[glimmertwin]

[ QUOTE ]

I raised this point because I feel like choosing to not respect criminals because they use violence is a feeble attempt to make your position about condoning crime more respectable. A criminal who doesn't use physical violence can inflict pain on his victims (trauma's etc.) so there's nothing more respectable about those people.

[/ QUOTE ]

And while I agree with your fundamental point, nobody has addressed my point in which I argue that, in order to minimize risk, the classic con will invariably target other criminals -- or at least, those who have a tendency to larceny.

In these cases, the person that the con man is gaming is actually another criminal, or somebody who is seeking to enrich themselves by illegal or underhanded means. I tend to see these people as much more akin to poker players because they're seeking to use their wits to get over on somebody who is trying to do the same thing.

Of course, the game here is completely unequal, and the mark doesn't stand a chance, but that's no different to me sitting down opposite sbrugby or patrik antonius. Will that stop them from taking my money? I don't think so. To be honest, I don't see an awful lot of difference between 'don't tap on the fishtank' and 'always leave the mark a dollar for gas'.

Also, the division between gamblers and con man has long been much narrower than many posters would have you believe. If you look at many of the classic prop bets that have made their way into the literature, these are little more than out and out scams, disguised as fair wagers. As with a con, the person who wins these bets has generally used careful prior preparation, a gaffed item of some sort or is relying on unequal knowledge to gain an unfair advantage.

So, perhaps part of the respect that people have for a good con is derived from seeing some of the victims of these cons as less deserving of protection and more as equal contestants in a battle of wits?

All that said, I think this actually represents a mythical conman who probably doesn't exist any more, possibly never did, and the vast majority are just scum who would happily use force to steal from their innocent victims. But it's this mythical conman that gets the respect and admiration, not the guy who scams some old lady out of her purse by telling her that he's come to read her gas meter.