\u2018fess up<\/em> and give people what they want but\ntherein lies the mechanism of a real con game: offer people what they want to\ntake whatever they have. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIt would have been so easy to paint a simpler\npicture of crime and redemption and become a supposedly reformed, honest con\nartist that lazy writers or unimaginative PR firms could easily understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My true backstory is far more complicated and\nwhile a simpler lie would be easier to convey, understanding complicated truths\nis essential to properly being protected from the intricacies of deception and\nit would seem dangerous to support these lessons with a lie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such is my personal struggle to avoid a simple\n(but potentially profitable) lie and stick to a more complicated truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for the record: You probably shouldn\u2019t trust\nanyone who claims to have been a real con artist because the worst case\nscenario is that they\u2019re telling the truth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Oversimplification Fallacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n People, as a rule, respond to simple\nexplanations or concepts and it often requires a certain level of understanding\nand interest to delve deeper into any subject. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, simplification is a perfectly valid\nform of communication that offers fast, necessary understanding without\ndistorting deeper facts, but oversimplification can be a form of manipulation\nthat can mislead millions of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the oversimplification fallacy is a\nrecognised way to draw seemingly obvious conclusions that make complete sense\nunless the intended audience is willing to delve deeper than a few pithy\nsoundbites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Politicians constantly simplify their message to\nachieve desired results and can whip up immense support based on well-crafted\nmessages that (deliberately) fail to properly, fully or fairly represent the\ntruth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, how often have we heard that\nviolence amongst young people has increased since the introduction of video\ngames, therefore violent games must be responsible for this increase in real\nlife violence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes perfect sense as an idea and for many\npeople, it\u2019s more than enough to jump on board and\nvote accordingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, this is a naive argument that fails to\nconsider countless other factors but it draws a compelling and\neasy-to-understand correlation between violent games and actual violence, yet\nthis paper-thin argument has sent millions of people to their social media\npages to signal support for regulating violent video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve ever seen a politician dogmatically\nrefuse to say more than a handful of predetermined phrases in answer to a topic\nduring an interview, repeating the same words in the same order as dictated by\nhis or her spin doctors; you\u2019re watching a deliberate attempt to shape opinion\nor force a message onto the audience without addressing the real meat of a\nsubject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Governments, corporations, ideologies and\nreligions all know how to shape a message to ensure the maximum positive\nresponse and we are constantly being bombarded by these messages every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even the most cynical of observers (hello!)\ncan\u2019t possibly delve into every nugget of information that passes his or her\nconsciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While I read everything I can find about how\npeople are being manipulated by governments, at the same time, I\u2019m passively\nabsorbing information that conveys no real facts but has been deliberately\ndesigned to subconsciously shape my opinion and drive subsequent conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of that manipulation is bound to take hold\nand I constantly find myself in possession of opinions shaped by others and\nwhile I may be well-read on many topics, I\u2019m just as ignorant, misguided and\nmanipulated on countless more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Convenient Lies vs.\nInconvenient Truths<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nImage: conartist.tv<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding deception is about recognising it\nin all walks of life, even those where it might be acceptable or bearable but\nby doing so, we continue to cultivate our individual grift sense that could\npotentially protect us in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A simple lie is as easy to buy as it is to sell\nand I\u2019m probably poorer for holding to the truth of my own past but since my\ngoal is to educate people on the subject of deception, I feel obligated to\nstick to the facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, people tend to prefer a convenient lie to\nan inconvenient truth, and this has become a principle of communication\nfamiliar to anyone with flexible morals or questionable ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obviously, there are many things in life that\nmight be as simple or authentic as they first seem but I remain wary of\nanything that can be explained easily, understood quickly or accepted\nautomatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We live in a time where facts are all too\npliable and whatever version of the truth we prefer can be found with few\nclicks on a device that soon learns how to pander to our individual biases and\nin no time at all we don\u2019t need to search for comforting answers or opinions\nbecause they already know where to find us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By combining our natural inclination towards\nsimple stories or solutions with our individual preferences is a powerful,\ntransformative means of communication that has come to manipulate and divide\npeople until we became so polarised we forgot how to communicate with anyone\nwho differs with our own perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While I have fought the temptation of giving my\naudience the story they want to hear, others choose to embrace expectation to\nshape their image or their message based on what their audience desires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Con artists do this every day, and it has worked\nfor centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But whenever I see the tools of scammers being\nemployed to such devastating effect in all walks of life, I can\u2019t help but\nwonder if I should have just invented a more appealing backstory and reaped the\nrewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, I remind myself of a more complicated\ntruth: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manipulation is manipulation and a con is a con no matter who is using those methods or why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lead image: conartist.tv<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Con artists understand how to weave complex concepts into simple ideas that capture the imagination of their marks, but simplicity …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":30183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3644],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The Dangers Of The Oversimplification Fallacy - Casino.org Blog<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n