Delusion - a state of mind where the sufferer believes a fantasy. There are many types, but I am referring to delusions of grandeur as these do seem to be the main ones on the internet. The Wikipedia definition is "Grandiose delusions are characterized by fantastical beliefs that one is famous, omnipotent, or otherwise very powerful. The delusions are generally fantastic, often with a supernatural, science-fictional, or religious bent. In colloquial usage, one who overestimates one's own abilities, talents, stature or situation is sometimes said to have 'delusions of grandeur'. This is generally due to excessive pride, rather than any actual delusions."
The internet allows people to live out their secret fantasies. A roadsweeper can become a man of letters, a suburban housewife a beauty expert, an unemployed man a millionaire - at least in their dreams. A proxy address allows one to be living in Los Angeles and not in Scunthorpe. And when someone claims they are a police superintendent how do you prove otherwise? Most of the time you can't, which is why we have pretendy doctors, coppers, professors, body language experts, lawyers, criminologists etc all over the net. They post up claims of this and that and people believe them. Why? Probably because they actually want to be associated with someone who they see as 'famous' - they must be because they have such a wonderful job. These conmen gather acolytes who hang on their every word, and are as delusional as their leader - I am reminded of a certain claim that the Queen of England is a lizard, and this is believed in toto by the readers of this man's forum without any attempts to prove him wrong .
We have seen it all before, flim-flam men who will sell you anything, snake oil salesmen whose oil is supposed to cure all manner of illnesses, conmen who claim they can help you over a court case then do a runner with the usually large down payment before the case comes before a judge and, worst of all, those who set up ponzy schemes and rook the gullible of their savings and fake doctors who offer miracle cures. And all this is helped by the internet, where total anonymity rules. I don't expect to see any change in the near future, do you?
The internet allows people to live out their secret fantasies. A roadsweeper can become a man of letters, a suburban housewife a beauty expert, an unemployed man a millionaire - at least in their dreams. A proxy address allows one to be living in Los Angeles and not in Scunthorpe. And when someone claims they are a police superintendent how do you prove otherwise? Most of the time you can't, which is why we have pretendy doctors, coppers, professors, body language experts, lawyers, criminologists etc all over the net. They post up claims of this and that and people believe them. Why? Probably because they actually want to be associated with someone who they see as 'famous' - they must be because they have such a wonderful job. These conmen gather acolytes who hang on their every word, and are as delusional as their leader - I am reminded of a certain claim that the Queen of England is a lizard, and this is believed in toto by the readers of this man's forum without any attempts to prove him wrong .
We have seen it all before, flim-flam men who will sell you anything, snake oil salesmen whose oil is supposed to cure all manner of illnesses, conmen who claim they can help you over a court case then do a runner with the usually large down payment before the case comes before a judge and, worst of all, those who set up ponzy schemes and rook the gullible of their savings and fake doctors who offer miracle cures. And all this is helped by the internet, where total anonymity rules. I don't expect to see any change in the near future, do you?
