4 ms·
Gambling, sex, Asperger's and my twin con-man brother
- dkarl 17y agoCon men with Asperger's? Call me cynical, but it sounds like another way to play on the sympathies of the people they conned -- people who fall for nerds. Sympathy from their victims will help them avoid the most aggressive prosecution and sentencing. Either that, or they're compensating really well. Modeling a stranger's mind is the key to this kind of deception.
- jibiki 17y ago> Modeling a stranger's mind is the key to this kind of deception. I think there are two schools of thought on that question. For instance, you might think that pick up artists are very confident people, but this is not always true: http://lesswrong.com/lw/cn/instrumental_vs_epistemic_a_bardic_perspective/9ng http://lesswrong.com/lw/cn/instrumental_vs_epistemic_a_bardi... "Mystery one of the greatest teachers in the [PUA] community has coined the phrase: 'Competence over confidence'. The key is to have a skillset not develop some conceited self-image." There are some pick up artists who simply know effective techniques, rather than being naturally skilled at picking up women. Similarly, it is natural to believe that being able to read people is very important to being a con man, but perhaps some con men simply have techniques which they have developed via experiment rather than instinct.
- marcusbooster 17y agoI was under the impression that people with Asperger's tend to be really honest, to an abrasive fault. Not that deception is out of the question, just not the norm.
- Freaky 17y agoAutism/Asperger's is a spectrum disorder; there's plenty of wiggle room, especially in adulthood.
- andrewbadera 17y agoThere's a difference, but not a fence, between "lack of personal subtlety" and "taking advantage of others in a sociopathic fashion."
- hristov 17y agoYeah the asperger's part was definitely part of the con. Would anyone expect a person with Asperger's to be a conman?
- michael_dorfman 17y agoI've been coincidentally re-reading "The Big Con" (highly recommended), and it is amazing to see how little things have changed.
- DTrejo 17y agoPlease remove " - The Globe and Mail" from the title, since it says that afterward anyway. Thanks
- Tichy 17y agoSo they are andrewbadera's twin brothers?