Sometimes I wish I had the desire to be a Con Man. Fake people out. Take their money. Point one direction, then stick my hand in their back pocket and pull their wallet or cell phone out and walk away.
It would be so easy.
We are overwhelmed these days with Con Men. And, perhaps we always have been but they just haven’t been as visible. Snake Oil Salesmen have been around forever. The traveling carnival makes it’s living off selling you the big yarn to gulp down as you hand over your dough. “Five shots for a dollar, folks, and you can win the stuffed animal you’d forgotten existed.”
The Con Man of 2024 is more ubiquitous, the lies more insidious. Playing off fears and the dumbing down of people, they share information that seems like it COULD be right. Even though facts can clarify statements, many gulp hard on the hook and the Con Man reels them in.
Think of how easy it is, for example, to get people to attend events of no consequence, like the NFL draft. The geniuses have figured out how to turn that into a money maker, drawing people from all over the United States to party and listen to their teams announce who they have selected to play on their team next year. Pretty exciting stuff, right?
Then again, maybe that’s just an excuse to party. That’s always good bait for the Con Man to hang out the window.
Gambling is the other one. Play off people’s emotions and how they support a team and don’t take the time to analyze or assess facts and study trends, and money pours out of their pockets and into the Con Man’s.
Interestingly, there are steps being taken to curb the Con Man. That is a sign of how far the Con Man has infiltrated our society.
For example, check out the U.S. Department of Energy’s website and you’ll find “Malarkey’s Corner.” I accessed this recently when looking for some information and found this section of the site dedicated to debunking myths. It lays the facts out. Relies on the intelligence of the reader to understand the science and what is really going on. Hmmm, sounds revolutionary.
Another good example of battling the Con Man is the Ombudsman role – a position at newspapers to directly analyze statements and positions put forward to see the truth or deceit involved in the statements. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on page 2 every day looks at an issue put forth by a public figure and goes in-depth researching the veracity of the statements. It then ranks the public official from False to Mostly False to Partially True to True. You get to see what level the Con Man has taken his position.
It's a sad statement about U.S. society that we need a Malarkey’s Corner and Ombudsmen at newspapers. But we do. Because the Con Man is out there lurking.
Though the Snake Oil Salesman has around since the dawning of con jobs, it sure seems like it’s a sign of our times that we need to combat lies, distortions and conspiracy theories. Keep your eyes open, read, and check to make sure your wallet is intact.
It would be so easy.
We are overwhelmed these days with Con Men. And, perhaps we always have been but they just haven’t been as visible. Snake Oil Salesmen have been around forever. The traveling carnival makes it’s living off selling you the big yarn to gulp down as you hand over your dough. “Five shots for a dollar, folks, and you can win the stuffed animal you’d forgotten existed.”
The Con Man of 2024 is more ubiquitous, the lies more insidious. Playing off fears and the dumbing down of people, they share information that seems like it COULD be right. Even though facts can clarify statements, many gulp hard on the hook and the Con Man reels them in.
Think of how easy it is, for example, to get people to attend events of no consequence, like the NFL draft. The geniuses have figured out how to turn that into a money maker, drawing people from all over the United States to party and listen to their teams announce who they have selected to play on their team next year. Pretty exciting stuff, right?
Then again, maybe that’s just an excuse to party. That’s always good bait for the Con Man to hang out the window.
Gambling is the other one. Play off people’s emotions and how they support a team and don’t take the time to analyze or assess facts and study trends, and money pours out of their pockets and into the Con Man’s.
Interestingly, there are steps being taken to curb the Con Man. That is a sign of how far the Con Man has infiltrated our society.
For example, check out the U.S. Department of Energy’s website and you’ll find “Malarkey’s Corner.” I accessed this recently when looking for some information and found this section of the site dedicated to debunking myths. It lays the facts out. Relies on the intelligence of the reader to understand the science and what is really going on. Hmmm, sounds revolutionary.
Another good example of battling the Con Man is the Ombudsman role – a position at newspapers to directly analyze statements and positions put forward to see the truth or deceit involved in the statements. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on page 2 every day looks at an issue put forth by a public figure and goes in-depth researching the veracity of the statements. It then ranks the public official from False to Mostly False to Partially True to True. You get to see what level the Con Man has taken his position.
It's a sad statement about U.S. society that we need a Malarkey’s Corner and Ombudsmen at newspapers. But we do. Because the Con Man is out there lurking.
Though the Snake Oil Salesman has around since the dawning of con jobs, it sure seems like it’s a sign of our times that we need to combat lies, distortions and conspiracy theories. Keep your eyes open, read, and check to make sure your wallet is intact.