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Where Have All The Zero Hedge Veterans Gone, Long Time Passing?
Where Have All The Zero Hedge Veterans Gone, Long Time Passing?
By
Cognitive Dissonance
Imagine if you will for just a few moments that we reside within a small town in America or Europe or anywhere else in the world for that matter. The physical location isn’t important because we’re talking about a virtual world. Our community consists of several thousand residents of mixed race, creed and color and we are united mostly by our desire to hear and speak truth in a world nearly devoid of it. Many of us have been looking for exactly this type of safe haven for a very long time and can scarcely believe our eyes when we first stumble in from the wasteland.
In so many ways our little town is our cherished refuge from a world gone mad with corrupt central governments bent on exploitation and self destruction. Rarely does a day go by when we don’t leave our cozy homes to visit the town square and discuss the founder’s latest observations as well as the day’s news and events. Often we speculate on what’s coming round the bend and even catch up with a few old friends now and then. Home is where the heart is and for many of us home is Zero Hedge.
Most of our fellow residents are known to us by sight and nickname, but only a few do we know well enough that we would expose ourselves on a personal level and engage in a lengthy and sometimes deeply heartfelt conversation. Conversations I might add that are normally reserved only for those we truly trust in the “real” world. And yet amazingly these discussions are conducted out in the open and in full view of the world, virtual or otherwise.
But aside from these few friends the rest of the inhabitants living in our community are considered casual acquaintances or workplace friends, someone we know well enough to discuss local and national politics or even economics, but not much else. That doesn’t mean we don’t love our town and our neighbors because deep down we all share a special bond. We are all on the vanguard of truth speaking and for many of us this is a novel experience. On the surface we are very secretive yet surprisingly quite open. Zero Hedge is uniquely different by design.
Of course, there’s a very good reason why our community is constructed in this unusual manner. A shield of invisibility separates you and me from everyone else, a barricade of anonymity that was intentionally erected to provide a sense of safety and security for all, mainly because our community is surrounded by hostile and often unseen forces. The anonymity was and is designed to shield everyone in such a way as to enable frank and open conversations that would otherwise be stifled if conducted out in the open and among the antagonistic. And for the most part the community’s design has been a rousing success, particularly for the founder Tyler Durden and the rest of the fight club core who regularly use the town square as a bully pulpit to speak truth to power. The group’s anonymity forces those who would attack Tyler in order to restrain or bury free speech by way of ad hominem smears and personality bashing to either ignore Tyler’s message or confront it using verifiable facts and logical argument. In general the community has grown rapidly as both veterans, who were here when the first cornerstones were laid, and later arrivals cheer on the daily disclosures and running commentary. Speaking truth to power has never been so satisfying while still tinged with some inner fear. In some ways Zero Hedge has become our confidant, our mentor, our analyst and our sanity. Personally I consider it my own Radio Free Zero Hedge, a beacon shining bright during these increasingly dark nights. But some of our veterans have been stealing off into the night with barely a whispered farewell or even a quick explanation for their disappearance. Unfortunately this is where the community’s anonymity works against us. Other than the few occasions where residents have willingly dropped their masks and now conduct private conversations outside the confines of the community, there is very little discourse among the residents other than what is conducted within the town square. Thus there is no effective way of discovering where all our missing veterans have gone.
So in some respects our town is missing a part of its heart and soul, that intangible something that brings together divergent parts to create a living breathing community. While Tyler Durden is without question the voice and creator of Zero Hedge the activist and truth speaker, we the residents know remarkably little about our own community. Our town recently celebrated its two year anniversary and while there was much to cheer, I for one have been feeling for some time that something important is missing.
While every blog has its own personality and feel, over the course of time the readers generally get to know quite a bit about the blogs founder through editorials and conversation. The creator’s initially thin voice is slowly filled in with deeper tones and tenor and the body is fleshed out with substance and color. The voice becomes a personality, then for some it becomes a friend.
While Tyler renders an opinion within the text of nearly every one of his postings, his opinion is nearly always limited to the subject matter at hand and rarely do we get to glimpse even a snippet of Tyler the person. Most likely this is done because he wishes to remain totally anonymous and considering the explosive nature of some of his disclosures, I can’t say I blame him one iota. But this does leave a vacuum of sorts within the fabric of the community and so the herd will naturally seek its own substitute.
In contrarian communities such as ours where we’re all bucking the trend and swimming against the tide, there is often great emotion bubbling just beneath the surface. Our town isn’t just a financial blog; it’s a calling, a movement, an event, the place to go where contrarian views aren’t the exception but the norm. While Zero Hedge started out as an obscure hangout for financial nerds and wonks it quickly morphed into a place of inspiration and refuge. Along the way some of the residents have developed small followings or even minor cults, becoming community leaders plucked from the crowd by natural selection.
While some of these personalities are relatively new, several have been with Zero Hedge since the beginning. And many are now gone, missing in action, A.W.O.L. I don’t wish to imply that there’s skullduggery or grand mystery behind the disappearance of our veterans. After careful thought I think it’s something simpler, reasons that revolve around what Zero Hedge was and what it has now become. And ultimately something else that is well beyond the control or influence of this blog and which is beginning to spread within the general population.
While I’m in occasional email contact with two of the missing veterans, for the most part I have no direct knowledge of the reasons for their absence, only my supposition and gut instinct. Of the two I talk to on occasion, their reasons for leaving are obviously deeply personal and I won’t pry. But after recently flirting with the idea of leaving Zero Hedge myself, I believe I may have some insight into why some leave and come back while others leave and never look back. Let me try to explain what I think is happening.
At times it appears as if Zero Hedge resides within a time warp or rift. Tyler and company produce such a blinding stream of posts that often it’s difficult to remember what was discussed yesterday let along last week, month or year. Because of this linear rush of time, rarely do we sit back and consider what Zero Hedge was, only what it is now. This is one of the missing pieces I mentioned earlier, the critical element of perspective and history from the residents point of view that’s not part of the mix.
All communities have a sense of history and continuity which acts as a binding agent, tying the past to the present and which the residents take with them as they walk into the future. This is done with a combination of books, oral histories, community days and events, impromptu gatherings of friends over beers and so on. During times of community stress, it is this history as a group that is relied upon to sooth rattled nerves and smooth out life’s bumps and bruises.
While there is most certainly a singleness of purpose and deed within Zero Hedge, it is primarily Tyler’s show along with the occasional penetrating contributor. For the community at large, we are mostly spectators and hanger-on’s with varied opinions and sharpened elbows. While many are satisfied with the Rugby style discourse, I sense in others a desire for a deeper connection, a more intimate and friendly environment, reminiscent of the old Zero Hedge town square when the veterans ruled the roost.
Many of our lost veterans provided breadth and depth to our conversations as well as a big picture perspective when shouting, hysteria or trolls threatened to overwhelm. While each had his or her unique idiosyncrasies and ideology, nearly all had a strong sense of ownership and protective custody. How many times did we hear a veteran declare “Don’t mess with Zero Hedge because if you do you’re messing with me”? Newbie’s that wandered in from the cold and immediately started whipping their shtick around were quickly slapped side the head and sent to the back of the bus for remedial education.
Like that strong willed but kind uncle who visited during the holidays and whose presence moved the room, our veterans were an important part of the internal control mechanism that all unorganized groups develop as a matter of instinct and survival. Natural leaders emerge and are respected not just for their inherent authority, but because of their common sense approach and fairness even to those they oppose. Thus form and function develops out of chaos and the community coalesces. What was once random noise and movement becomes coherent and comprehensible.
While Tyler has always been the booming voice of Zeus bellowing from atop the Zero Hedge mount, Tyler for the most part is content to let his postings, opinions and biting tongue find their mark. But back when the veterans roamed the land there was another strong presence that is now sadly missing as well. Marla Singer was our Athena or Themis, the community’s Goddess of order, civility and decorum. At your own peril did you mess with Mother Nature for with the flick of her sharp tongue serial transgressors were quickly removed from The Hedge.
Marla wasn’t malevolent, vindictive or even egotistic, thought it was obvious we were dealing with an opinionated intellect that could swallow most of us whole in one single bite. What contributed to her presence and gave her natural authority was her capacity to be playful, self deprecating and wonderfully witty. Her late nights spinning tunes on Radio Zero or her presence in chat did more than anything else to build our budding community identity. None the less, after ample warnings and prods from her big stick, she didn’t suffer fools well and many repeat troublemakers were quickly kicked.
This was a stabilizing force that was the implicit bite behind the veterans bark and thus our small community continued to grow with vigor in part because the roads were swept clean at night. This doesn’t mean Zero Hedge stifled creative thought or energetic disagreement. On the contrary, because the residents knew that well reasoned and logical arguments would be fairly aired while disruptors and airheads would be muffled, Zero Hedge quickly became known as the place to come for thoughtful discourse and stimulating against-the-grain ideas.
We sometimes forget how radical Zero Hedge was perceived as being back in the day. Early on in its development concepts such as manipulated precious metal markets, stealth Fed pumping or the Plunge Protection Team, all factual reality that had been tirelessly trumpeted for years by a small cadre of truth speakers, were laughed at outside the contrarian community as the ranting of the delusional.
Then Zero Hedge and other dedicated blogs and alternative media sites joined together in singing the song, adding their considerable weight and influence to these issues and pushing them to the front of the news cycle. What was formerly verboten is now accepted even by the mainstream media as a given and an integral part of the overall black matrix.
So where have all the veterans gone, long time passing? Why would they leave when we’re beginning to lever open some locked doors and we’re breaking through the wall of lies? The most obvious reason is that the community has changed and, at least in the eyes of some of the veterans who have left, for the worse. There is little doubt that change has occurred though much of it is a function of growth and popularity and thus just a fact of life. If you’re selling something that’s in demand, in this case financial and political truth, you’re going to suffer growing pains as you scale up to fill the vacuum.
But the civility and camaraderie, the sense of ownership and protective custody that I talked about earlier, is now missing or at least greatly diminished. While Tyler specially and Zero Hedge in general have always told us that they have no obligation to moderate the comment section, the presence of Marla in the early days acted as a de facto moderator creating an artificial environment that as it turned out wasn’t sustained. As Marla slowly withdrew from active participation, civility and order withdrew as well to the point where today obvious and self described trolls and disruptors have taken up permanent residence within what was formerly considered safe territory.
However I don’t think this alone was enough to disenfranchise all the missing veterans though I sure it was for some. There appears to be another more important and seldom discussed dynamic at play here that works hand in hand with the community changes and which the blog is not responsible for in the least. What is rarely discussed within the contrarian community in general and among the truth speakers in particular is a concept or phenomenon that I call truth speaker’s fatigue.
Similar to disaster charitable giving fatigue, truth speakers fatigue is at its core about lost hope and belief. The person afflicted often feels that after investing considerable emotional and intellectual capital, little or no headway has been made and the methods used appear to be useless. Since the initial effort was driven almost exclusively by emotional adrenaline and with little thought to specific strategy and measurable outcomes, it is easy to lose momentum after several perceived defeats, emphasis on perceived.
As I said earlier, many of us have been wandering the wilderness for years recognizing something was terribly wrong, but not knowing specifically what was wrong let alone how to deal with it. Suddenly we find Zero Hedge and are infused with a sense of hope and belief. We come to believe that because we are surrounded by like minded individuals and are stronger as a group we might finally be effective and become a force to be reckoned with. Maybe, just maybe we can really make a difference and slow down or even stop the insanity.
Becoming involved with speaking truth openly and repeatedly, particularly if it’s our first time, can be a powerful and intoxicating elixir which often leads to flights of unrealistic expectations and unreasonable goals. I speak as one of experience, having drunk heavily from the cup on a few occasions. One is infused with a sense of power and destiny after seeing that many of man’s problems can easily be rectified by clear thinking, honesty and awareness. What we fail to fully grasp early on is that we come by this knowledge via desperation and a sincere desire to stop our own internal pain and suffering.
While our intent is genuine and heartfelt, over time and after repeated disappointments that our disclosers are making little headway, we slowly come to the realization that not only are there many powerful forces trying to bury the truth, but that those who would most directly benefit from the truth, our fellow sufferers, are among the most difficult to shake awake. This is the cut that is the deepest of them all, the ugly realization that they simply aren’t ready to sever the ties that bind themselves to their own misery.
This understanding is similar to waking one day and realizing deep within your soul that you married the person next to you for all the wrong reasons and that now it is over and never really was. Or that after many years of climbing the corporate ladder, you suddenly realize no happiness or fulfillment will ever be found where you just spent half your life working. Faced with the realization that little progress has been made in breaking through the never ending lies and finding themselves emotionally spent to boot, I suspect several veterans simply gave up and faded back into the black abyss.
Similar to the turmoil of a midlife crisis, a few may never recover from this devastating loss of faith and will wander aimlessly and without purpose, discarding first their career, then their family and finally themselves. Others try desperately to reinsert themselves back into the Matrix, swallowing again and again every blue pill within reach in a hopeless and ultimately futile quest for the blessed ability to just forget. Still others will sink into abject apathy as a form of emotional self protection.
And then there are those who after much soul searching and anguished debate come to understand that the problem isn’t really out there but rather within. After two or three internal renegotiations and subsequent scaling back of expectations that always lead to additional failure, we come face to face with the second ugly truth, that it is our ego we are wrestling with, that we could not save even ourselves let alone the world.
It was our pain that led us to seek truth and it was our pain we wish removed by spreading the truth. While we expressed the desire to make the world better, it was ultimately for our own benefit that we wished it rebuilt. As with the unloved spouse or unfulfilled career, we were laboring for all the wrong reasons and thus futilely spinning our wheels.
If this shocking revelation can be internalized and then accepted, only then do we begin the next phase of our journey of truth, one where the reason and intent for our action is now squarely aligned with our expectations. We now know that we are here only to work on ourselves. If by chance others happen by and grab onto the life raft we now occupy, this is a wonderful bonus but not by intent or design.
Now properly sized for the next leg of our journey and thoroughly busy digging deeper within, we discover one of the ultimately liberating truths. Whereas before when attempting to spread awareness and awakening, in the eyes of those still sleeping we appeared frightening and threatening. All we really had to offer was the opportunity for them to witness their own pain and suffering without the benefit of a numbing agent or self administered anesthesia, hardly an attractive package even when it is offered for free.
Now that we are engaged in traveling our own path of self centering and discovery, first of ourselves and then our place in the world, involuntarily and unconsciously we begin to exude strength and confidence. Suddenly we become an attractor, an example of what can be. Now we have substance to offer others which leads to greater happiness and inner peace. Since we are no longer forcing anything upon others, but instead we now own and wear what everyone else desires, now we are seen as valuable and attractive. This inner knowing cannot be taught or passed on, only found within and then tried on.
If at this point we choose to pick back up the truth speaking baton we quickly find that we are vastly more effective. While the necessity to overcome the lies is still there, we no longer project a sense of urgency or even desperation that was present before and which the sleep walkers sensed both consciously and unconsciously. Whereas before we were perceived to be a threat to their apathy and feigned indifference now the sleep walker senses our inner calm and stability while hearing the same information as before.
With their internal barrier to what we are saying now softened or even withdrawn, we have a more receptive audience rather than defensive or even hostile. While this alone doesn’t mean they will actually awaken, it does mean the seed has been planted in a more fertile and hospitable environment. Just as you and I needed repeated exposure to the truth before we began to wake from the dream, so will they. But now the process has started and the bridge to awareness is at least in sight.
I don’t know if any of the missing veterans, or anyone else on Zero Hedge for that matter, has left under the circumstances I just described. But firsthand experience working with others in various truth movements, along with conversations with friends who are walking similar paths, tells me that I’m most likely close to the truth with at least a few. If we could question our missing veterans as to why they are no longer around, I suspect each would have specific reasons for their departures. And while on the surface I’m certain all their reasons may be valid, we all tell ourselves stories in order to bury the bitter and unspeakable truth.
Does any of what I have written ring true with you or can you indentify with any part of this essay? I read the comment section of Zero Hedge on a daily basis and from my perspective there are many residents who are walking wounded and who are depressed and in denial about it. I have come to understand that any pain I may be feeling is a loud and clear signal that something’s wrong and that I need to change direction. My pain is not to be avoided but rather respected for what it is, a message that I’m not sized right and that I need to refocus within.
Ultimately we are ineffective in any endeavor we may engage in and we might even be damaging to ourselves and those around us if we are in pain and in denial about our need for treatment. This would be all too obvious if our legs were broken, but for some reason it’s completely lost on us if we are spiritually broken. Ultimately in order to heal it doesn’t matter where you’ve been or where you are now. A wise man once told me that what’s important in life isn’t so much that you’re on the correct path, but rather if deep down inside you there’s a desire to be on the correct path. Once the student is ready, the teacher will always appear. The search for answers always begins within.
Cognitive Dissonance
01-24-2011
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Yep. I've been online since the prodigy days & have seen every unmoderated or unregulated forum eventually succumb to cranks who have more time and energy than brains. This place will be no different if the present trend continues.
I'm a newbie here and am not in the business of finance -- I come here for education because I'm curious about how things are unfolding, and to use that information to to help myself & my loved ones live through whatever may come next.
I don't need to be converted to believing things are rotten and corrupt to the core, as I've always lived on the margins and have never trusted the system. What inclines me to take a break from reading comments is the endless supply of stale testosterone emanating from the armpits of all the wanna-be predators, guns-and-ammo fetishists, angry racists and anti-semites who are so eager to see everything turn to shit, the sooner the better. Comically sure that they are the smart guys who will come out on top. Not much fresh thinking there. It doesn't to occur to ZHers that building community could be as valuable as having your own private armory and ammo depot inside your booby-trapped compound.
if you read my rants that way.. your missing the point of the rant... the life that some here say they want, they dont understand...
unless you have running water (most dont), a power source (off grid, once again.. most dont) and the ability to live with what God gave ya... maybe you can, thats great... but for the majority it is not the case thusly little children every where in my country would suffer, I offer a look into the rabbit hole they scream they want so bad.
now, you can take it how ever you want... but the way it is offered is to draw attention and educate.
I am not a smart guy, I am hard working guy... completely fucking different.
I don't see your name anywhere in my little screed, nor was I thinking of any particular individual when I wrote it - are we getting a little touchy or what?
censorship is a lie.. in any form.
great rant cd. lots of posts and new posters make taking it all in a full time job. zh is my home page and still #1. this is a great place to learn what the truth is and where the lies are coming from. td is a national treasure and he isn't alone here. thank you.
I like Zerohedge
CD - I'm guessing the veterans are still around but not commenting.
ZH is still looked to by other blogs and cited in newspaper articles, so the site still is fresh to a lot of people. I don't think your veterans have run off to the next hot restaurant or night club because there isn't one.
Having said that, the corruption and the hopelessness of it all can get pretty overwhelming. As for myself, I would like to see the next step taken, but I don't know what the next step should be. If you're on this site, you're probably pretty clued in to the financial, political, and social mess the world is in. But what to do about it? I'm not talking about the prepping and gun stuff. Instead of retreating from the fray, advance towards it. Not violence, but some other way.
Check this guy out for "another way".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFOUqurUgFk
It's a long video, but worth watching. His basic idea, for those of you who read the last page first to see how the story ends, is not to fight the government, but to bypass it. To paraphrase, "don't beg the tyrant to be less tyrannical and don't ask the tyrant for permission to exercise your natural rights".
His approach is not for everyone, but then no one has an approach that will work for everyone.
"advance towards it"
I wholeheartedly agree, as many do. I think that this is one of the main goals of Zero Hedge - Push Back.
Practice. Makes. Perfect.
Preach Brother!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MUAi_A8MG8&feature=
I'm still here ! I love it here, feel safe & educated on ZEROHEDGE. & on the bright side, one of my family members (you know, the family that doesn't believe a word I say, but, I still love them anyway) told me today to buy him some silver & he'd pay me back !!
The news will be when you get paid back -- keep us posted on that.
Stay with us lynnybee! Another gem...
EDIT: Good work with your family!
Wow CD, you seem to have initiated a thoughtful discussion. Bravo.
I was waiting to read through the comments and say something like this at the end. Thanks.
A thoughtful post CD. While I consider myself a minnow in this shark infested blog, I can offer you my reason for returning to my lurking habits. The macro-themes which is of interest to me have all been hashed out. I am focused on acting upon it, being that knowledgeable contrarian to those around me, watching the evolution of it play out in real time, and trying to enjoy the relative calm that exists with a conviction that 'it will not end well'. But I feel more secure having the ZH community by my side coaching me and raising the alarm bells with refreshing humour and vigour. I'm grateful you are as persistent as you are. When I see a Cognitive Dissonance post I never scroll past it.
Big bear like you could never be a minnow. If I recall correctly, I have enjoyed your northern perspective and your gentle touch with your words in the past. I love bears!! Take care.
Thank you. You are very kind.
Hi MsCreant--feels like a reunion, but i wish announcements had been sent out sooner, but maybe before all is said and done, we'll see all the longtimers---hope all is well and peace be with you!!!
Thanks for voicing, Cog. ZH can be a very exhausting experience for many, especially if one is commenting. The reasons for "brain drain" on this site are endless. Fortunately, the message/information that Tyler and crew put out is relatively consistent and factual, IMO.
I sometimes wonder if the "fight club" theme has a tendency to limit the "gene pool" on this site. I would venture to guess that some of the more important additions (veterans) have been lost because they aren't necessarily wired for this kind of battle. Or, more probably, they choose not to interact in this fashion.
Real pearls of wisdom and clarity have a tendency to get lost in the noise, my friend. That being said, as long as Tyler is able to stay on point and I can continue to find a place in here where I have friends, and an outlet for truth, I will continue to obsess over ZH. Oh, and my big dick and balls slap the faces of you ruinous fucks around here. You know who you are. Peace.
Bravo!!!
Bravo!!!
Village Idiot, you are another gem I saw from when I first got here. Lots of real gems here at ZH. I hope that we are making a difference.
ditto
Glad your here VI.
cheers to you, my friend.
you are a pearl yourself Village! God Love Ya! you old angry fuck!
ditto
CD
While I'm sure you are past the point of caring what the detractors have to say, I still say ignore them and bravo.
Although my search for the truth didn't lead me here soon enough to take part in the conversations of the early days, I'm still glad this site is here regardless of how far the comments section may have fallen from its original grace. I am one of those you speak of coming in from the cold.
And I don't know if any of the original crowd still lurks without posting, but if they do I would like to say thank you because without an original crowd the site couldn't have continued to exist long enough for me to wander in on my search for my own truth, both macroeconomic and inner. I've gotten more financial and political enlightenment in a matter of months from this site than I ever did in my previous 30 years of life. And it has allowed me to warn others. This site has impacted multiple lives just through me in a most positive manner.
And one more thing CD: if you do decide to leave the site as well, it will leave others of us who did not know the "founders" (but have seen your post since we first started lurking) pondering the same thoughts and grappling with the same "it's not the same as it was" feelings you just expressed. Although I would never deny someone the chance to walk their own path out of the selfish motivation, I would personally miss your more thought provoking posts such as this one as well as your well timed quips and mood lightening pictures.
In case I don't get a chance to in the future, from an average Joe, thanks for everything, and I wish you the best in all of your future endeavours.
Larry Darrell
************++++++++++++++************++++++++++
It's cool guys, I'm still here....no worries
I'm new here, but I've been a part of other online forums where older members attain a god like status and anyone who challenges them is picked on.
What I've seen here is a fairly lively community where people don't pull any punches, but also offer up different viewpoints. It seems to be relatively free of partisan political bickering, compared to other places on the net. I think you've got a pretty healthy community happening here.
Dr Porkchop - I see your posts and say "EVIL Dr. Porkchop!", but you are not evil. I am hoping they are coins next to the pig. Keep posting!
"partisan political" http://www.opensecrets.org/ there is no spoon.. only a lobby that bends the spoon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTb1UPc1zvo&feature=
Damon Vrabel has quit writing his own blog. Maybe some of the ZH veterans share his views.
Here's his last post.
http://csper.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/in-conclusion/#comments
Several people have asked why I stopped publishing. To answer the question, this will be my last post:
1. As Bill Clinton basically said when asked why his administration had been so favorable toward China after beating up Bush in the campaign about it, sometimes we don’t know what we think we know until we’ve jumped into the ring.
2. One reason I did jump into the ring was to run my own direct test to determine (a) whether change is possible, and (b) what people really want. I planned a 1-year test from the point I initially started publishing, but it took less than 9 months to conclude:
3. Given #2, my only wish is that the system would be transparent. Like Carroll Quigley, I see no rational reason not to inform people so there are fewer caught on the wrong side of the tragedy and hope dialectic. That was the purpose of my last video—to simply explain what’s happening with a slightly different twist than the others who have described the same basic system.
4. Putting all blame on the top of the system is biased and psychologically immature. Labeling a group “all bad” is an example of splitting—a primitive defense mechanism we tend to use to maintain an illusion of “all good” for ourselves, our country, our political party, etc. Some of my articles and videos intentionally played the splitting game because the media is designed to exacerbate splits, so if I wanted to pursue media work, I needed to play the game. But splitting is very harmful to society, so I will no longer do it. Moreover, as stated in #2, almost everyone contributes to the system so blaming only the top would be disingenuous.
5. Given human nature and the inherent requirement for empires to grow (or die in defeat to another empire), we will have one type of imperial system or another as long as humans are in charge. All such systems are narcissistic in form, so it’s futile in my view to argue between different forms of narcissism.
So I will not be publishing anymore, at least with the narrow focus on the financial system. It’s an illusion to think arguing about finance, economics, and markets will fix anything. But for those who want to continue learning about the system, I recommend Catherine Austin Fitts. I’ve said nothing more than her. In fact, I learned it from her—she was an insider, I was not. I borrowed the phrases “multi-generational wealth” and huge “pools of capital” at the top of the system from her. Noam Chomsky’s phrase is “coalitions of investors.” Same thing…I’ve revealed nothing new.
I also recommend Hedges’ Empire of Illusion for those who want to dig more into the spiritual and psychological dimensions of the situation in which we find ourselves. I agree with him, “The world that awaits us will be painful and difficult.” It’s useful to accept and adjust to this inevitability rather than wishing it away or being angry about it. There is no way around it because the ruleset we’ve lived within for decades was not sustainable. It depended upon exponential growth, exponential debt, exponential resource consumption, and exponential environmental impact.
As the world goes through a necessary reset of the rules, we will experience significant upheaval. I recommend Chris Martenson’s material at www.chrismartenson.com to understand the exponential ruleset and to dialogue with an enlightened community taking steps to minimize the upheaval for their local communities. That is the only prudent option at this point.
Thank you for this post! Today's gem for me.
sounds like me... a few months ago... he will be back, when he gets mad enough again and thusly needs an outlet. God Willing!
CD
Habitual reader, rare poster. Thank you for your piece. Very meaningful and timely for me. When I feel alone in the crowd, I come to ZH and find common ground.
Thanks, CD.
As someone who recently bailed on his role as a merchant of debt and death in the world of global commerce to star in a much smaller role in local agriculture, this was just the boost I needed today. What good is it to listen to the signals Universe seems to be sending if you don't act on them.
You frequently manage to encapsulate what I'm feeling just as I become to weary to get my head around said thoughts. Glad you're sticking around...
You lost me at visiting the town square - but then I have actual responsibilities..........
BUTTTT - I'm guessing some might have disappeared when you personally began arguing that articulate writing, arguing from a rational basis and refusing to pontificate constituted absolute, inviolable proof that one could NOT be a "real" zero hedger.......................................
Hey, CD...I think that the "truth speaker's fatigue" phenomenon holds a lot of credence, but maybe with one sort of flip-side qualifier. Perhaps, once you've spent enough time hammering away about what were once so-called "conspiracy theories" which subsequently become recognized as being all too real, the truth-speaker is just satisfied that the gigantic, seemingly unmovable stone is finally rolling, even if it doesn't necessarily follow the downhill path that he or she would like it to. That said, I think that the fatigue comes more from having to do the pushing at the start, and the realization that the motion is good, if not ideal. As a further bit, I think you'd have to be borderline obsessive to find the energy and voice to continue as fervently as you started out, and that would likely lead to a narrow life. After all, there wouldn't be much time left to raise your kids or even wallow in a much-needed saturday of laziness, would there? Keep it up, man...your writing is as insightful as ever.
I agree with the second part of your post but came to that from other things than 'truth seeking.' One thing about zerohedge though is that its a serious education for a wooly member of the herd. I only took up trading 18 months ago, studied hard and put a plan together and the one element that I had missing was that so much of the noise out there stank of BS and for the uninitiated that was most daunting. Zerohedge for the 6 months or so I've been coming here daily is an education, another piece of lifes jigsaw and a great way to put my mind at ease as to why shit is happening the way its happening (I'm more comfortable with the idea of a crook than a self-levitating anything). And my fecking plan seems to be working too so alls rosy in the hills. I don't know how good it all was in the beginning but the trolls are all great craic anyways and its not hard to filter out the spam. Keep her lit lads
CD
As a long time lurker, first time poster, I first want to thank you for this beautifully written piece, as well as your many others. I have read all of them that I've come across, and am all the better for it. I'm one of the "others happening by", Johnny-come-lately crowd--with no connection to the world of finance, barely a thimble full of knowledge regarding it, (and much of that was picked up here) and yet this site, which really wouldn't have been on my radar had I not also sensed that something was rotten in Denmark, has proven to be one of two that has provided a much needed daily tonic of truth telling and intelligent analysis. An elixir to ward off the effects of the fetid, fluoridated bowl of gruel fed to us by those who, in a better world, would be languishing in prison rather than running the world.
Since I wasn't here for the start of this site, I can't speak about what this site has lost since the departure of the revered veterans you speak of, but I can say this. I appreciate this site, all of it's contributors, and every member of the peanut gallery who posts here, be they insightful insiders, disgruntled trolls, or doomtards hiding in their basement--for me at least, these are the good old days here.
PS: My other source of sanity can be found here...
http://www.thedailybell.com/
I felt like I had found el dorado when I first came around here.
I started coming here because it was one of the few places where you can actually learn a thing or two about finance without having to un-spin everything. The perfect blend of economic education and existential discussion is what sets this place apart from every other information source. This is what I love about ZH.
I like The Daily Bell as well and subscribe to same. As with ZH, one has to pick and choose the articles that fill some void in knowledge. Reading everything all the time will simply burn one out. Post more often!
Rocks,
I agree on the post more often comment.
I get tired of reading comments from people like the Harry Wanker - hard to know what his motivation is:
- paid govt shill
- Polyanna
- attention-whore
or maybe he's really the fucking moron he appears to be
whatever the reason is, it gets old reading garbage from people like that
I find Harry's (Hairy's, Hamy'...) posts breathtaking in their audacity.
seriously, NO ONE can be that optimistic and come back swingning for more every single time he is beat down.
Truly breathtaking.
...unless they are being paid for their "efforts".
And thus further reason to believe he is/was a pysops operation.