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Long Con

Watched Con Man recently and there were a couple of scenes that felt key to the evolution of the character. Both had to do with his parents. Minkow's father is shown as unsuccessful and struggling in his career unable to provide for the family. This was a man that had not been man enough to those who counted on him. This perception of the father seems like a big driver for Minkow's desire to show his family and the world that he can be the man his father has failed to be and many times over. There is the tacit approval and blind adulation from his parents of his early "accomplishments" which further push him down the destructive road he has started on. Between nature and nurture it seems to have set off an unstoppable flywheel effect. 

Being able to con people is depicted to work much like an addiction - it is so easy, the high is so great that the best intentions can seem to stop Minkow. Plus there is the the theory that  fraudsters do not believe that what they are doing is wrong, if they play the game well enough and without being caught - everyone who trusted them is made whole. So they need to keep upping the ante until that point is reached. Sounds a lot like the logic of a gambling addict who has put everything on the line to win big - because once they do, all will be well. If this man had parents who were hyper-vigilant given his proclivities or tried to steer that "gift" to a more positive end, would he still have ended a con man? I always find it instructive to understand the role parents and authority figures play in the lives of such larger than life characters. 

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