sorry, I can't agree: people can be convinced and deceived, yes that's true. But they are only if they want.
Of course I started mining on a greed basis, but not only: I also wanted to "play" with an alternative currency and support the deploy of it.
In the begining, yes, $18/btc it's quite atractive, but I can't say I ever were a victim or deceived... I knew perfectly there were a massive risk and I was willing to take a chance.