I quit drinking 5 years ago. It was surprisingly easy once the decision was finally made but it left me with a problem. An entertainment problem. So, one of the things that I started to do, to fill this gap in my life, was to write & about 700 articles later here I am.
During those intervening years I have, broadly speaking, wrote on 5 main topics or themes that at first glance seem totally unrelated. I’ll lay them out here for you:
Mixed Martial Arts
Irish Politics
US Politics
Coronavirus
Crypto
I am probably the classic addict’s personality type. When I get into something - I get really fucking into something. Sometimes, to the detriment of all else. Actually, most of the time to the detriment of all else. However, this trait, curiously, has been useful as it pertains to crypto trading. Although, It’s not really trading that I want to talk to you about rather crypto manipulation.
At different times, during the past 5 years, I have applied the same zeal to those subjects above that I now apply to crypto. What they all have in common to a certain degree, when you dive past the surface shallows is a revelation of information manipulation. The manipulation of public perception. It’s not that everything is a lie, per-se but that only truths that fit certain narratives are pursued. And what you discover about most narratives whether in coronavirus, politics or crypto is that most don’t stand up to zealous scrutiny.
The surprise, is that it’s media that are the architects of most of the damaging narratives. Pushing one and burying others.
While the crypto space is completely unregulated this doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Not because I believe regulation is bad but because at least I know up front & centre someone, probably many someone’s, are trying to fuck me. There is no veneer of protection or fairness. It’s up to yourself to survive. I kinda like this idea.
I am reminded of this today after the weekend breaking news of
“ Amazon accepting crypto payments & launching their own currency in 2022“
The fact that it was published, in my not so humble opinion, in a nonsense of a publication and carpet bombed across twitter by the majority of your favorite crypto influencers is indicative to me of supreme market manipulation at play.
First the pump and then of course the dump when a somewhat bewildered Amazon reveal that eh…they haven’t a notion of launching a crypto and have no immediate plans to accept bitcoin or other cryptos on their platform. Queue billions and billions of frenzied buying and selling.
People got rich and no doubt people got poor on the back of both pieces of news. Welcome to Crypto the modern-day equivalent of the California Gold Rush of the 1840s. And where there is no shortage of fool’s gold at every turn.
What 5 years of writing has taught me is that while I have many failings as a writer I have pretty good instincts for sniffing out a story and the facts. In February 2020, I wrote an article based on an Interview given by a Dr. Francis Boyle that the coronavirus was a result of a lab leak from the Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory (BSL-4) in Wuhan.
Yes, February 2020. Before coronavirus was a thing in your life.
And just so we are clear, Dr. Boyle isn’t your run of the mill loony-tune. He helped draft the Biological Weapons Act in the United States during the Bush presidency. Bush senior as I recall. However, soon after this Interview - coronavirus hit the western world proper - and this innocuous little YouTube interview was scrubbed from the digital arena by the social media giants and my little old twitter account found itself suspended for it’s troubles. This didn’t bother me unduly, but as the months rolled by, rather made me curious.
Why wouldn’t the powers that be want to immediately investigate this avenue?
I still can’t answer that question today. All I know is that 1 month ago Jon Stewart did an 8 minute stand comedy up routine about the Wuhan Institute of Virology & Hey Presto It’s now ok to talk about all things Lab leak. How many lives were lost in the intervening 18 month period due to the non investigation though?
Narrow self interests were allowed to trump the greater good. Remember that when your trading crypto or taking coronavirus advice from people that will let you die if you don’t fit the narrative. Information in all spheres of daily life is manipulated. This used to shock & enrage me. Then again, I’ve always been somewhat of a fool. The Amazon news was just the umpteenth confirmation of this fact.
There’s a point I came to in my life when I fully understood that someone like me can’t change the way the world works. I wish I accepted this sooner. Instead, I’ve decide to use the little I do know to try to get somewhat rich. And getting rich is really only a decision people make along with it a little elbow grease by methods fair and foul. It’s just never really occurred to me to make the decision. Truth be told, I’ve never had much of a desire for wealth - in the main due to my supreme talent for laziness. Or a word I invented for myself Laid-backed-ness.
However the pandemic has made me question things, fundamental things I never questioned before, little things like eh….Freedom.
Freedoms of speech, thought and movement. I worry not so much for myself but for my two sons, at least one of whom, may have inherited his fathers gift for laid-backed-ness. So my zeal for some wealth is really for them. I fear they may live in a world where owning a home is a dream only for the super wealthy. A dream that elite narratives will encourage them to abandon.
I have 5 years until the first dude is finished school and hopefully college.
5 years to acquire two apartments.
So off I go.
Duuuude!! That was honestly amazing to read, and so spot on. I can relate 5 Years ago when my Daughter was born I packed it in, a few slips but I'm sober Today, Yet, Holy Christ am I a rampant addict. I feel every word you spoke there, and Crypto is actually the most healthy addiction I've had too, incase you haven't noticed I get sucked into warp zones and then onto others and back to others, classic addict behaviour. Crypto is helpful in a lot of ways you're addiction seems more controlled and it's not just that you make money because of the sheer compulsion to figure it all out, how could we not be good at this haha. I wouldn't be worried about the Apartments by the way ;) . Epic Read Buddy!!