"there's a sucker born every minute"

genkaku

You may be satisfied to imagine that circus magnate P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute," but the real story of who said it and why is much more pungent ... and worth adding to your totally-useless-information file.

:)

RichardH

Wow... that is something.. feel like a serial sucker.

federica

Given that babies drink milk that way, i would say there are actually 255 born every minute.... ;)

Yishai

Any time I see a quote nowadays, I just do a quick reference check to make sure.

genkaku

Apparently there are more attributions on the quote than the single bit I linked to. Frankly, I don't care: The tale is good enough to tell whether it's fact or fiction.

Dakini

I wonder how members feel about that story, morally. In America, it seems like "anything goes" is the slogan. Whatever you can get away with. No illegality was committed, so what Barnum and Hannum did was ok. The deceit is a turn-off for me.

genkaku

@Dakini -- Deceit is not something anyone is able to escape in life... but that is not the same as saying deceit is something we should go out and practice, that it is OK. If we averted our faces from every deception we encountered in life, what sort of Buddhists would we be? When I look in the bathroom mirror, I am not sure whether Barnum, Hannum or I am the greatest hoax-ster.

Dakini

@genkaku Thanks. I just thought it was a good question to stimulate debate and reflection.