So.. this post is based on some of my observations as written in posts on a previous blog. While this list is not exhaustive, and will be expanded in future posts, it is as good a place to start as any other. With that out of the way, let us dive in and let me know if you start seeing certain persistent patterns.
1] Anybody whose claim to their position, power, status or money is based on their membership or affiliation with of any institution- esp in western countries- is a some combination of scammer, grifter and liar in addition to being incompetent. While this was not always the case, the neoliberal march through institutions as diverse as CDC, FDA, NIH, NASA, NOAA etc has ensured that every institution of any significance in this country is full of uncreative, conformist and incompetent morons whose only real skills are their abilities to suck up to those in power and embrace every dumb fad that is seen as the “hip” thing at that moment. Hence every pronouncement made by such people should be treated as an outright lie unless properly validated through a lengthy adversarial process of inquiry.
2] Similarly, those who claim to their position, power, status or money is centered on their education and academic pedigree or other forms of resume curating are almost always incompetent liars and frauds. There is a reason why real progress in science and technology, esp in West, has stagnated for the past 2-3 decades. This also hold for members of “think tanks”, academic committees, regulatory organizations or anything similar. As things stand, the only way to become “famous” or “successful” in academia in this country, or anywhere else in West, is to be a supplicating grifter who is always enthusiastic to embrace the newest dumb fad sweeping their insular community. Remember, it is about giving off the appearance of competence and “intelligence”- rather than actually possessing those qualities.
3] Anybody trying to sell you an expansive ideology or any system of thinking- esp for a large price is a scammer. This is true regardless of whether that ideology/ worldview is a religion, quasi-religion, religious cult, secular religion, secular cult or anything similar. All religions and ideologies, traditional and secular, are incomplete and simple mental models of the world which are fundamentally inadequate to describe reality. It does not matter if the belief system or ideology in question is Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Scientology, Atheism, Scientism, Feminism, Traditionalism, Liberalism or anything else. Anybody promoting them, esp for profit or power, is a scammer or grifter. Uncritical belief in anything is a bad idea.
4] Any hierarchical organization which claims to protect its lower ranking members or somehow benefit you, “society” or “humanity” is a scam. This holds true whether it is an elected government of some country, your local municipality, the corporation you work for or the HOA/condo board in your area. They all exist to abuse their parasitic mode of living, indulge the ego and vanities of their “leadership”, dole out crumbs to the flunkies and screw everyone else over. At best, they provide some useful services, a degree of stability and can keep things working- up to a point. But trusting them to make decisions that are beneficial to you is naïve. Furthermore, it is important to remember that they will throw you under the bus at the first opportunity.
5] Any person of group campaigning to make the world a “better” or “safer” place is almost certainly a scammer or grifter who is in it for the money, ego or power. This includes causes such as “saving children”, “saving families”, "“saving trafficked children or women”, “saving the environment”.. you get the picture. This is also why most charities are outright scams who prey on the vanity of most people to collect money for paying their leadership and advertisers exorbitant sums of money. Every single NGO also falls into this category regardless of the cause they are pretending to support. This is also why not a single problem which these social activists, charities and NGOs claim to want fixed has ever been fixed. The money, ego and power is just too good to actually do anything worthwhile.
In future parts, I will address specific grifts, lies and scams in more focussed areas such as universities, corporations, bureaucracies etc.
What do you think? Comments?
Legendary post!
You will find this humorous https://hugoschwyzer.substack.com/p/we-survive-on-thank-you-notes?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2