First principles: what do grifters (like Trump and his cronies) fear?

politicalprof

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that you are a grifter – a con artist. You have an act that seeks to manipulate others’ weaknesses in ways that enrich you and your shills. By definition you are putting on a con: you in fact cannot do the thing you claim to be able to do, but you need others to believe in your skills if you are to be a success.

There are, it turns out, rules embedded in grifting: structural realities that cannot be avoided if one is to “win” at deceiving. For example, you have to be an exceptional liar. You have to be good at winning allies even among a hostile crowd – even if you’ve seeded it with your allies. And, of course, you can never let the facade break: the moment anyone sees the truth, your game is up. You might go to jail, you might get humiliated, you might get a beating. You might get them all.

Thus the ultimate rule of grifting is, don’t get caught. Don’t let the green curtain get pulled back. The worst thing in the world isn’t failing to do whatever it is you claim you can do (but can’t, because you’re grifting). It’s being exposed as the grifter you are.

Hence grifters have to be particularly skilled at fighting back just at their most perilous moment. They have to be able to quash their personal demons, projecting an easy confidence as they figure out ways to manipulate your uncertainty and your anxiety about confronting them. Grifters get good at mobilizing latent supporters in the audience to join the grifter in mocking and marginalizing the challenger. The grifter, in other words, turns the charge of being a charlatan around, accusing the accuser of malfeasance and ill will. And, because grifters (good ones, anyway), assume the mantle of authority, ordinary people comply with the grifter, not the whistleblower.

Which is to say two things. First, the way to beat a grifter like Trump is to expose him, mock him, and demonstrate the transparency of his lies. But, second, exposure is not enough. Like any wounded creature, grifters in traps lash out and fight back. You have to sustain the fight over time. You have to let the accretion of lies and foul play permeate the community such that everyone understands the rot at the center.

It’s going to be a long fight. Let’s focus on what can beat the grifter. It’s all we have.

Source
http://politicalprof.tumblr.com/post/156266305838/first-principles-what-do-grifters-like-trump-and