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[i don't recall where i came across a link to this story, so can't give credit to whomever first found it.]
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...&dist=hplatest
this model makes sense to me. it's not exactly a pure conspiracy theory, since these predators compete as well as collude at times. also, being the top predator doesn't mean you have unlimited power to control events. events can spin out of control. and the small, scavenging mammals outlasted the great reptiles. [though it may have taken a huge meteor strike to make that happen]
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...&dist=hplatest
PAUL B. FARRELL
Meltdown 'inside' Wall Street's brain
Seven rules for bull-and-bear predators in a 'brutal, manipulative world'
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Soft landing? Worst is over? Recovery? Buy on dips? Strong economy? Hey, what happened to all the self-serving happy-talk of a month ago? When will we ever learn that the relentless daily onslaught of "news" spun by Wall Street is 99% brainwashing hyperbole and 1% reality, all scripted to manipulate the great American herd of 95 million investors.
Sorry to be so darn blunt, but watching the high-drama of the post-14,000 meltdown on the Dow industrials made me mad as hell because it was so predictable ... record volatility as Wall Street went ballistic with every breaking news blip ... hedge funds bleeding money ... mortgage company failures ... a metastasizing credit crush forcing foreign banks to pull the plug on subprime deals
While watching each twist and turn of this roller coaster I was reminded of a warning from BusinessWeek journalist Gary Weiss in "Wall Street vs. America: The Rampant Greed and Dishonesty That Imperils Your Investments:"
"Years of advertising, image-building, and scandal-suppression by the titans of the security industry have produced a generation of Americans who sign papers they don't read, and buy investment products they don't understand from brokers whose backgrounds they don't bother to research. They deal with brokerage firms and mutual funds and hedge funds and investment vehicles of all kinds that are hyped by the media and treated with deference by the regulators that are supposed to be keeping watch over it all."
And it's scarier today.
Peeking inside Wall Street's predator brain
Let's see how the "Wall Street Brain" really works. Five years at Morgan Stanley gave me some insight into what makes them tick. They were nice guys back then. Much different now. More Darth Vader. So what'll you see "inside" a "greed is good" Gordon Gekko personality?
Well, I just ran across a description of it in Craig Crawford's new book, "The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World." When I first glanced at the cover I saw "The Politics of Investing." Then laughed. No, those rules are definitely not rules used by Main Street investors. Too passive. But the rules accurately fit Wall Street's elite million, because their brains are "political," they are "predators," they have the "killer instinct" and they do see the "world" as a "brutal, manipulative" war zone.
Crawford's the White House columnist for the nonpartisan Congressional Quarterly. Last year he published "Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media." The Washington Post calls him "one of the capital's most celebrated journalists." You can also find him on air at MSNBC's "Hardball."
His inspiration for the "25 rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World" was none other than Machiavelli, the 16th century philosopher and author of "The Prince," which is still the bible for all politicians.
Crawford says "the human being is nature's top predator." Actually, Wall Street wins that honor by a wide margin. Why? Because Wall Street is America's biggest lobbyist and political campaign contributor. Its denizens pull the strings. Its top companies are some of the biggest advertisers. So they fit the profile: Powerful unelected politicians, shrewd predators.
Let's translate Crawford's 25 Machiavellian rules to better understand what you're up against in every battle against Wall Street. Here are the key elements of the Wall Street brain at work, seen through the lens of seven of the 25 rules: ( Check out all 25 rules)
1. 'Life is a filthy battle for control'
Yes, ethically "filthy." They will do whatever's necessary to control the markets. Dirty fighting, anything, with little conscience. That's why Wall Street wins and you lose. They have a killer instinct, greed, the predator's gene. Main Street investors don't, they are the prey. I saw these profiles in action when writing "The Millionaire Code," a study of 16 personality types. The Wall Street brain must dominate the jungle. It's in the DNA.
5. 'Ambition is never satisfied'
Predators love the hunt. And in the jungle, predators' incomes are merely a way big egos keep score against competitors. And they're all competitors, with greed-is-good genes. So, by nature, they're all insatiable. They keep score by counting "kills," in dollar bills, with salaries averaging $300,000, several times the national average. Many Wall Street bosses pocket $10 million to $50 million a year. Annual Street bonuses exceed $25 billion. Yes, it is a "filthy battle to control" the jungle. And you are just another "kill." Don't take it personally -- they don't, it never enters their conscience.
10. 'The more visible your power, the more its limits are known'
They mimic stealth bombers. Revealing nothing unless forced to, even controlling the en-forcers. Wall Street operates behind a veil of secrecy, a "happy conspiracy" as Vanguard founder Jack Bogle calls it. They live by deals with politicians, lobbyists, SEC staffers, corporate CEOs, money managers, cable anchors, brokers, bankers -- the list goes on. Deals are hidden in the shadows, off the radar of Main Street's 95 million investors.
12. 'Most would rather follow a leader than lead a following'
Sad but true. The vast majority of Main Street investors are prey, passive sitting ducks targeted by Wall Street's aggressive predators who pretend to be "leaders," acting as if they can predict the future of the economy and the markets. They hide behind many masks, as brokers, planners, money managers -- any role that gets you to surrender your money and become dependent on them, at a high price.
13. 'Those who prefer to lead a following cannot be trusted'
Never. In the Wall Street jungle, those seeking the role of leader have one goal in mind: Not just getting rich, but getting "filthy" rich. They are obsessed, addicted to money and power. Bogle calls it the "iron law:" They play a zero-sum game where every dollar Wall Street makes comes out of Main Street's pocket. Ergo, to get "filthy rich," Wall Streeters must do whatever's necessary to get their hands in your pockets, with no moral qualms that "greed is still very good."
17. 'Those who are dependent on you will be the most faithful'
Back in the mid-1990s Wall Street initiated a major strategic move to expand into the asset-management business and control vast sums of money. Since then they've brainwashed investors into a childlike dependency. Today Main Street investors are passively buying into the scam, even with Wall Street's subpar performance and excessive charges. In criminology this is known as the Stockholm syndrome, where the victim sides with the criminal.
25. 'The powerful never give up control; it must be taken away'
Remember the scandals five years ago? Wall Street and the fund industry got away with murder. How? They have "friends in high places," by controlling your politicians through lobbyists and tons of "filthy" campaign money. They fight every reform bill and every new regulation like a special-forces warrior. The predator's gene never surrenders. No matter what's involved -- turf, power, family, ego -- it's always a fight to the death.
So in this jungle, Main Street cannot beat Wall Street. The jungle belongs to the most aggressive predators, and they own it because they live by the "25 rules for survival in a brutal and manipulative world."
Know your enemy. You're at war. They outgun you. In head-on combat, odds are against you. You must redefine the rules of engagement. Go into the shadows, yours. Never play by their rules, on their battlefield. Fight an asymmetrical war with the insurgent's tactics. Play your game, by your rules. You must decide. Fight your way ... and you will win.
Meltdown 'inside' Wall Street's brain
Seven rules for bull-and-bear predators in a 'brutal, manipulative world'
ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Soft landing? Worst is over? Recovery? Buy on dips? Strong economy? Hey, what happened to all the self-serving happy-talk of a month ago? When will we ever learn that the relentless daily onslaught of "news" spun by Wall Street is 99% brainwashing hyperbole and 1% reality, all scripted to manipulate the great American herd of 95 million investors.
Sorry to be so darn blunt, but watching the high-drama of the post-14,000 meltdown on the Dow industrials made me mad as hell because it was so predictable ... record volatility as Wall Street went ballistic with every breaking news blip ... hedge funds bleeding money ... mortgage company failures ... a metastasizing credit crush forcing foreign banks to pull the plug on subprime deals
While watching each twist and turn of this roller coaster I was reminded of a warning from BusinessWeek journalist Gary Weiss in "Wall Street vs. America: The Rampant Greed and Dishonesty That Imperils Your Investments:"
"Years of advertising, image-building, and scandal-suppression by the titans of the security industry have produced a generation of Americans who sign papers they don't read, and buy investment products they don't understand from brokers whose backgrounds they don't bother to research. They deal with brokerage firms and mutual funds and hedge funds and investment vehicles of all kinds that are hyped by the media and treated with deference by the regulators that are supposed to be keeping watch over it all."
And it's scarier today.
Peeking inside Wall Street's predator brain
Let's see how the "Wall Street Brain" really works. Five years at Morgan Stanley gave me some insight into what makes them tick. They were nice guys back then. Much different now. More Darth Vader. So what'll you see "inside" a "greed is good" Gordon Gekko personality?
Well, I just ran across a description of it in Craig Crawford's new book, "The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World." When I first glanced at the cover I saw "The Politics of Investing." Then laughed. No, those rules are definitely not rules used by Main Street investors. Too passive. But the rules accurately fit Wall Street's elite million, because their brains are "political," they are "predators," they have the "killer instinct" and they do see the "world" as a "brutal, manipulative" war zone.
Crawford's the White House columnist for the nonpartisan Congressional Quarterly. Last year he published "Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media." The Washington Post calls him "one of the capital's most celebrated journalists." You can also find him on air at MSNBC's "Hardball."
His inspiration for the "25 rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World" was none other than Machiavelli, the 16th century philosopher and author of "The Prince," which is still the bible for all politicians.
Crawford says "the human being is nature's top predator." Actually, Wall Street wins that honor by a wide margin. Why? Because Wall Street is America's biggest lobbyist and political campaign contributor. Its denizens pull the strings. Its top companies are some of the biggest advertisers. So they fit the profile: Powerful unelected politicians, shrewd predators.
Let's translate Crawford's 25 Machiavellian rules to better understand what you're up against in every battle against Wall Street. Here are the key elements of the Wall Street brain at work, seen through the lens of seven of the 25 rules: ( Check out all 25 rules)
1. 'Life is a filthy battle for control'
Yes, ethically "filthy." They will do whatever's necessary to control the markets. Dirty fighting, anything, with little conscience. That's why Wall Street wins and you lose. They have a killer instinct, greed, the predator's gene. Main Street investors don't, they are the prey. I saw these profiles in action when writing "The Millionaire Code," a study of 16 personality types. The Wall Street brain must dominate the jungle. It's in the DNA.
5. 'Ambition is never satisfied'
Predators love the hunt. And in the jungle, predators' incomes are merely a way big egos keep score against competitors. And they're all competitors, with greed-is-good genes. So, by nature, they're all insatiable. They keep score by counting "kills," in dollar bills, with salaries averaging $300,000, several times the national average. Many Wall Street bosses pocket $10 million to $50 million a year. Annual Street bonuses exceed $25 billion. Yes, it is a "filthy battle to control" the jungle. And you are just another "kill." Don't take it personally -- they don't, it never enters their conscience.
10. 'The more visible your power, the more its limits are known'
They mimic stealth bombers. Revealing nothing unless forced to, even controlling the en-forcers. Wall Street operates behind a veil of secrecy, a "happy conspiracy" as Vanguard founder Jack Bogle calls it. They live by deals with politicians, lobbyists, SEC staffers, corporate CEOs, money managers, cable anchors, brokers, bankers -- the list goes on. Deals are hidden in the shadows, off the radar of Main Street's 95 million investors.
12. 'Most would rather follow a leader than lead a following'
Sad but true. The vast majority of Main Street investors are prey, passive sitting ducks targeted by Wall Street's aggressive predators who pretend to be "leaders," acting as if they can predict the future of the economy and the markets. They hide behind many masks, as brokers, planners, money managers -- any role that gets you to surrender your money and become dependent on them, at a high price.
13. 'Those who prefer to lead a following cannot be trusted'
Never. In the Wall Street jungle, those seeking the role of leader have one goal in mind: Not just getting rich, but getting "filthy" rich. They are obsessed, addicted to money and power. Bogle calls it the "iron law:" They play a zero-sum game where every dollar Wall Street makes comes out of Main Street's pocket. Ergo, to get "filthy rich," Wall Streeters must do whatever's necessary to get their hands in your pockets, with no moral qualms that "greed is still very good."
17. 'Those who are dependent on you will be the most faithful'
Back in the mid-1990s Wall Street initiated a major strategic move to expand into the asset-management business and control vast sums of money. Since then they've brainwashed investors into a childlike dependency. Today Main Street investors are passively buying into the scam, even with Wall Street's subpar performance and excessive charges. In criminology this is known as the Stockholm syndrome, where the victim sides with the criminal.
25. 'The powerful never give up control; it must be taken away'
Remember the scandals five years ago? Wall Street and the fund industry got away with murder. How? They have "friends in high places," by controlling your politicians through lobbyists and tons of "filthy" campaign money. They fight every reform bill and every new regulation like a special-forces warrior. The predator's gene never surrenders. No matter what's involved -- turf, power, family, ego -- it's always a fight to the death.
So in this jungle, Main Street cannot beat Wall Street. The jungle belongs to the most aggressive predators, and they own it because they live by the "25 rules for survival in a brutal and manipulative world."
Know your enemy. You're at war. They outgun you. In head-on combat, odds are against you. You must redefine the rules of engagement. Go into the shadows, yours. Never play by their rules, on their battlefield. Fight an asymmetrical war with the insurgent's tactics. Play your game, by your rules. You must decide. Fight your way ... and you will win.
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