That's unlikely, Chris. I seem to recall that you displeased the master by saying something to the effect that he talked down to people. All hell broke loose with that comment. You were demonized by the group from that point on. You didn't have the distinction of being the group's first persona non grata, though. There was someone named Laura on Prodigy, who annoyed the leader so much that the cult (group, I mean) moved en masse to SI. Laura was fondly recalled in later purges.
Then there was that woman from Texas who had the temerity to disclose that the group leader was placing near the bottom in stock-picking contests. A witch hunt was launched, before it was known who was responsible for the leaks, and she turned herself in and was burned at the stake -- in a word, unsubscribed. Pity, really. She was talented, and one of the few women tolerated in the group.
Then there was that guy who was 'pushing shorting down people's throats,' (to paraphrase one comment on his notes) at the height of the bull market. He was already on the way out because he'd objected to a comment that Clinton should be shot (during the impeachment fiasco). A group member conceived an irrational hatred toward this Clinton apologist and proponent of shorting, and it was declared that he, too, should be shot. What really sealed his fate, though, was when he made unfavorable comparisons between the group leader and a man named Adolf. (The theme of those notes, Chris, was surprisingly similar to that in your notes to the group leader.)
All this was in off-topic notes, of course. The notes on the list occasionally lapsed into right-wing commentary (which, unlike left-wing commentary, was acceptable). Former Sen. Joe McCarthy (also fond of purges), Nixon (also fond of enemies lists) and Reagan were in the political pantheon. Lincoln and FDR -- well, the less said about them, the better. In fact, FDR was unfavorably compared to Hitler at one point. The New Deal -- a sore subject. Gave the tired, the poor, the riffraff, etc., a leg up, you know.
Memories.
Oh well, bring on the dogs. It really illuminating, I mean in terms of cult psychology, or at least crowd psychology. |
