Why do the dupes cling to Mortenson and other swindlers in the face of the facts?
As Ayn Rand put it- look what is being accomplished. Mortenson flatters his suckers. He seems to offer proof of one of the dearest delusions of the tender-minded: that sufficiently sincere displays of good intentions can overcome any obstacle, and change the hardest heart. He sells them the notion that they can Engage in Noble Work on the cheap, by buying his books and supporting his worthy cause- and they are only too eager to buy. Glory hallelujah!
And there are other markets as well. America would love to hear that its nation building efforts in Afghanistan are making some kind of progress after all. And here he is, apparently accomplishing what that mean old US military cannot.
But this is nothing new – Mortenson is a con artist in the grand tradition of PT Barnum. The suckers want to be conned, need to be conned, and will search high and low until they find somebody who will peddle them the BS they demand. At premium prices. There’s one born every minute.
