The Long Con

Why are we so gullible? It’s not caused by some misguided gene. We have been conditioned from birth to be an easy mark. “From birth, really”, you might say. Sure, and it’s our parents’ fault. “How can that be”? Well, the explanation is really quite simple.

During our formative years, our parents introduce us to the unholy trinity: The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, and the biggest con of all Santa Claus. Rabbits don’t lay eggs! But unless kids live on a farm, they probably don’t know that. Every year, good old Mom and Dad perpetuates the ruse by buying some candy-coated chocolates and hiding them around the house. This game goes on until either the kid gets suspicious or, more likely, the parents get bored with the scam and finally spill the beans, or in this instance, breaks some eggs.

About the time the Easter Bunny is being laid to rest, children lose their baby teeth. Once again, Mom and Dad create another magical creature resembling a miniature person with wings who converts teeth to cash. When I was a kid, I got a quarter per tooth. Now the going rate is between 1 and 5 dollars. Think about it, there is this magical creature that breaks into the house while the child is sleeping and leaves cash under the pillow. How can a kid not trust anybody who wants to give them money? As teeth drop more frequently, the money runs out and so does the Tooth Fairy’s time on earth.

Now comes the cruelest long con of them all, Santa Claus. From the time a child can grasp the concept, parents tell the tale of a bearded fat man in a red suit circumnavigating the globe with eight tiny reindeer. This rotund gentleman magically stuffs himself down a chimney if the house has one available. Now, if the house lacks a chimney, the jolly old soul covertly breaks into the residence by other means. Of course, adults know Santa Claus is a lame method of trying to make a child behave. Reward or punishment, carrot, or stick, control is the name of the game here. This con will last until either a classmate blows the whistle, or the child figures things out on his or her own. Either way, the realization that Santa Claus doesn’t exist is devastating.

Next, we need to explore the bizarre world of fairy tales. For girls, it’s “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty” that make them believe a handsome prince will come along and everyone will live happily ever after. For boys, it’s “Jack and the Bean Stalk” and “Pinocchio” where boys overcome evil and learn what becoming a man is all about. Yes, parents read these and many more stories to their children, giving them a distorted view of the world. I’m not for banning fairy tales, just adding a disclaimer.

Once we learn that none of the stories are true, depression sets in. We want the truth. We CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH! As adults, can we really handle the truth? People get conned every day simply because they want to believe in something. Just look at how many worldwide organizations exist because people have an inborn need to be part of something. Religion, politics, and even something as simple as the lottery are all based on a person’s need to believe.

If I follow the rules plus donate money, God will let me into heaven. If I vote for this person, they will pass laws that will help me have a better life. I’m just one ticket away from winning the lottery, I just know it! Maybe if our parents had started with the truth, a sucker wouldn’t be born every minute.