A charlatan is defined as "a public figure who manipulatively champions the dream that a group of people share in order to exploit them without overt coercion, turning those marks into enthusiastic participants in their own exploitation."
The book is listed as published in 2024 which means the research was completed ahead of time. In one section they point out that one charlatan foolishly predicted that Joe Biden would be replaced as a candidate by someone before the election. So, they too were taken in. More on politics later.
Charlatans have existed for a very long time. Mamugna visited Venice before 1589 and was elected an official alchemist for the republic. He was able to create the illusion that he could turn metal into gold. For awhile he was able to live a life of luxury. Eventually reality brought him down to earth. Crypto currency is thought to be another easy path to wealth that few really understand.
Arif Naqvi from Pakistan started off legitimately as a successful entrepreneur. However he couldn't abide failure and soon switched to setting up an elaborate Ponzi scheme where new clients helped to pay for the earlier clients. To build his credibility and get a big infusion of capital he was able to get Bill Gates to back him. Eventually like all Ponzi schemes his scheme collapsed.
Alex Jones was a believer in conspiracies and was able to locate several people who shared the dream of dragging down authority figures. Perhaps his most dastardly deed was turning a tragic shooting incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School into an extreme reaction where dozens of followers turned on the parents. The parents were considered actors who were trying to do away with the Second Amendment. One parent moved from Connecticut to Washington State and still received death threats. Eventually the parents ganged up with legal help and stopped Alex Jones for the moment.
A story I read in Michael Cohen's book, "Disloyal" explained how he got a critical endorsement for Donald Trump from Jerry Falwell Jr. Basically Cohen ingratiated himself with the Falwell family, built up a trust relationship to the point he learned of very damaging circumstances that he used to force them to endorse a most un Christian candidate, Donald Trump. That endorsement had been sought by Ted Cruz who as an evangelical Christian thought he had it sewn up. A very significant choice that ended up with what we endure today. Why did Jerry Falwell Jr. have such an impact?
He did not have the preaching ability of his father, but became in charge of Liberty University steering the children of evangelical Christians to this university. Developed an online presence. His motive was profit oriented, but he knew he could use his famous name to gain support. He used Google and the Department of Veteran Affairs to recruit. His word carried a lot of weight with Christian Evangelicals. see
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/11/disloyal-michael-cohen-version.html
Trump would provide many examples, but the authors focused on Trump University. Before getting in operation the Trump team was charged with improperly using the title "University". That was just ignored and steps were taken to set up a curriculum which really just used material already rehashed. At first outsiders pointed out the dishonesty of the scheme and eventually insiders realized they were being ripped off. As he was running for the presidency Trump agreed to a $25 million penalty. This was before his first term. The authors missed his second term where his followers supported a range of policies that hurt them. Tump illustrates another trait of charlatans by humiliating references to his enemies.
As outsiders we think that the victims are not well educated or smart. In fact some very intelligent people have fallen. The trick is not persuasion, but targeting people with a dream, that are what the authors call
"marks." Modern technology make it easier to identify exploitation targets. The algorithms used by Facebook and Google for example are designed to drive engagement.
As insiders we all like to confirm the rightness of our dreams. We can latch onto confirmation very easily We use motivated reasoning to justify our hope. For many, even contrary evidence actually reinforces their beliefs.
What can be done? The authors feel it is very tricky, especially with modern technology it is easier to identify suitable targets. Spotting the charlatans out to exploit your dreams has become a critical survival skill.
On a wide basis we need to strengthen legal protections. Google has had some success with pre-bunking non scientific ideas. Social isolation is a risk, but have to be considered carefully.
For individuals it is recommended that we are humble, realizing we can be vulnerable. Having a network of family and friends is a check on outsiders who want to take advantage of us If something is too good to be true, it probably is. Fast thinking needs at times to be replaced by slow thinking.
An earlier blog on Moises Naim; http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/11/the-revenge-of-power.html
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