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Strategies & Market Trends : Anthony @ Equity Investigations, Dear Anthony, -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: peter michaelson who wrote (77976)6/15/2002 8:01:36 PM
From: eims2000  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 122087
 
The movie "Wallstreet" is on at 8:00pm AMC channel. (east coast)



To: peter michaelson who wrote (77976)6/15/2002 9:35:22 PM
From: Edscharp  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 122087
 
Peter,

What amazes you is really simple human nature.

Why didn't people say anything about Tony before? There are a variety of motivations involved here.

First, you had the people who were making money because of Tony. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. It also includes a universe of people who rationalized that he did more good than harm. Or, maybe they were entertained by his posts or they felt like insiders.

Secondly, you had a second group that believed he was an ethically impaired, but didn't have enough evidence or motivation to voice their concerns out loud. Most people are too polite to voice their base suspicions out loud unless they can make a good case. Tough to do on the anonymous internet. Also, how many people really have the time to investigate the actions of a single individual? You'd almost have to be some kind of obsessed nut to spend a lot of time and effort bashing another Poster on a message board. Even if it's your stock he's bashing most people don't have the time to do the research. Furthermore, those that did post their suspicions were frequently shellacked by Tony's 'helpers'. Most people seek to avoid abuse.

There was a third group that did voice their displeasure with Tony's methodology. But again, even among those who really hated him, how many of those people can afford to make a career trying to prove their allegations? If Tony makes a claim that a CEO has a criminal record how does the average investor 'prove' Tony is wrong? Tony knew full well that the average investor doesn't have the time to serious research.

In a very great sense, people like Tony are immune from message board attacks. When he attacks a company he doesn't have to be completely correct or accurate (it's better if he is, but it's not essential). Tony won the day if he could just create doubt in a minority of investors. He didn't have to "prove" a company was corrupt. He only had to insinuate it with the help of a chorus line of willing confederates to create an atmosphere of distrust. Yes, sometimes that doubt was justified. On other occasions he took serious liberties with facts. Most people who bashed Tony realized that they werent' going to win the battle for investor loyalty. When it comes to money most investors will err on the side of caution and split. It's a powerful force and Tony understood that very well. A lot of Tony's bashers realized they were just wasting their own time.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, motivations of these groups have changed. I notice that ther're still folks willing to give Tony their full support, or at least the benefit of the doubt. Some of his former supporters now wish to distance themselves. Many continue to remain silent.

The other groups that had reservations about Tony now feel free to voice their criticisms because Tony's arrest is direct evidence to them that Tony did act with wreckless abandon. It's the 'proof' they didn't have before. Some who criticized Tony feel Tony's arrest is vindication for many of the things they suggested. They are enjoying themselves the most right now. It's very human to feel like events proved you right after all.

No matter what he did or what his motivation Tony managed to touch the lives of a lot of people with a lot of strong opinions.

Whether it was to his credit or to his detriment, justice will now decide.