Charlatans and Gullibles

They’ve Been Around For a Long Time

Charlatans are not new to the social scene.

They’ve been around since humans discovered how easy it is to trick someone else into meeting their needs — be it giving them money, service, or adoration. Although scamming folks is not solely the domain of the religious nor do only the superstitious succumb to the ruthless tactics of such “slick dicks”, the ordained charlatan is a particularly loathsome critter.

Societies have been burdened with so many con artists down through the ages that our vocabulary now has an entire litany of names for such “sneaky Petes”, none of which are complimentary.

Swindler, cheat, con, fake, quack, phony, pretender, rip-off artist, sham, shyster, fortune-hunter, conniver, fraudster, double-crosser, shark, imposter, racketeer, hoaxer, horse trader, impersonator and counterfeiter are just a few synonyms for these highly disreputable members of society. Obviously, we really do loathe these sleaze balls and their traveling sideshows. I prefer to call these despicable characters A-holes. For the love of all that’s sane, don’t do business with them, marry them, have kids by them, start a nonprofit or administer charitable acts with them.

If you succumb to a particularly virulent form of religious charlatan, I feel sorry for you.

I withdraw that statement. Since we’re living in the age of information and great scientific discoveries, I find it difficult to be truly sympathetic with the throngs of willfully ignorant people who regularly fall hook, line, and sinker for these nasty religious charlatans. Whether they’re claiming to have the power to grow your finances, heal your body, or turn your life around, the only thing they ever accomplish is stealing your money. Yet, people continue to amaze me with their overwhelming need for a hero, someone to save them, so they won’t have to think for themselves.

They say a sucker is born every minute.

As long as we have those among us who embrace superstition, old, outdated ideas like demon possession, heaven, hell, the devil, gods, holy books and holy buildings, charlatans are going to thrive.

But it doesn’t stop with religious leaders, unfortunately.

Oh, no. There’s a slew of charlatans in politics or haven’t you noticed. They tend to make promises they never intended to keep, spread misinformation to get the vote, and even speak outright lies. In fact, there’s a tsunami of lying politicians these days because they’ve discovered that no one ever seems to pay for deliberately misleading the people

And, sadly, THE people are easy to mislead.

So easy, in fact, that they are often convinced to vote against their own best interests. It’s an almost unbelievable phenomenon that has its roots in once again — hero worship. That need to have a god or a leader to assume the task of running their lives for them is often overwhelming. We live in a scary world. If someone tells you that they’re the only ones who can fix the messes humanity creates, throngs will follow the leader like nobody’s business.

And it doesn’t stop with politicians.

There’s the salesman who sells the gullible an easy cure for what ails them. These dudes are currently swarming the internet. They usually start out by saying,

“I’m about to share something with you that your doctor won’t tell you.”

You’d think that statement would raise eyebrows with suspicion but not so. People flock to these websites hoping to experience a miracle. They pour money into products with no warning labels and no regulations with the enthusiasm of a gambler who just hit the streets of Las Vegas for a long weekend.

Once upon a time, these charlatans went door to door carrying a little bottle of magic elixir guaranteed to get rid of dandruff to constipation while curing ringing in the ears, erectile dysfunction, and cancer. Now, they remain safely in their own living rooms behind a screen and pound away at the sick and hopeless with promises that never pan out. Nothing like preying upon the down and out.

Currently, we’re also overrun with conspiracy theorists as well.

We mustn’t forget the self-promoted conspiracy theorist. Never underestimate the power of a bald man with a pot belly and an ugly face to attract the attention he lacks but desperately needs by spreading the most outlandish explanation for what’s REALLY going on. Just an ordinary guy with as little access to what’s happening behind the scenes as you or me, but suddenly he stumbled upon the answer to the best kept secrets in the government, sometimes in the cosmos. They claim to know something nobody else knows. They build huge back stories and make big predictions, most never come true, on multiple topics and people flock to their sites and eat it up.

Yum, yum, yum.

You can almost hear the gnawing and slurping, belching, and chewing of the crowd of gullibles. Now, they, too, are privy to an insider’s knowledge. It’s self-gratifying to be able to smirk when someone they’re talking to expresses deep sorrow over a recent school shooting. After all, it was staged.

Or didn’t you know?

All this evil tomfoolery isn’t new to humankind. We’ve been making things up for centuries. When we don’t have the answer to our questions or we don’t like the answer to our questions, we create an answer.

I get it.

Life is scary, stressful, uncertain, and often painful. We want answers. We lay in bed at night and worry about things. We’re vulnerable and we know it. The charlatan sees our desperation and takes advantage of the situation.

“Come sit at my feet and let me share what I know with you,” he says with authority.

Repeatedly, this is the way it plays out from ancient times to the modern age. We may be technologically advancing, but socially we’re just cavemen with cell phones.

Our faulty brains make us gullible.

Teresa is an author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.