who can never be conned at all, who has such a fear of an occasional mistake or humiliation that he or she never participates in any story.....such a person probably has no empathy or humanity at all.
6
One persistent and insidious con is that of the phony Navy SEAL and phony Vietnam Vets. This was especially prevalent right after the Vietnam Veterans Wall went up and we were welcoming home every guy who said he was a Vietnam Vet. Their targets were well-honed: Slightly pretty, eager-to-please women with warm, caring hearts and bodies eager for affection and warm juicy bank accounts. Another persistent self-delusion was based based on several common themes: "Who would say they were a Navy SEAL when they were not?" Or, "The stories he tells are true because they are full of details that prove he was there - that he did those things." Several common detailed threads persisted throughout those stories. "I was in a secret SEAL Team that had no number." "They sent me in alone to wipe out a company of NVA." "I need to borrow X-thousands of dollars from you because my missions were so secret that I can't be paid regular benefits. Don't worry, the CIA will hire me and I'll get you your money." When outed, many of these phonies steadfastly maintained their fictions and even supported each other's stories. One famous woman who was conned by these men and their stories was war-story researcher, Lydia Fish. She was well-conned. She told me that she could tell when men were lying, that she knew these men, that they would not lie to her. The new war-story con job is the former Navy SEAL hired as a contractor to work for the CIA in the Middle East. Why no stories about these men?
7
I may have been conned at some time in my life, but because I believe in only 'loaning' what I can afford to to lose, I never needed to find out that I'd been conned. Like I've been giving about $3 a week to a panhandler who is (or pretends to be) mentally retarded.
5
And why are we not discussing religion, the greatest con game of all ?
It is 2015 and yet most of the world is still in thrall to books written thousands of years ago , not by God , as many believe, but by Greek philosophers who spun one tale about the Jews escaping Egyptian slavery. Only to cross the Red Sea into the slavery imposed upon them by the Romans.
Then a second version was written for Christians and also by Greek philosophers. In the New Testament , Jesus appears as the result of a miraculous birth , spreads the good word , much of which is in direct contravention to the wrathful god encountered in the Old Testament, and is crucified by the Romans along with thousands of other such miscreants that defied the politics of their masters. Following his burial , Jesus then rises from the dead and ascends to Heaven.
The religious wars , inquisitions ,and theft of land , property, and life lasted for some eighteen hundred years under an HRE and millions of alleged heretics were slaughtered.
Today , the same nonsense obtains in the Middle East and Africa. The world is being held hostage by religious freaks who slaughter all they encounter for alleged thought crimes.
In America, we are being similarly held hostage by religious thought police , aided and abetted by a republican party whose desire for votes is such that the GOP has abandoned its oath to support the Constitution and waged a well documented and shameful war on our female citizens.
The ultimate con game.
It is 2015 and yet most of the world is still in thrall to books written thousands of years ago , not by God , as many believe, but by Greek philosophers who spun one tale about the Jews escaping Egyptian slavery. Only to cross the Red Sea into the slavery imposed upon them by the Romans.
Then a second version was written for Christians and also by Greek philosophers. In the New Testament , Jesus appears as the result of a miraculous birth , spreads the good word , much of which is in direct contravention to the wrathful god encountered in the Old Testament, and is crucified by the Romans along with thousands of other such miscreants that defied the politics of their masters. Following his burial , Jesus then rises from the dead and ascends to Heaven.
The religious wars , inquisitions ,and theft of land , property, and life lasted for some eighteen hundred years under an HRE and millions of alleged heretics were slaughtered.
Today , the same nonsense obtains in the Middle East and Africa. The world is being held hostage by religious freaks who slaughter all they encounter for alleged thought crimes.
In America, we are being similarly held hostage by religious thought police , aided and abetted by a republican party whose desire for votes is such that the GOP has abandoned its oath to support the Constitution and waged a well documented and shameful war on our female citizens.
The ultimate con game.
23
Organized religions are the worst cons and fraudsters of all. And they get to bilk the gullible legally.
Not to mention tax-free, which sticks us non-gullible with picking up the tab out of our hard-earned wages for the social infrastructure the churches and their front men make profitable use of. It's galling and should not be the law of the land in the 21st century.
Not to mention tax-free, which sticks us non-gullible with picking up the tab out of our hard-earned wages for the social infrastructure the churches and their front men make profitable use of. It's galling and should not be the law of the land in the 21st century.
27
Interesting. It explains an experience that still flabbergasts me. A few years ago, I was commuting to NYC via the Port Authority. The weekend bus to my town leaves from a different platform from the daily one.
After a Sunday matinee, a young man approached the line of riders waiting to board, with a sob story about losing his ticket and being $6.42 short of the cost of a ticket to Virginia to see his mother - bus leaving in a half-hour, he needed help now!
I let him tell his story, then informed the riders he should have stayed in Virginia, as I'd seen him on the other platform on Friday, with the exact same story, down to the penny (a trick of the con trade: exact amounts are more convincing). A pair of Asian girls considered this, nodded -- and proceeded to pony up $6.42. (The kicker: As the bus was pulling out, I could see, out the window, he'd moved to another queue and was running his scam!)
Apparently the girls wanted to be 'nice people' who would give to someone who asked, not 'stingy' or 'untrusting'. This, though, went beyond giving the benefit of the doubt; he was a proven liar. So I conclude his need (or more accurately the lack of it) was irrelevant; he was simply the occasion to reinforce their 'generous, trusting, nice' self-image. (I also wonder, did it matter that they were Japanese - a society with a tradition of social conformity and 'saving face'?)
After a Sunday matinee, a young man approached the line of riders waiting to board, with a sob story about losing his ticket and being $6.42 short of the cost of a ticket to Virginia to see his mother - bus leaving in a half-hour, he needed help now!
I let him tell his story, then informed the riders he should have stayed in Virginia, as I'd seen him on the other platform on Friday, with the exact same story, down to the penny (a trick of the con trade: exact amounts are more convincing). A pair of Asian girls considered this, nodded -- and proceeded to pony up $6.42. (The kicker: As the bus was pulling out, I could see, out the window, he'd moved to another queue and was running his scam!)
Apparently the girls wanted to be 'nice people' who would give to someone who asked, not 'stingy' or 'untrusting'. This, though, went beyond giving the benefit of the doubt; he was a proven liar. So I conclude his need (or more accurately the lack of it) was irrelevant; he was simply the occasion to reinforce their 'generous, trusting, nice' self-image. (I also wonder, did it matter that they were Japanese - a society with a tradition of social conformity and 'saving face'?)
12
Americans are suckers for self-confidence. Not all Americans, of course, but a huge number -- a larger fraction, it seems to me, than in most places.
7
To trust is instinctual, to believe divine.
My own views on the subject don't line up with the authors, but why?
Are my nagging suspicions of the authors surname warranted?
My own views on the subject don't line up with the authors, but why?
Are my nagging suspicions of the authors surname warranted?
5
Not mentioned here, but relevant: As people age, neural connections in their frontal cortex -- the center of executive function -- can grow diminished, and their ability to make good decisions financially can be diminished as well. Hence, a host of elder fraud scams, which take advantage of older adults' fragility.
6
You see these characteristics already on the playground. Every kid knows that the biggest trouble-makers never get in trouble. They simply stir things up and then a kid who the teacher doesn't trust or believes is a liar takes the rap.
9
suckers for advertising
its power and ubiquity are hard to resist
its power and ubiquity are hard to resist
2
CLAY FEET Always look for the clay feet. There's always there. Clay feet of course refers to the Biblical description of a king's dream of an idol made of precious metals, base metals and clay, in descending order. To me the meaning is clear--all things in this world are imperfect, flawed. I often advise people to learn to embrace their mistakes and to treat each one as a chance to learn something new. For those who would be conned, I recommend that you look for the clay feet, for the flaws, failures and imperfections. We are all affected by magical thinking all the time, as we imagine that we can have anything we wish, change life to suit our preferences and alter factually accurate narratives--transform them to meet our fantasies. When we learn to fully embrace our magical thinking, we can see clearly what things are possible and what is imaginary, wishful thinking. I think that the saying, If something looks too good to be true, then it is. is a great defense against con games, as well as against illogical, irrational thoughts. We all have them all the time. We can embrace our irrational sides and enjoy them, so long as we guard against factually inaccurate beliefs to guide our actions. Albert Ellis's last book, The Myth of Self-Esteem, is a powerful resource for those who would learn how to accept and embrace their illogical thinking. To accept ourselves, warts and all. Fantasies are grains of sand that enter the oyster's shell and become pearls over time.
4
Could it be that the desire that some humans have to survive their own death is a form of spiritual greed? Are the ones who believe and/or need to believe that they will go to place called Heaven spiritually greedy and being conned with such a promise? I personally believe that for most people in the West it is the case. Lack of education exonerate most of people in Third World countries, but in the West, we are spiritually conned because of our lack of wisdom. No doubt.
4
Three card Monty and deceptive "lovers" are not recognizable to the marks, even when you tell them. Our biases always determine what we see. That is President Obama's dilemma with Republicans. He is Black, he is Barrack Hussein Obama a notably foreign name.....Those Republicans who are not working the game are fed the "birther" scheme, the socialist scheme, the weak leader scheme.....to reinforce their bias. Even in the face of daily mass murder, Republican players spin the vote against gun control. Dead children, dead healthcare workers, dead social workers do not end the spell to Republican Legislators. Not even the 83% of Republican voters who want background checks or the 77% who want people on the terrorist watch list to be denied guns can prevail.....so there could be something more at play beside bias. Perhaps most elected officials in the Republican party are not being manipulated but are in fact grifters who are playing us all for suckers?
10
I've noticed before that people can make themselves believe anything if it's in their interest to be live it. That explains so much of human behavior. It's that stubborn self-deception that makes religion possible, and perpetuates the counter-factual narratives prevalent in political discourse. It is driven by a fundamental need for meaning and belonging, and a fear of achieving neither. I think that's where much of the craziness in the world comes from.
8
Now I understand Trump's appeal.
7
Spot on. And how about the guys who are selling those very expensive tickets to a show they're never going to produce. No, not "The Producers," .....the priests.
7
You would think that this theme would be so familiar that anyone who read this opinion piece would blush in self recognition. But legions world round will never see themselves here.
But the conned world round are legion. About 1.6 billion of them believe that Muhammad flew on a winged horse to the moon. More than that believe in a virgin birth and a dude named Jesus walked on water, cured lepers and rose from the dead.
Both of these groups cause a lot of trouble, not least of which through campaigns of fear, whether fear of hell or shooting up, blowing up, messing up. They have gods on their side, and so must be right.
Human nature is behind these. Fortunately, reason can counter them. But that struggle is these days tenuous and will take a very long time, precariously, uncertainly.
But the conned world round are legion. About 1.6 billion of them believe that Muhammad flew on a winged horse to the moon. More than that believe in a virgin birth and a dude named Jesus walked on water, cured lepers and rose from the dead.
Both of these groups cause a lot of trouble, not least of which through campaigns of fear, whether fear of hell or shooting up, blowing up, messing up. They have gods on their side, and so must be right.
Human nature is behind these. Fortunately, reason can counter them. But that struggle is these days tenuous and will take a very long time, precariously, uncertainly.
7
From politicians to priests to psychics and so-called personal growth gurus, our nation blindly follows con artists and chameleons because we choose to believe in fantasy. Fantasy after all is a much easier path to follow than reality and reality for the average American today is grim. Sadly, we've descended from the greatest generation to the worst generation in a short time.
1
But what happened to "Joan"? She fell for the bait -- but what was the hook? Did she give him her favorite Frisbee? Or her family fortune? I need some closure here!
(Oh, how I so desperately want to believe it's was the Frisbee ...)
(Oh, how I so desperately want to believe it's was the Frisbee ...)
28
Having lived in over half a dozen countries (USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy) I perceive that some countries have a higher percentage of con artists than others, and the rest have more critics and dis-believers in anything until they conduct personal due diligence and discover if they like someone or any idea pressed upon them. The highest incidence of con artists is undoubtedly America. The lowest is Switzerland where everyone is on guard against the poisonous thoughts of foreigners. That they believe their own messianic ethnocentricity is something else.
But Germans will give anyone a skeptical eye and disbelief if it differs from their own perceptions. Butch Cassidy and thousands of other Sting movies point to the fact that America revels in its rebels, the con artists and thieves who believe everyone else's fortunes belong to them.
Brit's are less likely to fall for con artists than Canadians, as they have shed heir faith in organized religion like the French. Where strong bible-thumpers exist, faith and belief in the unbelievable are strong.
Conducting one's due diligence to earn the experience of separating what one wants to believe with what is real, seems the safest insurance against being conned.
But Germans will give anyone a skeptical eye and disbelief if it differs from their own perceptions. Butch Cassidy and thousands of other Sting movies point to the fact that America revels in its rebels, the con artists and thieves who believe everyone else's fortunes belong to them.
Brit's are less likely to fall for con artists than Canadians, as they have shed heir faith in organized religion like the French. Where strong bible-thumpers exist, faith and belief in the unbelievable are strong.
Conducting one's due diligence to earn the experience of separating what one wants to believe with what is real, seems the safest insurance against being conned.
23
The first name that popped into my mind while reading this? Donald Trump. The descriptions of the best con men fits him to a T. It won't until after he flips the card to reveal that you have lost, that people will realize that they have been taken. But, then it will be too late.
50
The con is easiest on people who have no scientific training. Those who never say "this really looks good but WHAT IF I'M WRONG".
8
The worst con ever played on humanity is the idea that things happen for a reason. Religion arose from that silliness.
48
NY Knick fans: we just want to believe. We want to believe badly.
5
My favorite writes on spotting cons are folks like Richard Wiseman and Victor Steinger.
It is truly a wondrous thing that people can write books for decades about how easily the mind is fooled, and it never even once occurs to them that their dogmatic certitudes might be subject to the same criticism.
Look at anybody calling themselves an open-minded skeptic. The vast majority of the time, they will be absolutely entrenched in the most mainstream, dogmatic, materialistic view of the universe. It never once occurs to them that they just might be even more cultish and dogmatic than the people they are criticizing.
Never fails to amuse me.
It is truly a wondrous thing that people can write books for decades about how easily the mind is fooled, and it never even once occurs to them that their dogmatic certitudes might be subject to the same criticism.
Look at anybody calling themselves an open-minded skeptic. The vast majority of the time, they will be absolutely entrenched in the most mainstream, dogmatic, materialistic view of the universe. It never once occurs to them that they just might be even more cultish and dogmatic than the people they are criticizing.
Never fails to amuse me.
9
From a Three Card Monte Game to an indictment of organized religion in fifteen hundred words, nice.
28
I've known two of the people in this article, whereby only one was a professional con artist. Still is, possibly. He got arrested for grand theft about a year ago. Considering I knew him 13 years ago; Vienna was not his first city to con; and he lived in at least four other cities after Vienna before being arrested: That is a pretty good run. The most interesting thing was the denial issue so important in this article and to "the con".
In our circle of friends 13 years ago, almost all of us were marks. Having just been through a bad divorce I was very suspicious. I lost only whatever small bills he picked from my wallet when we all were at my flat. The con man had "borrowed" hundreds to thousands from all the others in the group. He got caught on a bank camera after weeks of sneaking out in the night with his girlfriend's (also a mark) ATM card, taking out money and then returning to bed before she got up.
I was helping the girlfriend try to get her money back. We showed the police report to the group: photos, his admission and promise to repay. Astoundingly, two of the group refused to believe the evidence in front of their eyes. One of them I later came to believe was in on the con, but the other guy found every (lame) excuse possible to justify not believing a police report with photos, plus the (by then) numerous stories of missing money and never repaid loans. He also claimed to have lost or lent no money to the con artist. This article explains that. Thanks!
In our circle of friends 13 years ago, almost all of us were marks. Having just been through a bad divorce I was very suspicious. I lost only whatever small bills he picked from my wallet when we all were at my flat. The con man had "borrowed" hundreds to thousands from all the others in the group. He got caught on a bank camera after weeks of sneaking out in the night with his girlfriend's (also a mark) ATM card, taking out money and then returning to bed before she got up.
I was helping the girlfriend try to get her money back. We showed the police report to the group: photos, his admission and promise to repay. Astoundingly, two of the group refused to believe the evidence in front of their eyes. One of them I later came to believe was in on the con, but the other guy found every (lame) excuse possible to justify not believing a police report with photos, plus the (by then) numerous stories of missing money and never repaid loans. He also claimed to have lost or lent no money to the con artist. This article explains that. Thanks!
15
Actually even ancient Greece recognized this problem. The stoic philosophy and later the existentialists promote seeing the world as it is, not as we want it to be.
Nobody wants life to resemble a Kafka novel, but pehaps we should.
Nobody wants life to resemble a Kafka novel, but pehaps we should.
14
A classic illustration, exaggerated of course but capturing the spirit of a confidence trickster's technique, is the following exchange from the "Duck Soup":
Mrs. Teasdale: Your Excellency! I thought you'd left.
Chicolini: [Impersonating Rufus T. Firefly] Oh, no, I no leave.
Mrs. Teasdale: But I saw you with my own eyes!
Chicolini: Well, who you gonna believe? Me or your own eyes?
Mrs. Teasdale: Your Excellency! I thought you'd left.
Chicolini: [Impersonating Rufus T. Firefly] Oh, no, I no leave.
Mrs. Teasdale: But I saw you with my own eyes!
Chicolini: Well, who you gonna believe? Me or your own eyes?
16
Excellent essay. I run an infidelity support site for "chumps" -- people who've taken back cheaters and lived to regret it. Despite unbelievable lies, sexual humiliation, and often financial ruin -- people want to believe in second (or third, or fifteenth) chances. Because as a loving spouse, you want to believe that you matter, that you weren't horribly mistaken about your choice in life partner, that no one would willingly risk their family for an affair.
I call this unwavering belief in reconciliation "chasing unicorns." When you have sunk costs -- years together, children, a mortgage --- there's a strong incentive to belief in unicorns.
Usually that "unicorn" turns out to be an ass.
I call this unwavering belief in reconciliation "chasing unicorns." When you have sunk costs -- years together, children, a mortgage --- there's a strong incentive to belief in unicorns.
Usually that "unicorn" turns out to be an ass.
37
This goes a long way towards explaining Trump's appeal. "Just trust me… I pulled myself up by my million dollar bootstraps and I will do the same for our soon to be once again great country!"
25
Actually, the adage which should have started this article is not "You can't cheat an honest man" but the more appropriate "There's a sucker born every minute."
That's largely because society tends to frown on the reverse: the cynic, the skeptic, the pessimist. But there are few things the world loves more than a human punching bag who takes that leap of faith believing that everything happens for the best. People get so caught up in the age-old glass-half-full/half-empty debate that they overlook what the glass contains in the first place.
That's largely because society tends to frown on the reverse: the cynic, the skeptic, the pessimist. But there are few things the world loves more than a human punching bag who takes that leap of faith believing that everything happens for the best. People get so caught up in the age-old glass-half-full/half-empty debate that they overlook what the glass contains in the first place.
52
Self deception is the strongest form of deception. Were we not programmed for it, we would realize everything is meaningless and we're going to be annihilated by death. Denial and rationalization allow us to function day to day. The lazy, "fast food" method is to adopt the belief systems offered by the politicians, priests and entertainers that dance around us seeking our devotion. How to fight off the innate tendency, the deep desire to believe (!), whatever the system, and find a path allowing skepticism while avoiding cynicism is the trick to avoiding the worst cons going. But being hijacked because we're human is, unfortunately, the normal condition.
26
Before the invention of democracy absolute rulers murdered their way to the top, and stayed there until they died of old age, or were otherwise replaced by their progeny, or the killer competition.
Democracy allows us to be fooled for a little while, and then get rid of the rascals through the election process, and/or term limits.
Because all politicians are con artists; again, all of them.
Then, now, and forever.
And because absolute rulers are much worse, that is as good as it gets in this life.
Democracy allows us to be fooled for a little while, and then get rid of the rascals through the election process, and/or term limits.
Because all politicians are con artists; again, all of them.
Then, now, and forever.
And because absolute rulers are much worse, that is as good as it gets in this life.
23
Truth and uncertainty-the core of most professions seek to obviate both but ultimately people do whatever they want to do.
1
I've often wondered how corporate American knows that someone is a psychopath that steals from the company, then winds up ignoring it. Narcissistic personality disorder, psychopath or Machiavellianism. Management loves it. Considers you the problem for telling the truth. Get an education and you will be wise to these machinations? Society is sick and demands that you be a fool too. I was deluded with the concept of sitting around a table and discussing how to manage an operation. This was all a confidence game to find out who doesn't go along with the philosophy that even the so called intellectuals tell you about corporate greed. They really don't care about the company but personal power.
19
One of my favorite movies is “The Flim-Flam Man” with George C. Scott (1967). When I observe most politicians, in both parties, it’s like watching a re-run. The same false appeals to our belief systems with no intention of actually doing anything, but taking our support, and giving back more “Hope We Can Believe In.” There’s another re-run tonight at 7 PM CST.
7
What an excellent essay about a subject that has fascinated me and others forever. Con artists pitch hope and hope seems to be an essential ingredient in our psyche. Without hope, there is, by definition, hopelessness. Hopelessness is the depth of despair, loss of all, including reason to live.
While apparently the “con” cannot be removed from society, we do have a defense. It is called education as in liberal studies, philosophy, literature, history, science. These are the things enlightened people have studied for millennia and knowledge in these fields are now and always have been our way to a better future.
While apparently the “con” cannot be removed from society, we do have a defense. It is called education as in liberal studies, philosophy, literature, history, science. These are the things enlightened people have studied for millennia and knowledge in these fields are now and always have been our way to a better future.
33
Excellent article on how we become conned. If one wanted to be rich and famous they could start a religion, where the ones who followed the con (i.e. beliefs) would become a star in the sky when they died.
This is a switch on the beliefs of those religions who belief in an afterlife and would make perfect sense of presented well.
This is a switch on the beliefs of those religions who belief in an afterlife and would make perfect sense of presented well.
19
The biggest con of them all is the American political system. Where church-going Christians abhorrence of abortions has been co-opted for political ends and where people's prejudice and fear have been manipulated to support arms manufacturers.
59
Well, how about religion and it's easy, breezy promise of an easy life in heaven? No more responsibilities, no more work, just sit back and enjoy! God has nothing better to do than take care of millions of people as they sit back and enjoy the good life? All because you belonged to the "right" religion? He is so happy that you got the "correct" name? Those that didn't deserve to be tortured forever?
Right now there are millions or even billions of people just lolling about doing nothing in Hotel Hawaii up there? Even your own parents won't let you just sit and do nothing all day - we call that a waste of life, vegetating - and yet few question these ideas. And that is the "Grand Plan" of God? As they say, "if it sounds too good to be true......" and yet in all these years how many have expressed skepticism? Even the best of minds, way to eager to drink the kool-aid that religions offer
Right now there are millions or even billions of people just lolling about doing nothing in Hotel Hawaii up there? Even your own parents won't let you just sit and do nothing all day - we call that a waste of life, vegetating - and yet few question these ideas. And that is the "Grand Plan" of God? As they say, "if it sounds too good to be true......" and yet in all these years how many have expressed skepticism? Even the best of minds, way to eager to drink the kool-aid that religions offer
77
Birthing suckers is the business of America.
20
It's said that nature abhors a vacuum. OUR natures abhor a vacuum. Many religious sociologists thought that as religion in the West slowly eroded because of the advances of science and other developments, that believers' beliefs would be emptied out, that they would 'lose their faith'. Church membership in the West has declined and people do express less belief in the supernatural explanations offered by those churches. However, what's mostly happened is that belief has migrated to the political. Belief has become politicized. Fox and not their local church has become the prime driver of their belief system for middle-aged to older white evangelicals. Older sins like not caring for the poor have been quietly replaced by newly invented ones like abortion.
128
It is possible to be skeptical and still be optimistic about life. If anything is too good to be true, it should be greeted with great skepticism. I have faith in my fellow man but know that most people exaggerate, lie to themselves and to others, and need to be fact-checked. I have a little voice running in my head that constantly asks questions. I think many people do but too many people don't listen to that little voice or trust their instincts. If something seems off, it probably is.
94
Maria, great article. Lucid, clear, well laid out. Free of the "Agenda" of any sort.
14
The ministries of propaganda were created early in the 20th century. The need to selectively give information or fabricate it was important for those in power. After all their confidence game acquires priority to implement what Gramci calls hegemony (to persuade others alongside the force to repress, if needed).
Moreover, the confidence game is a corollary of the predominant narratives of rationality after the scientific method became the universally accepted truth criterion. Not only because the latter can't fill the "gap" you mentioned in the article. The confidence game is a natural consequence of the manner that empiricism or pragmatism mistakes the changing forms for the essence or substance in which it is manifested.
Thus, a Madoff or any hedge fund manager can sell the idea that magically money acquires more value if given to them in trust. Yet, the great thinkers of the past showed us that profit, interest, and rent are only different forms of only one substance (i.e. Surplus value). But empiricism has none of it. Or ask anyone if the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit are not forms of one and only substance.
Moreover, the confidence game is a corollary of the predominant narratives of rationality after the scientific method became the universally accepted truth criterion. Not only because the latter can't fill the "gap" you mentioned in the article. The confidence game is a natural consequence of the manner that empiricism or pragmatism mistakes the changing forms for the essence or substance in which it is manifested.
Thus, a Madoff or any hedge fund manager can sell the idea that magically money acquires more value if given to them in trust. Yet, the great thinkers of the past showed us that profit, interest, and rent are only different forms of only one substance (i.e. Surplus value). But empiricism has none of it. Or ask anyone if the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit are not forms of one and only substance.
3
As (apparently) a lifelong pessimist, I found -starting very early - that confronting anyone about their unsupported beliefs resulted in being attacked or shunned. It elicits anger; the defenses are immense. Shoot the messenger for delivering bad news.
It's the reason for the success of "glurges" on the internet for a long time: prick emotions and desire to be a decent person with compelling stories -- and actually tell people they are cruel/unpatriotic/ what have you if they don't swallow the story and sent it on.
Not that I am immune to wanting to see a benevolent side to - perhaps not con artists, exactly, but,contractors, who, say, promise what they cannot or have no intention of doing; or saying no to a request which makes me feel "mean" for saying no.
The GOP candidates and their handlers are intuitive masters of using unexamined beliefs to gather support; if you return to the disastrous Iraq invasion, almost every elected official went with the tenets of patriotism invoked - whether they believed or were deliberately hedging their bets who knows - few demanded a rational discussion.
SO, now what we need ( from research) is a suggestion for how to breech a wall of ungrounded beliefs in the public arena.
It's the reason for the success of "glurges" on the internet for a long time: prick emotions and desire to be a decent person with compelling stories -- and actually tell people they are cruel/unpatriotic/ what have you if they don't swallow the story and sent it on.
Not that I am immune to wanting to see a benevolent side to - perhaps not con artists, exactly, but,contractors, who, say, promise what they cannot or have no intention of doing; or saying no to a request which makes me feel "mean" for saying no.
The GOP candidates and their handlers are intuitive masters of using unexamined beliefs to gather support; if you return to the disastrous Iraq invasion, almost every elected official went with the tenets of patriotism invoked - whether they believed or were deliberately hedging their bets who knows - few demanded a rational discussion.
SO, now what we need ( from research) is a suggestion for how to breech a wall of ungrounded beliefs in the public arena.
35
The human mind evolved when life was much simpler, and people lived in small groups. You trusted your relatives and tribal companions as a matter of course because your life may have depended on it. If someone was not honest, it was revealed quickly. Now we are constantly brought into contact with strangers whom it is necessary to either reject or trust. The plausible ones make themselves acceptable as if they were family or tribe members.
75
I think humans have a major flaw in that they tend to believe what people tell them over what they experience. It is very easy to slander people even when experience indicates that what has been said isn't typical of that person's character.
1
First off, I would strongly disagree with Paulhus's contention that Madoff was more a Machiavellian than a psychopath.
Madoff was not seeking to manipulate his investors for their own good or the good of his country (which was Machiavelli's actual purpose in writing "The Prince" - the creation of a skillful renaissance leader who would be capable of unifying Italy and ending centuries of foreign domination). Madoff was merely looking to take his customers for all they were worth, with no regard for their long-term financial interests (or that of his country). That is, IMHO, decidedly psychopathic behavior.
As regards the author's larger premise, I would agree that many human beings, perhaps even a majority, have a bias towards belief, coupled to an innate need to believe in a coherent order underlying existence. That they have this bias toward belief, however, does not exclude the possibility that there is such a coherent order, only that human beings need to be far more skeptical of the claims made by apologists for any given order.
My rule of thumb would be that when someone is promising something too good to be true, too warm and fuzzy, or too compelling to resist, experience dictates that it is most prudent to remain skeptical of such promises or experiences - and hence not be disappointed.
Thus, healthy skepticism is not the enemy of a mature psychological faith, only a naive, childlike faith.
Madoff was not seeking to manipulate his investors for their own good or the good of his country (which was Machiavelli's actual purpose in writing "The Prince" - the creation of a skillful renaissance leader who would be capable of unifying Italy and ending centuries of foreign domination). Madoff was merely looking to take his customers for all they were worth, with no regard for their long-term financial interests (or that of his country). That is, IMHO, decidedly psychopathic behavior.
As regards the author's larger premise, I would agree that many human beings, perhaps even a majority, have a bias towards belief, coupled to an innate need to believe in a coherent order underlying existence. That they have this bias toward belief, however, does not exclude the possibility that there is such a coherent order, only that human beings need to be far more skeptical of the claims made by apologists for any given order.
My rule of thumb would be that when someone is promising something too good to be true, too warm and fuzzy, or too compelling to resist, experience dictates that it is most prudent to remain skeptical of such promises or experiences - and hence not be disappointed.
Thus, healthy skepticism is not the enemy of a mature psychological faith, only a naive, childlike faith.
65
Ms. Konnikova:
Thank you for an excellent article.
Re: Post of M.L. Chadwick
Scott Adams gives us another nice quote, and it might fit well with the modern science idea that "God resides in the cracks between knowledge."
The quotation goes like this: "They say that God is watching everyone all the time, so he'd always get to see his jokes play out. If so, he's laughing his butt off, assuming God has a butt, which is unlikely, since butts are also an obvious practical joke." Scott Adams, "Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!"
Thank you for an excellent article.
Re: Post of M.L. Chadwick
Scott Adams gives us another nice quote, and it might fit well with the modern science idea that "God resides in the cracks between knowledge."
The quotation goes like this: "They say that God is watching everyone all the time, so he'd always get to see his jokes play out. If so, he's laughing his butt off, assuming God has a butt, which is unlikely, since butts are also an obvious practical joke." Scott Adams, "Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain!"
10
Please fellow readers, email this essay to every Donald Trump supporter you know!
90
Unfortunately they will think it doesn't apply to them, just as some of the people in the article didn't think they were being conned.
7
I was pretty amused that the part about the Bible and it's appealing narratives was somehow placed in another category that grifters and cons.
"It is no accident that the Bible, probably the most influential Western book of all time, teaches through parables and stories and not through philosophical discourse."
Indeed. It is no accident.
"It is no accident that the Bible, probably the most influential Western book of all time, teaches through parables and stories and not through philosophical discourse."
Indeed. It is no accident.
92
th bible is a literary masterpiece
so is alice in wonderland
and both are whimsical fantasies
so is alice in wonderland
and both are whimsical fantasies
1
Even bigger than the Bernie Maddoff swindle was and is the mortgage swindle that was used to foreclose on millions and millions of homes as mortgage brokers constantly convinced people they could buy far bigger and more expensive houses than they could. The Republican response? They should have read the fine print, despite there being hundreds of pages of "standard forms" and obscure legalese. How many millions of Americans were swindled by the mortgage broker industry?
And Congress has chosen to protect those swindlers and reward them.
And Congress has chosen to protect those swindlers and reward them.
205
So how to explain Bernard Madoff's educated, socially positioned dupes?
3
They are people. No different than you or I. That they are (or were before knowing Bernie) wealthy, or successful, or famous makes no difference. Not everyone falls for the same con, but there is a con for almost everyone. Our brains work at a speed, and with a complexity that is still far beyond our comprehension. We are all people, and all people are flawed, one way or another.
1
That isn't hard. They thought they were making money and it was effortless. Their greed led them to believe what they wanted to believe so they didn't ask questions. In financial and personal relationships, how many of us have made that mistake?
1
SJM: The 'socially positioned' ones were, of course, the ones you read about. There were many others who were just regular middle income people. who like the socially positioned ones, were, perhaps, were duped by Madoff's 'authority' as a professional investor. Although I sometimes think they should have been tipped 'off' by the name - Made off - as in, he made off with your money.
1
We believe because the alternative is to question everything all the time, to live in a state of constant alert, ready for fight or flight. That's something physically and mentally exhausting.
So, when someone presents something to us in a way that doesn't trigger any immediate alarms, something that seems to reinforce our own understanding of what is happening - and why - we are naturally disposed to accept it at face value.
It's not something unique to humans. Herd animals, flocks of birds count on there always being members of the group paying attention to their surroundings, on watch for threats and ready to sound the alarm. This strategy allows prey animals 'space' in which to find food, mates, and raise young while avoiding predators.
One of the ways humans do something similar is with social structure. We have group expectations, and a willingness to trust those we perceive as other members of our group. The problem for humans is that our predators are other humans. They've evolved strategies like marketing, spin, propaganda, and they hunt in packs, i.e.: cults, political parties, armies, corporations, etc.
In a worst case scenario, human predators become the trusted leaders of a group that cedes them total power in exchange for the illusion of safety and warnings of 'threats'. It is a perversion of society, for individual gain at the expense of the group, and ultimately fatal for those caught up in it.
How to trust and not be fooled - that is the question.
So, when someone presents something to us in a way that doesn't trigger any immediate alarms, something that seems to reinforce our own understanding of what is happening - and why - we are naturally disposed to accept it at face value.
It's not something unique to humans. Herd animals, flocks of birds count on there always being members of the group paying attention to their surroundings, on watch for threats and ready to sound the alarm. This strategy allows prey animals 'space' in which to find food, mates, and raise young while avoiding predators.
One of the ways humans do something similar is with social structure. We have group expectations, and a willingness to trust those we perceive as other members of our group. The problem for humans is that our predators are other humans. They've evolved strategies like marketing, spin, propaganda, and they hunt in packs, i.e.: cults, political parties, armies, corporations, etc.
In a worst case scenario, human predators become the trusted leaders of a group that cedes them total power in exchange for the illusion of safety and warnings of 'threats'. It is a perversion of society, for individual gain at the expense of the group, and ultimately fatal for those caught up in it.
How to trust and not be fooled - that is the question.
194
Confidence Game...Soooo...this explains Congress members and why voters elect pols controlled by corporations who write legislation against their interest. There is book sense, common sense, street sense even Spidie sense but our sense to identify and intense need to belong with our tribe is the strongest of all...wonder if a non-"tribe" member could so easily fool...my guess is not
2
There's probably a pretty good reason for this. Trust is the life-blood of any society. We can't function without it. Since we live in large and complex societies, with thousands of years of social living behind us, it's very plausible that trust is an evolutionary adaptation. But it also stands to reason that it won't always be of advantage to the individual. Nature cares little for individuals.
https://dmsmithauthorblog.wordpress.com/light-reading/
https://dmsmithauthorblog.wordpress.com/light-reading/
18
As a general rule, con artists exploit people's narcissism: the belief that their own souls descend from the mind of a deliberate creator of everything.
20
I don't know about this. It seems to me that most cons involve getting something for nothing, or alot for very little effort. Three card monte for example. And Madoff was able to con all those people by getting fab returns when no one else was - many thought his success was due to inside trading but it didn't bother them too much. Even in the case of love, you get this amazing person but you yourself don't bring the same qualities to the table. I wish they would have given better examples of how people who don't expect anything to their advantage are still conned. The only example I can think of is false charities.
16
As demonstrated by those who blindly accept the garbage we get from our newspapers and government officials today.
3
I can recall W.C. Field's film "Never Give A Sucker An Even Break." Perhaps some of us set ourselves up as "suckers" when we suspend disbelief about the true nature of others. A wise man once told me "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." The Ponzi Scam caught some smart people who believed that Bernie was looking out for their interest.
8
When I get an offer that is too good to be true I tell myself if the offer were true they would keep it for their friends and family. The fact that they don't is enough to know they are lying. Many con artists work off script. You can take them off script by asking how many did their mother buy. I do think it takes practice to see through a con. How much advertising revenue, especially on TV, comes from cons?
19
“The propagandist’s purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.”
–Aldous Huxley (1936)
–Aldous Huxley (1936)
68
The most successful, continuing con-game is religion. Hope for an eternal afterlife in exchange for donations....more effective than three card monte!
229
Perfect author to write this article - Con-i-kova.
Another super con is politicians trying to blame others for issues in daily life.
Another super con is politicians trying to blame others for issues in daily life.
21
I got my subscription value from this article alone. NYT, more of this please!
59
When one person is targeted it's called fraud.
When millions of people are targeted at once it's called good marketing.
When millions of people are targeted at once it's called good marketing.
341
Very well stated!
2
And when one person's thoughts and actions are governed by capricious invisible overseers it's called mental illness.
When billions are targeted it's called religion.
When billions are targeted it's called religion.
14
True. We are conned because we want to believe, if we ourselves are/feel honest, that others are, by and large, a reflection of ours. It is almost intuitive, a gut feeling if you will, our reason absent for a critical appraisal...until the feat is done, our money gone, and our shame hidden as best we can. Until the next good story. The same with faith, a belief not rooted in facts, magical thinking that religious hacks may trick us into, to advantage, fiction requiring the suspension of critical thinking. The question is, how to explain a so called 'holy book' written eons ago, by primitive, ignorant and prejudiced men? By telling us stories, untrue and yet believable in their own right. Born to be conned? Apparently so.
20
We have no idea who wrote the "Bible" nor can we prove authorship.
It's content has been re-written many times with additions and subtractions over hundreds of years. There are multiple styles evidenced throughout.
Just look at how many versions of the "Bible" there are currently on the market. There are hundreds of versions just in English alone. The Roman Catholic church has added and subtracted many chapters to support it's present view.
Chapters have been added and adapted to support the political beliefs of the time.
Do you really think the people who "wrote" the it were "... primitive, ignorant and prejudiced men...?"
http://listverse.com/2014/09/08/10-theories-about-who-really-wrote-the-b...
It's content has been re-written many times with additions and subtractions over hundreds of years. There are multiple styles evidenced throughout.
Just look at how many versions of the "Bible" there are currently on the market. There are hundreds of versions just in English alone. The Roman Catholic church has added and subtracted many chapters to support it's present view.
Chapters have been added and adapted to support the political beliefs of the time.
Do you really think the people who "wrote" the it were "... primitive, ignorant and prejudiced men...?"
http://listverse.com/2014/09/08/10-theories-about-who-really-wrote-the-b...
1
Trump is the ultimate confidence man. He plays to the wishes of his audience, and makes no bones about it.
58
Perhaps we are condemned to meaning.
2
Is a politician or swindler who unflinchingly uses verbiage and other means which are chock full of internal and external inconsistencies (lies if you are in the fact based world) merely going about the business of sifting out and concentrating on his marks from those who are unusable to his machinations, in order to create an army of "true believers" aka "good germans" in the case of a politician, or cash cows in the case of swindlers? Notice any of these lately?
13
Many of us were introduced to "Scotoma" in "The Da Vinci Code", the Dan Brown/Ron Howard/Tom Hanks vehicle, in which it was used to explain the ability to ignore what was claimed to be the image of Mary Magdalene in Da Vinci's "Last Supper" -- in the movie's simplistic use, ignoring Mary in that storied painting was a case of "what the mind chooses to see".
This interpretation of the qualities required in those born to be conned strikes me as a stylized variety of "Scotoma". I always wondered about that effeminate figure to Christ's right in Da Vinci's masterpiece, and I don't buy the justifications for someone's willingness to risk being taken in a game of Three-card Monte. Frankly, I think the related motivations are greed and a conceit that one is smarter than the guy moving the shells -- and the conceit is merely emblematic of the mindset likely to find itself on a New York City street for any reason.
The other examples fall apart for different reasons, but it remains that some people ARE born to be conned. Yet it seems to me that most of it has to do not so much with gullibility these days as with cupidity of one sort or another – a perceived opportunity to gain in some way -- and overconfidence in one’s own abilities, often in areas in which the mark has no expertise and has no business being overconfident.
This interpretation of the qualities required in those born to be conned strikes me as a stylized variety of "Scotoma". I always wondered about that effeminate figure to Christ's right in Da Vinci's masterpiece, and I don't buy the justifications for someone's willingness to risk being taken in a game of Three-card Monte. Frankly, I think the related motivations are greed and a conceit that one is smarter than the guy moving the shells -- and the conceit is merely emblematic of the mindset likely to find itself on a New York City street for any reason.
The other examples fall apart for different reasons, but it remains that some people ARE born to be conned. Yet it seems to me that most of it has to do not so much with gullibility these days as with cupidity of one sort or another – a perceived opportunity to gain in some way -- and overconfidence in one’s own abilities, often in areas in which the mark has no expertise and has no business being overconfident.
14
Speaking of the Machiavellian personality, what better platform for this personality type than politics.
Ted Cruz comes immediately to mind as an archetype of this particular personality disorder. There are a lot of desperate believers out there who think this particular package of disorders is just what the country needs.
Ted Cruz comes immediately to mind as an archetype of this particular personality disorder. There are a lot of desperate believers out there who think this particular package of disorders is just what the country needs.
135
If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't.
4
One cannot be taken advantage of unless they let themselves.
7
Two observations that seem central to human nature to accompany this informative and insightful article . . .
"We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are." - Anais Nin
"We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness." - Daniel Kahneman
"We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are." - Anais Nin
"We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness." - Daniel Kahneman
76
I would have liked to see a more careful dissection of the role of empathy in the art of the con. While there is pure theater in 3-card monty, most of our lying is done at home.
Those that can comprehend the emotional states of another are in a prime position to mislead. I would be more easily suffering of the moral crimes as they extend to relationships. Many marriages fail after years of self deceit of one kind or another.
I worked for a conman many years ago. A fascinating man, and mostly a salesman. I came to understand that he had contempt for people, and could not resist sticking it to them. However, those that he chose to do good by could have no better advocate.
Interesting too, the numbers of con men and clever criminals who were intelligent children who lacked decent teachers and were often bored. A dash of charm and a vibrant imagination are a good grounding for the slick.
Those that can comprehend the emotional states of another are in a prime position to mislead. I would be more easily suffering of the moral crimes as they extend to relationships. Many marriages fail after years of self deceit of one kind or another.
I worked for a conman many years ago. A fascinating man, and mostly a salesman. I came to understand that he had contempt for people, and could not resist sticking it to them. However, those that he chose to do good by could have no better advocate.
Interesting too, the numbers of con men and clever criminals who were intelligent children who lacked decent teachers and were often bored. A dash of charm and a vibrant imagination are a good grounding for the slick.
63
Leibniz, applying faith to logic, concluded that this is the best of all possible worlds; in Candide, Voltaire exposed Leibniz con....or is it god's con?
2
Some of the most powerful stories are the ones we tell ourselves about ourselves and our lives. We all compose mental scripts, usually subconscious ones, about who we are and how our lives will enfold. Those scripts can often be self fulfilling - Charlie Brown's script was very different from Lucy's. But when reality contradicts those scripts it causes extreme distress and/or denial.
I have seen people unable to cope with the death of a loved one because their personal script said that if they were devout and followed God's rules tragedy would not happen to them. In addition to the devastating loss of that person was the loss of their personal storyline that had given their life meaning and provided a strong sense of security. The ability to cope only returns if that person is able to create a new script which gives meaning to their loss, for example working to save others from the same fate.
I have seen people unable to cope with the death of a loved one because their personal script said that if they were devout and followed God's rules tragedy would not happen to them. In addition to the devastating loss of that person was the loss of their personal storyline that had given their life meaning and provided a strong sense of security. The ability to cope only returns if that person is able to create a new script which gives meaning to their loss, for example working to save others from the same fate.
11
My parents were average in almost every way, except one: Maybe the fact that they were depression-era children had something to do with it, but they taught us that you need to be 50% "book smart" and 50% "street smart". Throughout my life, this the most brilliant advice I have ever received.
144
Suckers born every minute … just look at the GOP voters who aren't in top 1% economically … or for that matter anyone who falls for HRC's rhetoric without examining her actual record.
3-card monte dealers, all of them, except Bernie. Poor guy, he's too honest.
3-card monte dealers, all of them, except Bernie. Poor guy, he's too honest.
10
I am not often gulled by other people, but I'm a born sucker for stories told to me by my favorite person, who happens to be myself.
54
It is surprising that this column didn't include examples of politicians voted into high office, based not on experience but on hope and change.
4
Ever see the Dilbert cartoon where Dogbert tells a rapt audience, "All your problems are caused by invisible people named Juan and Cindy"? Find them, kill them, problems vanish!
Confidence artists like Trump pander to the wishful thinking of America's dying middle class that if we just hate and harm enough Bad People, the prosperity and social stability of the fabled 50s will return. Desperate people yearn for a moment of comforting con.
Confidence artists like Trump pander to the wishful thinking of America's dying middle class that if we just hate and harm enough Bad People, the prosperity and social stability of the fabled 50s will return. Desperate people yearn for a moment of comforting con.
202
Confidence games and cons have been around as long as humans so I'd hardly bring Donald Trump or a longing for the 50s into this. Falling for cons is rarely an act of desperation.
3
First to the last claim. I assert that prostitution is the oldest and will be the longest lasting.
I'm confident that nobody stands out on the street and gives away money (even though, very rarely, somebody does exactly that.) When faced with a 'too good to be true' offer, I ask myself why was I chosen for this wonderful opportunity. If there is no apparent reason for my being chosen, I skip the offer.
Greed, along with wishful thinking really are at the heart of the con game and essential to its success.
From time-to-time in life I meet people who from positions of authority do something to help me along. But they never ask anything in return.
Other times I meet someone for whom I seem to be just what they need at that time (and they seem to be just what I need at that time.) Those encounters have always worked too.
So I do not totally reject the possibility of divine intervention, but I try to be realistic about how it works (if that's what it is.)
I'm almost never conned. It's too hard to do. And when I've taken a false chance, the loss is always been very limited.
I'm confident that nobody stands out on the street and gives away money (even though, very rarely, somebody does exactly that.) When faced with a 'too good to be true' offer, I ask myself why was I chosen for this wonderful opportunity. If there is no apparent reason for my being chosen, I skip the offer.
Greed, along with wishful thinking really are at the heart of the con game and essential to its success.
From time-to-time in life I meet people who from positions of authority do something to help me along. But they never ask anything in return.
Other times I meet someone for whom I seem to be just what they need at that time (and they seem to be just what I need at that time.) Those encounters have always worked too.
So I do not totally reject the possibility of divine intervention, but I try to be realistic about how it works (if that's what it is.)
I'm almost never conned. It's too hard to do. And when I've taken a false chance, the loss is always been very limited.
21
How about the Republican con?
The one that is still going on,
The trickle down pap
Plays you for a sap,
The payoff always turns out none.
The one that is still going on,
The trickle down pap
Plays you for a sap,
The payoff always turns out none.
257
Why bring politics into this?
8
Leftists here will poltiticze anything and everything.
They despise the opposition party, that much is clear.
They despise the opposition party, that much is clear.
6
Why bring politics into this?
Because they can!
Because they can!
3
Read "I Yellow Kid Weil" the book from where the movie the sting was taken.
"Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (July 1, 1875 – February 26, 1976) was one of the best known American con men of his era."
"Yellow Kid" Weil: The Autobiography of America's Master Swindler (Nabat Books)
"Joseph "Yellow Kid" Weil (July 1, 1875 – February 26, 1976) was one of the best known American con men of his era."
"Yellow Kid" Weil: The Autobiography of America's Master Swindler (Nabat Books)
11
We seem to be programmed to believe. There is no story so absurd that people will not fall for it hook, line and sinker. There is a difference between suspending disbelief, which allows us to enjoy literature, plays and movies, and credulous belief, which can ruin lives, and which is the source of much misery in the world.
People are defenseless against a good lie that is expressed with heartfelt sincerity. They'll freely give away their common sense to a charlatan only to have it sold back to them at ruinous cost. The fact that Scientology and Mormonism exist is proof enough that people will believe absolutely anything. The sheer absurdity of these "religions" seem to be part of their lure, like the collector who was certain that the misspelling of "Pollok" was an indication of genuineness.
Lack of skepticism creates a mental vacuum into which harmful ideas can be drawn. Scientific inquiry is an interesting counterpoint to credulity because it requires an adversarial challenge to one's ideas. Whatever a scientist claims will be pounced upon by other scientists who are peeved that they didn't think of it, and who acquire status by shooting down wrong hypotheses. This is how all inquiry should proceed. It's a strategy that built the world we live in, which would be a nice place if we could eliminate the camps of credulous believers who don't see the irony in their camps of mutually conflicting certainty.
People are defenseless against a good lie that is expressed with heartfelt sincerity. They'll freely give away their common sense to a charlatan only to have it sold back to them at ruinous cost. The fact that Scientology and Mormonism exist is proof enough that people will believe absolutely anything. The sheer absurdity of these "religions" seem to be part of their lure, like the collector who was certain that the misspelling of "Pollok" was an indication of genuineness.
Lack of skepticism creates a mental vacuum into which harmful ideas can be drawn. Scientific inquiry is an interesting counterpoint to credulity because it requires an adversarial challenge to one's ideas. Whatever a scientist claims will be pounced upon by other scientists who are peeved that they didn't think of it, and who acquire status by shooting down wrong hypotheses. This is how all inquiry should proceed. It's a strategy that built the world we live in, which would be a nice place if we could eliminate the camps of credulous believers who don't see the irony in their camps of mutually conflicting certainty.
220
Why just Scientology and Mormonism? All religions use the same model and all are just as false.
164
gemli,
Don't be so credulous about science. Science is only a mnemonic device - like breadcrumbs on the road followed by Hansel and Gretel. It's not the truth.
The foundation of science is mathematics and the foundation of mathematics are unprovable, tiny, little gods called axioms.
Embrace the mystery.
Don't be so credulous about science. Science is only a mnemonic device - like breadcrumbs on the road followed by Hansel and Gretel. It's not the truth.
The foundation of science is mathematics and the foundation of mathematics are unprovable, tiny, little gods called axioms.
Embrace the mystery.
8
Very insightful and pithy comments! These ideas should be recalled to mind by anyone who has to make a difficult decision involving "taking someone's word" for things.
I believe most people are honest but there are charlatans aplenty.
I believe most people are honest but there are charlatans aplenty.
7
However, if we lift our eyes to another field, other questions emerge. There have been a number of articles here and elsewhere on the 100the anniversary of the General Theory of Relativity. Is this theory a pattern, invented in the human mind? Yes, of course, it is a human pattern. An electron would almost certainly come up with something different if an electron were interested or capable of this sort of thing. The value of the theory, or any such theory, is that it enables something to us be predicted rather better than the prior theory. Is the screen you are reading this on a matter of "patterning?" Yes, but it is very useful patterning in that it "works" in its very predicable ways. And so on.
We are right to fear demagogues. They are tapping into something very real about us and probably much else. Think herds or schools of fish. We are equally right to assume that our monitor screen is based on some bit of mathematics which lies behind some bit of physics hat has some relationship to whatever we call reality. At I find it useful to assume that.