Con Artists In Media: Why are we fascinated by them?

Con artists and shady people have been around pretty much since money has been a thing, and the earliest example we have of one is Ea-nāṣir and his substandard copper ingots from 1750 BCE. In real life they're treated with disdain and are generally not the sort of person you want to make friends with, but modern media portrays them somewhat differently. From the glamour associated with the Oceans series to the literal snake oil salesmen in Red Dead Redemption, there are as many of them as there are directions to point on a moral compass. If everyone is an animal, they'll be a weasel or a fox (see Zootopia). But why are they so interesting?

You don't have to have watched something with a con artist in it recently. Even real-life examples would be interesting, and we did have a global pandemic recently which is prime breeding ground for these types of people.

Come along for a chat about dodgy do-no-gooders while munching on tacos :)