"The Art of the Con" Part 1
The Mentalities of Predators Who Prey on America
The Art of the Con: Part 2, What Makes us Vulnerable to Con Artists and Cons
The Art of the Con: Part 3, Stem Cells and America’s Two-Party Political Hoax
In the movie “The Sting,” an experienced con artist explains to his protege how a successful con should affect its victim mentally:
“You gotta keep his con even after you take his money. He can’t know you took him.”
This caught my attention, because it made me think of all the people who’ve bought into Trump but can’t admit he scammed them despite everything he does for whoever bribes him and nothing for those whose votes handed him the presidency.
When I read further about cons, con artists, how they cons us, and what makes us vulnerable to cons, I was stunned to realize that not only was America conned through Trump’s shameless con of MAGA, but we’ve all been conned for years concerning major issues of national debate, including stem cells, gun safety, climate change, January 6th, and the illusion of our two-party political hoax.
What’s vital about the following material is that its quotes were not written about politics, Trump, MAGA, or social issues, nor were they meant to be socially divisive. They were written by psychologists regarding con artists, cons, their victims, and how we’re conned. Their avowed purpose was to protect the public from being conned.
“It’s all about me.” the mental sickness of social predators
In “The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It…Every Time,” psychologist Maria Konnikova, PhD., says that cons, like magic tricks, hinge on manipulating people to see realities as the con artist wants us to see them. Unlike magic, cons are harmful deceptions meant to enrich the con artist at the expense of its victims.
It follows that con artists are self-centered and deceitful people who don’t see their victims as people but rather as gullible “marks.” They feel no guilt or remorse over any harm they cause. Con artists believe that getting what they want justifies whatever they do to get it.
The previous insight is relevant socially, because cons can be much more than just individuals being connived into buying worthless stocks. They can target an entire nation or all mankind and concern anything that involves vast amounts of money or power. Those who con us can be anyone—worldview groups, conglomerates, entire industries, politicians or political parties—who stands to gain through getting us to “see realities as the con artist wants us to see them.”
In “Con Artist Personality: Unmasking the Traits and Tactics of Master Manipulators,” mental health professionals at NeuroLaunch.com say of con artists and their social talents:
Con artists are more than just skilled liars; they’re master manipulators who possess a unique set of personality traits that enable them to charm, deceive, and exploit their victims with alarming efficiency. They can be found in all walks of life, from smooth-talking salespeople to charismatic cult leaders, and their impact on society is far-reaching and often devastating.
Con artists are not simply greedy people. Psychological traits common to con artists match classic symptoms perfectly that psychologists, psychiatrists, and sociologists have long ago linked to social violence, financial frauds, criminal activity, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, mental instability, and starting wars.
NeuroLaunch.com says of their mentalities:
At the core of the con artist personality lies a potent cocktail of characteristics known as the Dark Triad: narcissism, Machiavellian-ism, and psychopathy.
Narcissism, the first pillar of this triad, manifests as an inflated sense of self-importance and an insatiable need for admiration. Con artists often view themselves as superior beings, entitled to whatever they desire, regardless of the cost to others. This grandiose self-image fuels their confidence and helps them maintain their facade, even in the face of potential exposure.
Machiavellian-ism, named after the infamous Italian philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, refers to a cynical worldview and a willingness to manipulate others for personal gain. They’re masters of reading people, identifying vulnerabilities, and exploiting them without remorse.
The final piece of the Dark Triad puzzle is psychopathy, a trait characterized by a lack of empathy, impulsivity, and a disregard for social norms. While not all con artists are clinical psychopaths, many exhibit psychopathic tendencies that allow them to detach emotionally from their victims and pursue their goals with ruthless efficiency.
Why Mental Fitness Matters
For years, America’s most respected psychologists and psychiatrists have warned in vain that Donald Trump’s words and lifelong behaviors exhibit the unmistakable symptoms of “malignant narcissism.” Psychologist Drew Westen says of Trump:
“If you start with the wrong assumption, that Trump has most of the characteristics we consider defining of a person, you will be perpetually surprised by his actions, because you are assuming a set of mental capacities he does not have. Of all the functional capacities a normal adult human brain confers that Trump’s does not, three stand out:
“First, most people have enough of a capacity to imagine what is happening in another person’s mind to render social interaction both possible and intelligible and to adjust their own behavior accordingly.
“The ability to think about what other people want, need, or feel, however, is not enough to give us what we tellingly call “humanity.” That requires the ability to feel for other people as well.
“Second, all but about one percent of humans have a sense of right and wrong. We experience guilt if we hurt other people unnecessarily or fail to live up to our own moral standards. Skilled con men and psychopaths lack those feelings, more often using their ability to read other people’s emotions for their own purposes rather than internally mirroring or experiencing them vicariously.
“Skilled con men and psychopaths lack those feelings, more often using their ability to read other people’s emotions for their own purposes rather than internally mirroring or experiencing them vicariously.
“Third, over 99 percent of humans can distinguish reality from unreality. We can see and compare by visual inspection the number of people who came to hear us speak versus those who came to hear our predecessor. We may not like it, but we are cognitively incapable of replacing what we have seen with our own eyes with what we wanted to see in our mind’s eye.
“Of perhaps even greater diagnostic significance, we are incapable of imagining that replacing reality with desire in our own mind simultaneously alters everyone else’s perception.”
In describing a narcissist, Dr. Westen says:
“Individuals who match this prototype have an exaggerated sense of self-importance. They feel privileged and entitled, expect preferential treatment, and seek to be the center of attention. They have fantasies of unlimited success, power, beauty, or talent, and tend to treat others primarily as an audience to witness their importance or brilliance.”
He says of sociopaths (antisocial psychopathic personality disorder):
“Individuals who match this prototype take advantage of others, tend to lie or deceive, and to be manipulative. They show a reckless disregard for the rights, property, or safety of others. They lack empathy for other people’s needs and feelings. “Individuals who match this prototype experience little remorse for harm or injury they cause. They appear impervious to consequences and seem unable or unwilling to modify their behavior in response to threats or consequences. They generally lack psychological insight and blame their difficulties on other people or circumstances. “They often appear to gain pleasure by being sadistic or aggressive toward others, and they may attempt to dominate significant others through intimidation or violence. Individuals who match this prototype tend to be unreliable and irresponsible and may fail to meet work obligations or honor financial commitments.”
If the above descriptions reminds you of a politician who demolished the White House to build a ballroom while tens of millions of Americans face going hungry because his GOP Congress shut down the government at his orders rather than allow millions more Americans to have health coverage, you’re not alone. America’s top experts in mental health agree with you.
When I suggest that America has been conned by Trump—who had previously been found guilty of multiple business frauds and whose flagrant lies are a matter of record—his words and actions are my proof, and his ‘con artist’ psychopathy is clear for all to see if only we’ve the honesty and courage to see it.
The Art of the Con: Part 2, What Makes us Vulnerable to Con Artists and Cons
The Art of the Con: Part 3, Stem Cells and America’s Two-Party Political Hoax
James Kelly
author of “Weaponized Division: Exploiting Beliefs for Power and Profits“
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James’s Bio
A unique set of circumstances brought me to a point in 2002 when I picked up a phone, called a switchboard in Washington D.C., and dramatically changed my life’s focus and path. These circumstances included:
the problem-solving and communication skills I developed through a twenty-year railroad career as a signals installer, locomotive electrician, and train dispatcher.
my lifelong total disinterest and non-involvement in politics, religion, or worldview issues.
a 1997 auto accident that left me paralyzed and determined to use the above-mentioned skills to study and understand scientific research involving spinal cord injury (SCI).
my alarm over inaccurate statements regarding stem cells and SCI research made in testimony to the U.S. Senate on March 5th 2002.
That phone call led to my becoming a “pro-cures” patient activist for several years in the stem cells and cloning debates. My involvement included:
thrice serving as a White House surrogate stem cells spokesperson,
debating the medical value of cloning at the New York Academies of Science,
debating the medical worth of embryonic stem cells and cloning on CNN,
testifying before state and federal government committees,
communicating daily for several years with lobbyists, congressional staffs, members of the President’s Council on Bioethics, and White House staff.
Just as my becoming paralyzed led to my intensive study of SCI research, which led to my ‘stem cells’ involvement, I remain socially active against economic fascism and wrote a non-fiction book (“Weaponized Division: Exploiting Beliefs for Profits and Power”) due to:
what I learned through my former exposure to Conservative lobbyists, politicians, and the research industry,
my continued and expanded study of peer-reviewed research,
my observations during the stem cells debates and since of how politicians, industry spokespersons, worldview leaders, and the media target our hopes, fears, and beliefs in order to promote and exploit social division,
America’s harmful and tragic continued division over climate change, clean energy, gun control, Covid-19, and Donald Trump.
I remain socially active and am hosting this site because I’ve witnessed how a universal aspect of the human psyche renders us vulnerable to manipulation and social control by people who deceive themselves (through the same aspect of psychology) to see nothing wrong with their actions, goals, or beliefs. I’m doing this because my conscience insists that I do it.