Re: Educational level without brains
"So, if you want to con a saint, you offer them a too-good-to-be-true opportunity to help the orphans, or whatever."
Being honest has nothing to do with saintly intentions, either. Value received must be earned; if you want to help orphans, you have to earn the ability to do so. There's no free lunch for the object of your charitable intentions any more than for you. Witness the periodic charity scams: "We've made it so you can donate to help XXX victims in ZZZland with no fees and just a single click! Click here to donate now!" The reality is that getting needed goods and services to people in a war zone or disaster area is expensive and dangerous. Real charities are transparent about how much of their income they spend on that kind of overhead and market themselves based on the experience, reach, and capabilities that make their activities more effective than others'. Scammers on the other hand make unbelievable claims that cater to a desire for instant gratification and getting something for nothing. The desire to help others is in this regard no different from the usual desire to help oneself: if all the value seems to be flowing in one direction, it's not an honest deal.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
