First, and foremost, credit where credit is due: this is a very well-made documentary, and I love it! Great job, Felicity Morris!
Second, like Bill Burr, I’m a victim blamer — just hear me out — because even when I get scammed myself, I blame myself for being too gullible that I allowed myself to believe something that is too good to be true — last time I got scammed was while trying to find a service that offers virtual credit cards that can be topped up using cryptocurrency.
The ‘woke’ fragile human beings of the 21st century will have you believe that blaming oneself is an unhealthy/unfair thing to do, but that’s not true, because as far as I’m concerned, blaming oneself is like a healthy version of self-criticism; it’s a process that involves working on oneself, and trying one’s best not to make the same mistakes again. How else do you expect to evolve? By crying, and blaming reality? Give me a break! And before you get your panties in a bunch, no, this does not apply to every situation in the world. I already know that, but I digress. What I’m talking about requires an unusual kind of discipline, starting with acquiring the ability to say “NO” in situations where you would feel like a bad friend or an asshole. Even if there’s a little part of you that wants to say no in what seems to be a weird situation, try to go with that, since it takes practice, and always remember that there’s no Alice, no rabbit hole, and there’s definitely no Wonderland. If your life’s boring, try to find happiness in it; remind yourself that it’s okay to settle for less, because “the higher the risk, the greater the reward.” is not always the case. Also, never ever do a filthy rich person a favor — a scammer or otherwise — and expect to get 10 times that favor in return; first, because rich people stay rich by not recklessly giving away their money. Heck, even their charity work helps make them more money, so just like when your sibling asks you to get them a glass of water, and you say, “Go get it yourself!” You should be bold enough to say something similar to a rich person asking you favors; maybe try a more diplomatic approach at first lest you feel like a ‘complete asshole’. After all, you shouldn’t even befriend or date anybody who can’t handle rejection, especially those who make you feel like you caused the holocaust when you say no to them like, “Come on, man! It’s just a little favor! Why are you being like this? I’m disappointed in you!” That’s one heck of a red flag, if you ask me.
I have to admit that I didn’t feel bad for the women who got scammed, and yet I feel bad for fictional characters in movies, and TV shows all the time. Whether I’m a psycho or I’m true to myself to the point where I don’t need to fake empathy or sympathy to get people to like me, that’s not really up to me. If I can’t feel bad for myself when I get scammed, why should I feel bad for others? Why does it even have to be a black-and-white thing like, “If you feel bad for the victim, you’re good; if not, you’re evil.”? Not feeling bad for victims of fraud in this case does not mean that I wanted them to get scammed, but when you think about it, they’re the ones who wanted to get scammed so badly that they let their guard down, and let it happen. I know hindsight is always 20/20 and all, but still, “People with horrible English asking for money” is always a bad sign even if it were a Saudi prince. 😂 No amount of dopamine in the world should ever convince you otherwise.
Although I’m not the vengeful type, and I always move on so quickly after I get scammed, I kind of like what Ayleen did at the end, which made me say, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scammed.” 😂
I was surprised to know that Simon Leviev got away with all of it, though, especially in this day and age where all it takes is a tweet with a hashtag to turn a person’s life upside down. Luck of the Irish? Talk about the luck of the Jew! 😂 Jesus, it’s incredible! Dude really made scamming look like a promising career. 😂 I was expecting him to get at least 10 years in prison. 😅 Maybe he is a Mossad agent, after all. 😂 I bet you $10M his favorite movie is Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and Christopher Walken. 😂