What do you guys think of gentleman thieves or con mans / artists?

[BraddH]

I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

[ChristopherColumbus]

A 'gentleman thief'? It reminds me of Eliot's commentary on Baudelaire, where he commended him for eschewing the mediocrity of the middle-class. Either sainthood or criminality; anything but unpoetic mediocrity.

 

[Bible_Belt]

The "con" is short for confidence. Tricking someone gets easier when you bolster their confidence. When I get a compliment, my first thought is to question that person's motivations.

Often confidence is built by letting the target think that they are the ones conning the con man. There's a lost ring scam where the target sees a rich-looking crying woman boo-hooing about losing her wedding ring and offering a huge reward in the thousands of dollars. Shortly afterward, the target will bump into someone who just happens to find a ring on the ground. They will wonder out loud what they should do. The vast majority of the time, the target will volunteer to buy the ring from the one who found it, often for hundreds or even a thousand bucks, thinking they are going to trick that person out of the large reward offered for it. After the money changes hands and both people disappear, surprise! - the ring is a $20 fake. It turns out those two people were partners.

The best con artists are cops. Tricking people and lying to them is considered good police work, if you get an arrest out of it. One of my favorites is the "honey trap." Imagine you're at a concert venue, maybe outside a show like Widespread Panic or String Cheese Incident - a band all the hippies follow around. A smoking hot young girl in a bikini top, without a man and who seems stumbling drunk, will throw her arm around you and promise to be REALLY grateful if you can tell her where to score some acid. As soon as you point a finger in a general direction, you get swarmed by undercover cops. You just committed conspiracy to sell LSD, which is a five year mandatory minimum prison sentence. No, that's not entrapment, at least in the eyes of the law. And it really happens.

 

[Who Dares Win]

They can be heroes or scum according to how they employ their ability, who they target and for which purpose.

As a general rule anyway I have very few sympathy for those who attack other people's private property wheter they are thiefs or robbers.

 

[Trump]

Its the only way people stay in power/politicians get rich/CEOs get millions. No one gets rich off a salary. You have to manipulate/seduce/trick people into hearing what they want.

Look at powerful politicians. They attack other countries for their resources based on unsubstantied evidence (it's for our safety, weapons of mass destructions) After destroying another country, costing taxpayers billions, creating ISIS, they say "oh we made a mistake. Ah well, it's good we attacked anyway." Now imagine if you stole a $2 chocolate bar, you would be arrested and prosecuted and have a criminal record. Never be able to work or leave the country ever again.

Look at CEOs. They go IPO because their original investors want their money back. Banks value the stock at x dollars. It's hyped up. Next big thing. Banks are backing it so it must be good, right? Public buys it, stock crashes after a few years. CEOs and their friends have cashed out. You and the public big time suckers. The hard earned money you have been saving up for 15 years down the drain.

Look at Hilary Clinton. Yale educated lawyer. Husband was President. Daughter is Havard educated married to a Harvard educated billionare. Is likely going to be the next President of the United States. She has said "I have difficult relationship with the truth." Translation: I will do whatever it takes to put money in my account and protect our legacy. If that means lying to the Amercian people, so be it." Think about what she said. You LIE to a police officer about a small fender bender, you will be prosecuted and have a criminal record. She lies to people of the US and the rest of the world. Its OK because she has had a difficult "relationship" with telling the "truth."

I think Ice Cube said it best in his song "Everything is Corrupt." It is pretty bad out there and it's only going to get worse. And then 30 somethings come in here and say "I applied kino but she won't call me back."

 

[marmel75]

They make a good movie like Ocean's 11 or 3000 Miles to Graceland

 

[Poon King]

Everyone is a con artist on some level at the end of the day.

Its often said that when you meet someone for the first time you are really meeting their "representative". This is also why it takes a long time to REALLY get to know people. No one smart puts all their cards on the table right out of the gate.

Trickery and deception is also very common in the animal kingdom overall. Camouflage, traps, sneak attacks, etc. All forms of deception. Marketing, cosmetics and the media are all industries that are built on deception and encourage deception. Hollywood is full of deception. So called "deals" at stores usually involve deception (the idea that you are getting over on the store. Usually not the case).

The main reason we hate dishonesty and dishonest people is because they rob us of our ability to make informed decisions. Lying usually gives the liar an unfair advantage over the person being lied too. This attacks our sense of fairness. This is why we shame people who lie (even though we all lie).

This is one of those areas where no one is innocent except for maybe retarded people and very young kids.

I don't have a real opinion on so call "professional con artists". I see them as people who are more skilled than most at deception and avoiding the consequences of it. I just try not to get fooled by their bullsh!t. You can do this by learning how to filter bullsh!t.

Here are signs someone is full of sh!t (not guarantees just signs):

• They are not making sense
• They are using emotional arguments (pressure, guilt, threats)
• They contradict themselves
• They are trying to get something (or get out of something)

 

[marmel75]

Everyone is a con artist on some level at the end of the day.

Its often said that when you meet someone for the first time you are really meeting their "representative". This is also why it takes a long time to REALLY get to know people. No one smart puts all their cards on the table right out of the gate.

Trickery and deception is also very common in the animal kingdom overall. Camouflage, traps, sneak attacks, etc. All forms of deception. Marketing, cosmetics and the media are all industries that are built on deception and encourage deception. Hollywood is full of deception. So called "deals" at stores usually involve deception (the idea that you are getting over on the store. Usually not the case).

The main reason we hate dishonesty and dishonest people is because they rob us of our ability to make informed decisions. Lying usually gives the liar an unfair advantage over the person being lied too. This attacks our sense of fairness. This is why we shame people who lie (even though we all lie).

This is one of those areas where no one is innocent except for maybe retarded people and very young kids.

I don't have a real opinion on so call "professional con artists". I see them as people who are more skilled than most at deception and avoiding the consequences of it. I just try not to get fooled by their bullsh!t. You can do this by learning how to filter bullsh!t.

Here are signs someone is full of sh!t (not guarantees just signs):

• They are not making sense
• They are using emotional arguments (pressure, guilt, threats)
• They contradict themselves
• They are trying to get something (or get out of something)

Haha...you NEVER get over on the store...I know people that work/worked in department stores and they tell me clothes are marked up something ridiculous like 300%... So even on clearance sales they are still making like a 50% profit...

Their main reason for clearance items are to get rid of 50% profit items so they can get more 300% profit items...