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"Charming and unbelievably intelligent" are definitely fair descriptors for this man, just please bear in mind that these terms probably describe many other peo

"Charming and unbelievably intelligent" are definitely fair descriptors for this man, just please bear in mind that these terms probably describe many other people who are also guilty of fraud. Sure he has his side. And yes he's probably been treated unfairly by the press. And no, he isn't guilty of all of the things people say. And yet none of that makes him actually innocent.

amyjess 9y ago
To add, I would argue that "charming and unbelievably intelligent" are prerequisites to being a truly great fraudster. - Charm: a lot of people don't realize this, but the "con" in "con man" is short for "confidence". They work by abusing and exploiting people's confidence in them. A con man has to have enough charm to get people to place their confidence in him, or the scheme isn't going to work. - Intelligence: fraud isn't something you can pull off by brute strength. You need a sharp mind to plan a scheme and carry it out. If a con man wasn't "charming and unbelievable intelligent", I'd doubt his efficacy as a con man. And I'll also add that "charming and unbelievable intelligent" is a good way to describe a number of serial killers. Charm and intelligence doesn't a good person make.
sliverstorm 9y ago
It's funny how incredibly susceptible HN seems to be to the smooth talkers. Yeah, I know this person is technically being charged with being a Russian double agent and committing treason, but he just seems so down to earth, relatable, and smart! Swoon!
- hitekker 9y ago
  It certainly doesn't help that we, especially here on HN, conflate intelligence and morality. "Ah this guy is smart, so he must be a good person!" or "this person is bad, well he must be an idiot!" I'd argue, this mental shortcut stems from the way we view ourselves: "I know I'm smart, but I don't know if I'm good, so I'll just set $smartness = $goodness so I no longer have to worry!"

amyjess 9y ago

To add, I would argue that "charming and unbelievably intelligent" are prerequisites to being a truly great fraudster. - Charm: a lot of people don't realize this, but the "con" in "con man" is short for "confidence". They work by abusing and exploiting people's confidence in them. A con man has to have enough charm to get people to place their confidence in him, or the scheme isn't going to work. - Intelligence: fraud isn't something you can pull off by brute strength. You need a sharp mind to plan a scheme and carry it out. If a con man wasn't "charming and unbelievable intelligent", I'd doubt his efficacy as a con man. And I'll also add that "charming and unbelievable intelligent" is a good way to describe a number of serial killers. Charm and intelligence doesn't a good person make.

sliverstorm 9y ago

It's funny how incredibly susceptible HN seems to be to the smooth talkers. Yeah, I know this person is technically being charged with being a Russian double agent and committing treason, but he just seems so down to earth, relatable, and smart! Swoon!

hitekker 9y ago
It certainly doesn't help that we, especially here on HN, conflate intelligence and morality. "Ah this guy is smart, so he must be a good person!" or "this person is bad, well he must be an idiot!" I'd argue, this mental shortcut stems from the way we view ourselves: "I know I'm smart, but I don't know if I'm good, so I'll just set $smartness = $goodness so I no longer have to worry!"