I have no psychology degree, but my father has a psych bachelor’s. He used it when I was growing up to tell me why I did troublesome things. I will now pass that trauma on to you, my dear readers, albeit with even less qualification.
There’s been a sweep of shows and movies that have been released on various streaming platforms that, on the outside, have nothing in common. What does Elizabeth Holmes have to do with Tinder matches in Europe? What does a young socialite have to do with the woman who popularized raw vegan cuisine? All of these stories share the same stump before they branch out on their own – they all center around someone who lied and created an entirely new world in order to obtain influence and take things that don’t belong to them. They’re Swindle Stories. Or, as I like to call them, Swindle Porn.
Much like Trauma Porn, Swindle Porn captures viewers with promises of salacious details about other people’s ruined lives. Both of these categories are species in the genus of true crime, which has captivated viewers long before streaming, back when Snapped came on late night television and we all wondered how those women could kill their husbands.
Swindle Porn is sweeping the nation right now, we are all fascinated with people who told elaborate stories and sucked others into their alternate realities. Bad Vegan lives in a world of angels and demons where a non human in a meat suit can promise immortality to your dog. Tinder Swindler plays on the heartstrings of anyone who ever longed for love. The Dropout tells the story of a woman who tried to make it in a male dominated field. Inventing Anna spins a web of someone who tries to live the life many of us dream of having after we become successful TikTok influencers.
So why is it that all of these shows and movies are trending? Why are we obsessed with Swindle Porn?
It’s because we’ve all been swindled; we’re all still being swindled and we’re only vaguely aware of it. If you’re politically conservative you might believe that you’ve spent the last two years in a fantasy liberal land of lies about a scary China virus. If you’re politically liberal you may be waking up to the giant swindle that is systemic racism. If you have money you probably feel that poor people are swindling your money away from you with the rising tide of socialism. If you are held down by the boot of capitalism you feel like the man holding you to the ground is stealing potential right out of your pocket.
In the same way that true crime and trauma porn give a catharsis comparable to cutting our own wrists, Swindle Porn soothes the burn we all feel as the wool is pulled over our eyes. Real or imagined, that shit is itchy.
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From the bottom of my heart and popcorn bowl, I thank you.
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