The Con is On

“A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their confidence, used in the classical sense of trust. A confidence trick is also known as a con game, a con, a ripoff, a scam, a grift, a hustle, a bunko (or bunco), a swindle, a flimflam, a gaffle or a bamboozle. The intended victims are known as “marks”, “suckers”, or “gulls” (i.e., gullible).

The perpetrator of a confidence trick (or “con trick”) is often referred to as a confidence (or “con”) man, con-artist, or a “grifter“. Confidence tricks exploit typical human characteristics such as greed, dishonesty, vanity, opportunism, lust, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, desperation, and naïvety. As such, there is no consistent profile of a confidence trick victim; the common factor is simply that the victim relies on the good faith of the con artist. Accomplices, also known as shills, help manipulate the mark into accepting the perpetrator’s plan.” — Wikipedia.

Despite repeated warnings from the Book of Mormon about men who use “flattering words” (Korihor, Amalickiah, Gadianton), many Mormons voted for Donald J. Trump. I don’t believe we are “suckers” (though some of us are “gullible”) but we, and other American Christian groups, were certainly “marks.” We were deliberately targeted.

Mormons are not easily manipulated by greed, dishonesty, or irresponsibility, and Trump’s lust nearly cost him Utah’s electoral votes, but it is interesting to note, from the definition above, that talented con men can exploit people’s compassion and credulity. We Mormons are vulnerable there.

Still, with essentially Utah’s entire congressional delegation and many state elected leaders acting as shills (Rep. Jason Chaffetz was particularly hypocritical here), most Utah Republicans came back to Trump on Election Day.

Now we, the people of the United States, the victims of the con, will begin to pay.