The Sting: The Story Of The Confidence Man

There are many variables in interpersonal communication; sex and gender, race and ethnicity, age and social class, just to name a few. The variables in which were most present in

As a society we are guided by false veneers and deceit. Artifice is unfortunately a prominent tactic used in hope of gaining the respect of the public. Politicians and celebrities who we look up to utilize artifice on a daily basis to gain our recognition and approval. Even teenagers are being taught how to use artifice to their advantage. Chris Hedges believes that the use of artifice is a necessary device to achieve success. In his book, The Empire of Illusion, he discusses the appeal of artifice and how individuals become “unreal” and “ignored” if they do not utilize it. His viewpoint is immensely untrue because this “strategy” causes a never-ending cycle of conflict. If we continue to feign our true appearances, we will become unable to fix societal issues we face to today.

Trickery can be useful for companies wanting to sell products or entertainment. It helps actors, and especially politicians who need to gain support. To be able to make others believe in something that may not be true is an amazing skill to have but not the most essential as Hedge claims. A reason why artifice is not the most essential skill to have is because of the side effects that comes with it. In the end it is better if you are honest about things and try to find more positive things to gain support or money. It may be tempting to trick others especially if they are stubborn or strongly opposed you and your values but all together it will not work out and will not last. The most essential skill is not artifice because there are leaders that actually follow through with giving support

Throughout the semester there were various aspects of communication that I felt applied to me. It was not, however, until the latter half of the semester that I experienced my greatest revelation regarding my abilities as a communicator. While studying the 12th chapter in the textbook, Interplay The Process of Interpersonal Communication, I learned

"Each trick crumples in the end as a result of the mental probability that the individuals who are superlatively sharp at beguiling others turn out to be similarly astute at misdirecting themselves. Disinformation eats the individuals who make it."

Throughout Ken Kesey's novel, “One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest,” the use of manipulation is a re-occurring motif. Manipulation is defined as 'shrewd of devious management. Manipulation is put into context by how the character's use it. The first character to master it is the antagonist Nurse Ratchet. She uses it to manipulate patients to manage her mechanically structured ward. The other character is the (antagonist, protagonist?) patient McMurphy. He on the other hand manipulates people to help them grow or gain money. These two characters also go head to head with the power of deceptive manipulation as their weapons.

Deception or easier known a sly form of lying can be used to corrupt and manipulate the human mind. At its roots a simple term, getting someone to basically believe some that is of false accusations. Shakespeare, a masterful writer was a professional at planting deception in his plays. In Macbeth he uses deception to describe the acts of murdering the King and eventually leading to more gruesome and wrongdoing killings. The play ends in a horrible tragedy and shows the audience the grit and horrors of the human mind after insanity has set in and they are forced to murder to stay the least bit sane. In acts one and two of Macbeth there is deception leading up to the

The art of deception is an essential skill, especially in moments such as political debates and commercial promotions. In today's society, artifice is a widely utilized skill to persuade the public. The commercial market connects producers to consumers through propaganda which appeals to consumers through elements such as pathos, ethos, and logos. Utilizing these elements, the audience is immediately drawn into the viewpoint of the deceiver. Politicians tried to appear as ordinary and modest as possible to seem more appealing to their audience. But, it can be a deception. As Chris Hedges said in his Empire of Illusion, a story is the best form of artifice because the “consistency and emotional appeal of the story are paramount.” Often politicians tell stories to create a persona making themselves look more trustworthy.

How would you feel if you used trickery to persuade someone on your argument or ideas? For me it would feel very unpleasing and i would feel a bit of guilt because having to use it for some what an untruthful statement. It's kinda just like soccer say perhaps you dive or pretend to get hurt by a player just to get a penalty, sometimes you just have to do it just so you can win the game. This is a problem because this method is very untruthful or say perhaps very unfair. It is a very cheap way to go through the plan but it gets the job done. If you don't use artifice you are very likely to not succeed in the campaign or process that you are in. Artifice is an essential skill to learn and with the skill you will come out with great results.

‘His power to manipulate people comes from his insight, not only into their weaknesses, but into their good qualities. He sees what they are, and plays unfeelingly on good points and weaknesses alike. Often he lies, but often gains his ends by actually telling the truth.’*

“An image-based culture communicates through narratives, pictures, and pseudo-drama” In this quote Chris Hedges describes our pop-culture and how our culture prefers narratives, pictures and pseudo-drama over other means of communication and information. This point shows that the that our culture is based on entertainment through popular demand. Artifice is “clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others.” In the passage from the novel Empire of Illusion by Hedges, The author makes the claim that “Artifice… is the most essential skill.”

Having a beginning, middle, and an end to what your saying is crucial if someone is to master this skill. Structuring what you’re saying will make you more easily understood. You should add details that aren’t fluff as well. By doing so, it will have the same effect as if you were sounding likeable. Making things personal but not too personal is the key to this talent; knowing how much is too much takes finesse and will differ from person to

Introduction Confidence games are an act of swindling in which advantage is taken of the confidence the victim. The confidence game typically [victimizes] wealthy and prominent individuals. The act of abusing the confidence of a person is a [crime] in the U.S. This game continues to flourish because victims fail to report it because of fear of being [prosecuted] for their role in the criminal activity. Confidence games have evolved over the years, containing many elements, games and famous con artists.

“The first leg of the fraud triangle represents pressure. This is what motivates the crime in the first place. The individual

A good salesman would have various strategies to respond to given signs, increasing the probability of a successful sale. Failing to respond to the customer appropriately can almost guarantee the salesperson has failed to make a sale. Goman (2012) posted an article on Forbes titled “Knowing When to Back Off” describing an interaction she was observing between a salesman and a potential client in a bar. In a short paragraph she talks about how the salesman appeared to be doing well verbally, but he was putting the client in an uncomfortable position by sitting too close to him. The client began to inch away very slowly, and the salesman did not notice any of this. The client eventually ended up leaving the bar after excusing himself to make a phone call. The salesman failed to understand the client’s basic need of personal space, which cost him the sale. Had the salesman recognized the non-verbal message being sent by the client, the client may have stayed. So it can be seen that developing this social awareness with emotional intelligence and understanding the needs of the customer become very important for the success of a salesman. The salesman would have to know about how to react to the emotion and message being conveyed with body language and control these emotions in order to lead the dialogue in the direction which hopefully leads to a sale.