…just wait till you see the next one:
Click to view the financial catastrophism at full size.
If you visit YouTube but don’t sign in, its suggested videos are based on best guesses based on trends, your location, your recent browsing history and a few other factors. I do this from time to time to see what sort of things YouTube’s recommendation algorithm serves up.
Click to view the financial catastrophism at full size.
Last night, it suggested videos from the FREENVESTING channel (and no, I’m not linking to those jackals), which simply describes itself as “An inspiring channel for those who are seeking growth.” Established on September 1, 2020, it’s accumulated nearly 100 million views to date, and it appears to have done so by harnessing the fear of financial doomscrollers.
Click to view the financial catastrophism at full size.
The videos feature financial gurus of varying quality. Some are more respectable, such as Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. Some are semi-respectable: Ray Dalio and Cathie Wood. And then there are the outright assclowns — I’m lookin’ at you, Robert Kiyosaki and Dave Ramsey.
Click to view the financial catastrophism at full size.
The videos may change, but the themes and titles on the thumbnails stay the same:
- Don’t buy anything for 18 months
- Tell your family to prepare
- Why is nobody talking about this
- Everyone is going to be wiped out
- Most people will lose everything
- And my favorite, the “collapse” titles, which typically are:
- The collapse is coming
- The collapse has begun
- The collapse never ends
The channel was a little more “tips and tricks from the rich” in the beginning…
Click to view the financial catastrophism at full size.
…and they certainly covered all the angles, as you can see from these two contradictory videos, which were released one after the other:
But like any good YouTuber, they did some experimenting and found a winning formula with this gem from Mr. “Rich Shill, Poor Audience”:
…and it’s been doom-a-rama ever since.
You’d think it might be enough to say “watch this channel, but only to recognize hucksters when you see them,” or to learn some tricks if you’re an aspiring YouTuber, but I recommend doing so very sparingly. This sort of fear-based stuff has a way of getting in your head, even if you’re trying to watch it objectively and from a distance.
A couple of observations from this story, Florida Man Screams at Cast Members and Hits Security With Cardboard Tube Before Arrest at EPCOT:
- While I agree he had to be removed, he did give the fake English pub a little authenticity. After all, what’s more quintessentially British than having your steak and kidney pie and stout interrupted by a drunk and unruly patron flailing with a dumb improvised weapon while getting ejected from the premises?
- “‘From the investigation which has been made, it is the opinion of the writer that this case is not suitable for prosecution,’ assistant state attorney Aseal Morghem wrote in a court filing, and the court case was closed.” He got off lightly, and quite probably, whitely.
Anitra’s on the board of the Glazer Children’s Museum, and their big upcoming attraction is Big John, the world’s largest triceratops, who’s moving into his own exhibit in the museum at end of May.
Last night was the museum’s annual fundraising gala, and as people involved with the museum, we got a sneak peek at the 65 million year-old, RV-sized fella, and he was impressive.
More photos (including one with my ridiculous triceratops mask) later.
We’ve just come from a “hot glass date” at Susan Gott’s glass workshop, which is conveniently located in our neighborhood, Seminole Heights. We opted to make a fluted bowl together, and I’ll post pictures of the finished work once it’s cooled off in the annealer.
As for “glory hole,” I’m using it in the glassblowing sense — it’s the opening for the furnace for reheating glass to shape it. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re probably more familiar with the other usage of the term. Slate has an interesting article on the use of the term by glassblowing and other-kind-of-blowing cultures.
More photos (and video too!) later.
The photo and question above are taken from everyone’s favorite suburban white flight and paranoia social network, Nextdoor.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably already identified the flag as that of the Rebel Alliance, a.k.a Alliance to Restore the Republic, from Star Wars. The red symbol — known by hardcore fans as the “starbird” — first appeared on the helmets of the fighter pilots who made the desperate attempt to destroy the Death Star in A New Hope (a.k.a. “the original” to those of us who saw it in the theatre during its original release). It’s since found its way into all sorts of Star Wars stories.
Last year, I heard about a painting by Jonathan Harris, titled Critical Race Theory, pictured below:
It depicts Black people, led by Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, and Malcolm X, being covered up with white paint by an unidentified White man with a roller.
It’s the perfect painting for the present moment, when Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis is:
- barring public schools from participating in a pilot of the College Board’s new AP course on African American Studies, which he called denounced the curriculum as “woke,” “contrary to Florida law” and an exercise in “indoctrination,”
- gerrymandering in order to reduce the power of Black voters to a minimum,
- proposing legislation against teaching about racism and sexism in universities and colleges with the “Stop-Woke” act,
- and making “unapproved” books in schools illegal, with teachers worries about facing jail terms should these books be found in their classrooms. These unapproved books tend to be about racial minorities and LGBTQ people — surprise, surprise.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Harris.
Here’s Jonathan Harris’ bio, taking from his site:
Jonathan Harris (b. 1988) is a visual artist who was born and raised in the city of Detroit. After attending the Detroit School for the Fine and Performing Arts, he attended Henry Ford Community College, Antioch College, and Oakland University, where he majored in Graphic Design and minored in Studio Art. Oil paints, acrylics and charcoal are his media of choice. He has perfected and become known for an oil enamel technique, resulting in graphic, high contrast portraits, without the use of a brush.
Jonathan’s work is emotive, with a focus on current events and the African American experience. Bringing awareness to social and world issues, in addition to instilling pride in the Black community, are goals that he strives to accomplish through his visual and curatorial work. Harris and his works have recently been featured extensively in the press, including on PBS American Black Journal, PBS One Detroit, CBS Local, and in the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Chronicle and Oakland University Post. One of the artist’s latest paintings, Critical Race Theory, created in response to recent controversy over the same subject matter, has garnered responses and sparked conversations across social media platforms around the world.
Harris’ art currently resides in prominent collections, including the N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Arts, David and Linda Whitaker, and Michigan State Representative Shri Thanedar. He served as a juror for Canvas Pontiac 2022, and his work has been exhibited at Swords to Plowshares Gallery. He has shown in and curated special exhibitions at Irwin House Gallery, as well as the BONDED exhibit at Beacon Park, along with a team of distinguished Detroit arts professionals.
In 2022 Jonathan Harris was named one of 2022’s Influential Artists To Watch by the Detroit News, and received The Spirit of Detroit Award from the City Council of Detroit, Michigan.
I ordered a signed print, framed it, and hung it up proudly in my home office:
Tap to view at full size.
Want to know more about the painting?
Want to order a print?
You can order one (prices range from US$125 – US$200) on Jonathan Harris’ ecommerce site.