Over the last few months, I've had a thought that only very recently I've been able to put into words: it's more profitable to appear to be a source of truth than it is to actually be a source of truth.
This generalises. True value is expensive both to create and assess.
The tricksters arbitrage both sides of this exchange. -- the producers and consumers.
And yes, sometimes the deception may be in appearing to be something not valuable but instead high-risk: bluff threats, imitation of poisonous or stinging animals or insects, inflatable tanks.
