There's no doubt that the world is full of less-than-scrupulous people who'll do whatever they can to take advantage of others... or to exploit situations for personal gain in such a way others come out on the short end of the stick.
Dishing it Out... but Not Taking it Back...
My experience-- going all the way back to dealing with bullies in school-- is that people who engage in dodgy behavior and practices live in a strange one-way reality. I have watched it unfold in so many places; I've even seen a few shenanigans here on Steemit.
White Wagtail, complaining
Often these characters seem like quite pleasant and charming people; sometimes they are even quite supportive of the very communities or groups they are trying to scam... building up a layer of trust.
In the beginning, they just do "little things" that exploit people... and their actions can almost always be turned around to point back at the victims: "Well, if only he had paid attention, nothing would have gone wrong!" When that fails slightly more "aggressive" rationalizations might ensue-- essentially a variation of "blaming the victim."
"Typo Squatters" are a good example. They create web sites or user names that "look like" those of very popular sites/venues/users... designed to catch the people who accidentally miss a character or don't know how to spell something.
Of course, the typo squatter will insist they are "doing nothing wrong" because they aren't actively misdirecting, nor trying to actively defraud anyone.
But if you "aren't trying to defraud," why choose a name that's "almost like" something well known?
And then the Whining Begins!
However, if you call them on their misdeeds, they immediately start whining endlessly about how they are "good people" they are being "misunderstood."
Big Sur, California
"So you created a web site that is one letter off from this other really famous web site and there's nothing illicit about that? You could have had thousands of other less misleading names!"
"I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm not competing with them!"
"But you installed an automatic spyware download when anyone lands on your site!"
"It's a web surfing toolbar. It's USEful!"
"But it traps people and they have to look at an endless cycle of ads!"
"You're being really unfair, I'm just trying to make a LIVING, like everyone else!"
And so it goes.
Where I End up with Questions
Exotic hydrangea in bloom
What I often find quite strange-- on a more personal level-- is that a lot of "shady" people are willing to put a lot of work into creating a scheme to cheat and defraud... sometimes more work than they would need to put in to get the same results from an honest profession.
It's baffling, because at that point we no longer have an "effort issue" (as in "taking the easy way out by cheating") we have an "ethics issue" in which some individuals evidently find it more attractive/appealing to "take advantage of others" than to simply "earn income."
I have only had a few in-depth conversations on the deeper motivations of such behavior... but it almost seems similar to the philosophy of some mountain climbers... the "fraud" happens not for rewards, but as a challenge... "because they can." That has been especially true for a couple of hackers I have known, somewhat well.
And the challenge to "just do something" seems to supercede all concern for any human "collateral damage" that may result from their actions... in fact, a common thread seems to be a lack of empathy... people are just "tools" or "meat."
What do YOU think? Have you known any "petty scamsters" who turned whiny when called on their shenanigans? How do you feel about such conduct? Do you think "deceptive" practices are ever harmless? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170716 15:06 PDT