This American Life – Episode 660: Hoaxing Yourself
Release Date: October 27, 2024

Host: Ira Glass
Producer: This American Life
Description:
Each week, This American Life explores a central theme through a collection of true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. In Episode 660, titled "Hoaxing Yourself," Ira Glass delves into the fascinating world of personal deception—where individuals craft false identities, sometimes intentionally fooling others, and other times becoming ensnared in their own lies. This episode features three compelling acts that examine the complexity of self-hoaxing from different angles.

Act 1: The Sun Never Sets on the Moosewood Restaurant

Summary:
Act one introduces us to the story of Joel Lovell and Sean Cole, two young men from small towns who embarked on a journey of self-deception during their college years. Joel, originally from upstate New York, and Sean, from a small town in Massachusetts, both developed British accents and personas as a means of distancing themselves from their rural, working-class backgrounds.

Key Discussions & Insights:

• Adoption of British Identities:
  Joel Lovell recounts how his fascination with British TV shows, such as Doctor Who and Dempsey and Makepeace, led him to adopt a British accent indefinitely from the age of 14 to 16. Sean Cole observes, "[Joel] was using an English accent, literally from waking to sleeping" (06:00).

• Psychiatric Intervention:
  Concerned about their accents, both boys were taken to see a psychiatrist. Joel describes the encounter:
  "He was really very confrontive. And he was like, 'You've got to stop doing this because you're not British'" (02:30).

• Social Reinforcement and Identity Crisis:
  The boys struggled with maintaining their British personas, especially when questioned by peers and family. Joel emphasizes the difficulty:
  "I had trouble saying, 'Oh, I faked an accent for two years.'" (06:00).

• Coping Mechanisms and Personal Growth:
  Both Joel and Sean reflect on their actions, acknowledging that while they wish they hadn't deceived themselves, the experience contributed to their personal development. Sean notes, "It gave me more confidence and allowed me to bridge different aspects of my identity" (20:46).

Notable Quotes:

• Joel Lovell on adopting his accent:
  "It was second nature. It was first nature." (06:00)

• Sean Cole on the psychiatrist's advice:
  "The situation seemed impossible." (02:48)

• Joel Lovell reflecting on his actions:
  "I didn't feel like I had anything that made me up." (11:02)

Act 2: Conning the Con Men

Summary:
Act two shifts focus to the world of cons and counter-cons, spotlighting David Diamond, a prolific telemarketer who defrauded millions through deceptive sales tactics. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ultimately caught Diamond by orchestrating a sting operation that involved conning the conmen themselves.

Key Discussions & Insights:

• David Diamond’s Schemes:
  Diamond operated a boiler room scam in Los Angeles, disguising fraudulent investment opportunities under various plausible business names. Over seven years, he amassed $40 million by deceiving unwitting investors, earning himself $2 million in commissions alone (23:01).

• FTC's Counter-Strategy:
  The FTC employed a unique approach by enlisting volunteers to pose as potential investors (“Marge”) to trap Diamond. Nancy Updike narrates how volunteers like Marge engaged Diamond in lengthy phone conversations, ultimately exposing his deceit (22:03).

• Ethics and the Psychology of Conmen:
  The episode explores how confidence and arrogance can make even seasoned conmen vulnerable to being deceived themselves. Marge challenges Diamond with questions that expose his desperation and questionable ethics (28:00).

• Emotional Impact on Victims:
  Nancy expresses profound frustration and anger towards the victims who lost their life savings, highlighting the emotional and financial devastation caused by such scams (33:18).

Notable Quotes:

• Dale Sakovich on David Diamond:
  "David Diamond was making money hand over fist, clearing $40 million." (23:30)

• Nancy Updike on listening to the tapes:
  "Every time I hear these pitches, I'm outraged because I am the person that spoke to people who really did send David Diamond tens of thousands of dollars." (33:57)

• Marge on the interaction:
  "I would never liquidate everything I have." (28:20)

Notable Quote with Timestamp:

• David Diamond advocating for full investment:
  "You should invest everything you have. You should transfer all of your investment into this program or do nothing." (27:18)

Act 3: Oedipus Hex

Summary:
In the final act, Shalom Auslander shares a poignant and unsettling story from his childhood in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish yeshiva. At the age of eight, faced with his family's struggles and under the stern oversight of Rabbi Breyer, Shalom grapples with conflicting desires to secure his family's approval and his own burgeoning sense of morality.

Key Discussions & Insights:

• The Pressure of Religious Expectations:
  Shalom details the intense environment of the yeshiva, where mastering the "Guide to Blessings" was seen as a path to honor his family. The pressure culminates in a tumultuous Shabbos dinner marred by his father's drunken rage (39:39).

• Internal Conflict and Rebellion:
  Faced with Rabbi Breyer's strict enforcement of religious laws, Shalom experiences an identity crisis, contemplating drastic actions to influence his family's fortunes. He narrates his attempts to sin to cause divine punishment on his father, illustrating a profound inner turmoil (49:26).

• The Blessing Bee:
  The story climaxes with the "Blessing Bee," a game akin to a spelling bee, where Shalom participates under immense stress. His final act of defiance leads to a traumatic confrontation with Rabbi Breyer, resulting in physical punishment and the irrevocable loss of the "Blessing Be" (49:26).

• Long-Term Impact:
  Shalom reflects on the lasting effects of his childhood experiences, highlighting themes of authority, compliance, and the desperate measures one might take under extreme pressure (58:23).

Notable Quotes:

• Shalom Auslander on the yeshiva experience:
  "Preparation for Shabbos is equal to the importance of Shabbos itself." (39:39)

• Shalom reflecting on his actions:
  "There I was, bringing them here... I felt so bad about it afterwards." (19:00)

• Rabbi Breyer’s decree:
  "Blessed is the one true Judge." (49:26)

Notable Quote with Timestamp:

• Shalom on the traumatic event:
  "The blessing be was lost. I was not a great rabbi, and my father was still not dead." (58:23)

Concluding Insights and Themes

"Hoaxing Yourself" weaves together disparate narratives, all centered around the idea of self-deception and the lengths individuals go to forge or maintain altered identities. Whether it's adopting a foreign persona to escape one's origins, orchestrating elaborate scams, or grappling with internal moral conflicts under oppressive societal norms, the stories delve deep into the psychology of self-hoaxing.

Recurring Themes:

• Identity and Authenticity:
  The episode questions the essence of one's identity and the moral implications of altering or fabricating oneself to fit certain molds or escape one's environment.

• Consequences of Deception:
  From personal relationships to large-scale financial fraud, the stories highlight the ripple effects that self-deception can have on an individual's life and those around them.

• Moral Ambiguity and Redemption:
  Characters in the episode wrestle with their actions, whether seeking redemption or entrenching themselves further into deceit, showcasing the complex interplay between morality and self-preservation.

Final Thoughts:
Through its richly detailed storytelling and poignant reflections, Episode 660 of This American Life invites listeners to ponder the intricate dance between truth and falsehood within themselves and society at large. By presenting multifaceted narratives on self-hoaxing, the episode underscores the universal struggle to reconcile one's inner desires with external expectations.

Notable Timestamped Quotes:

• Joel Lovell on his British persona:
  "I felt like I had nothing that made me up." (11:02)

• Nancy Updike on the impact of scams:
  "I've seen them sob. Yeah, it makes me very angry." (33:18)

• Shalom Auslander on his father’s actions:
  "My father slapped my hand. Shabbos." (49:26)

Additional Resources:

For further exploration of these stories and more, visit This American Life to listen to Episode 660: "Hoaxing Yourself."