The Myopic View

I try to keep up with things. Sometimes I hear just enough to know a phrase - like "The Da Vinci Code" - but not really know what it means. In those cases - if I care - I use the internet to fill the gap. But there's still nothing like the good ol' newspaper. They keep saying the net will replace it, but I hope not. I like its portability, its look and its feel. The daily paper is my friend.

One column I usually check out is Ed Wallace's in the Sunday Star-Telegram. Ed is an enviro-capitalist, meaning he wants to have his cake and eat it too. Not gonna happen. But we won't tell Ed that. There is a sad, sad day coming for my capitalistic friends when they find out their worst nightmare has come true: you can't eat money. But that's not my discussion point. I was amused by something Ed wrote:

"What would happen if some of the countries we depend on to finance our deficits...decide to hold off on buying U.S. Treasury Bonds?...Is Iraq getting better or worse?...how will our energy needs be met in 10 years, when there are 1 billion automobiles on the world's roads?...Is global warming real, and/or is any part manmade?"

He goes on to say: "These are questions that I ponder virtually every day. I have to, because the health of our economy often dictates the success of our automobile industry." Poor Ed. He doesn't understand the Zatoichi Principle. He wants to deliver us back to the boom times of the 90s. We ain't gonna deal with these issues because we don't wanna. Didn't your brain hurt just reading all those questions?

Most people with food are myopic. They don't give a shit what's happening as long as they've got theirs. In fact, many people actually look for retreats from reality so they can enjoy their food in peace. At that point, those persons tend to see only themselves. And that's where your friendly neighborhood con man steps in.

Anyone can be taken. At some point in life you have to trust someone - and there are people out there who live to betray that trust. Then there are the con men who look for those who betray themselves. I am one of those. I pass myself off as something I'm not in order to get something I want out of you - all the while you must think you are taking advantage of me. But there are all types of cons out there so let's take a look at a few.

The 'Do it for God' swindle: No ground is so fertile as the religious one. As a sage co-worker once told me, there is no greater force in the black community than the church and the huge amount of money it rakes in. So the bad news for the individual scam artist is that most of the con is already organized. But there's still plenty of room left. Sometimes those with a straight business scam will pose as a man of God to gain trust, other times the purpose is portrayed as doing "God's work". Religious people are not questioners. "Hallelujah!" says the con man. Hard to have sympathy for the lazy blind.

'Be a good guy' scam: In "House of Games" the art of the "short con" is demonstrated with this method. "This guy is gonna think I'm really a good person" is what you need to get the mark thinking. The movie uses a two step con where the mark actually volunteers his money. A more crude method was used on me coming out of Best Buy. I had just made a purchase (Walkman and batteries, I listen to the radio a lot) so I guess I looked like a big white sucker walking out with my bag. An older black man dressed in a weathered vest over a dress shirt entreated me for a few dollars for gas. Since I recognized he was trying to make a deal of tit-for-tat my reply was, "No thank you." His loss of interest was immediate.

Find the blind spot: The greedy, the self-serving, the myopic - whatever con you are laying on yourself is my 'in'. The only way to bust me is to bust yourself. Not much chance of that happening, believe me. Some suckers even keep lying to themselves after the con. The grip of the self-lie is amazing. This approach is by far the best way to use in a relationship. In the end, it's simply a matter of supply and demand. Somebody has something they want to hear, and someone else feeds it to them.

In summation: To thine own self be true.