Blind with Brilliance …
OR
Baffle with Bullshit.
These are the only two ways to really influence people.
Guess which one is more common?
From Ellsworth Toohey to Paul Krugman - recent history is littered with folks who use institutional influence to shape narratives and subtly discourage individual excellence.
Toohey is a fictional character, of course, but he’s the archetype of the intellectual influencer who shapes public opinion not by building, but by tearing down.
He is a collectivist critic who wields soft power through media and culture, undermining individual achievement for the “greater good.”
What is the greater good?
Good question.
There is no one answer however I encourage you to pay attention to people around you who subtly redirect your ambition and talent away from CREATION and instead toward consensus.
Modern-day Toohey’s are all around us. They are not villains in the classic sense.
BUT ..
Instead they are often celebrated as thought leaders or moral voices.
It becomes dangerous for society when such influence stifles innovation, risk-taking and dissent in the name of “the greater good”.
The Toohey effect can be a leading indicator of stagnation or groupthink.
It’s an early warning for investors and innovators alike.
Let me square the circle - (read: be quiet Brain) - and give props to Professor Shankar who so brilliantly conveys his humility and honesty in this post’s headline video on Quantum Mechanics.
The next time someone attempts a straw man tactic to misrepresent Bitcoin; I will send them this most excellent video - thanks Prof!
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