My 97 year old special mom is reading some of the classics of English literature through her audiobook player. Last up on her list was Great Expectations, a story of a boy who helps an escaped convict. My mother-in-law is not always ready to say good things (perhaps because she fears someone may misuse her statement of conviction), so it was pleasing to me when she showed she had gained knowledge of the plights of others. She translated the Dickensian fiction into the inequalities of modern day U.S.A. by asking, “Has Trump done anything for the poor?”
That got me thinking about what might be called the greatest cons of capitalism. Baby formula was the first that came to mind: The corrupt advertising that went into selling this product as better than breast milk constitutes a distortion of human nature. Likewise the marketing of bottled water shows a disregard for the value of fresh water at the same time as promoting the overuse of plastics, furthering the pollution of our planet. I find it hard to stop this tirade, so I will also mention diamonds. Males of marrying age were conned to believe that it was appropriate to give their bride-to-be, a costly token of their esteem to the tune of 3 months wages. Talk about blood from a stone! Tipping is a con, lottery buying is a con, the requirement to drink 8 litres of water a day is a con. We are told by corporations that our life will be better if we just purchase this product or another. Somehow the prevailing culture buys-in to these promotions. Peer pressure takes over. There is usually nothing Pro about these societal manipulations, only Con.
It strikes me as ironic that the biggest con artist right now, might someday be a con. At least that’s what many hope for. The Donald has so far avoided incarceration in spite of being convicted of numerous offences (34 convictions and counting). Many American citizens were conned into believing that a vote for POTUS 45or47 would bring them prosperity in a ‘trickle-down’ fashion (another con). Election time is rife with promises that are really cons in disguise. The ad/con game has always been about teaching others what to think, how to feel, who to vote for, and how to spend.
Wisdom is sometimes found in Elders, but not always. My special mom’s first response to my writing about the word Con was, “I knew someone who went to prison.” When I asked who that might be, she said she had forgotten but he was definitely a bad man. Prejudice thrives when we hold too tightly to notions that were taught to us. Parents don’t know everything, neither do CEOs, our neighbours, nor those we elect to, hopefully, do the right thing. Pip, from that novel by Dickens, learned much from his charity to Magwitch. Examining the good/bad of things is the first step toward understanding the wider world.
