Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets: Surviving the Public Spectacle in Finance and Politics (Agora Series)

""Title Page""; ""Copyright Page""; ""Foreword""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Part One -- A Critique of Impure Reason""; ""CHAPTER 1 -- DO-GOODERS GONE BAD""; ""BLUE BLOODS IN BLACK SHIRTS""; ""WORLD IMPROVERS""; ""STILL TRYING TO HUSTLE THE EAST""; ""CALIPHS AND CRUSADERS""; ""CHAPTER 2 -- LOVE IN THE TIME OF VIAGRA""; ""FLATTERING FRAUDS""; ""LOVE IN THE TIME OF VIAGRA""; ""THE DOWNFALL OF MARRIAGE: THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS""; ""THE DOWNFALL OF MARRIAGE: BRAZIL""; ""THE MATING GAME""; ""CORPORATE HEIGHTS""; ""PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A SCALAWAG""; ""MONKEY BUSINESS""; ""THE TIES THAT BIND"";An insightful look at how to succeed by going against the crowd Collectively, people think and act in ways that are different from how they think and act as individuals. Understanding these differences, says William (Bill) Bonner-a longtime maverick observer of the financial world and the vagaries of the investing public-is vital to preserving your wealth and personal dignity. From the witch-hunts of the early modern world to the war on terror, from dot-com mania to the real estate bubble, people have always been caught up in frauds, conceits, and wild guesses-often with devastating results. In Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, Bonner and coauthor Lila Rajiva show groupthink at work in an improbable array of instances throughout history and reveal why swimming against the current pays.-Shares the deeper secrets of investing and pushes you to question what this means for your financial well-being -Explains why people so often abandon good sense and good behavior to "follow the crowd"--Offers concrete advice on how you can avoid the "public spectacle" of modern finance The authors' cautionary tale of bubble economies reveals how the gush of credit let loose by Alan Greenspan has wreaked havoc on our lives-but their thoughtful and always entertaining approach also offers some sound investing principles for avoiding the pitfalls of the public spectacle, thinking for yourself, and protecting your money, your sanity, and your soul. ""Title Page"" ""Copyright Page"" ""Foreword"" ""Acknowledgments"" ""Part One -- A Critique of Impure Reason"" ""CHAPTER 1 -- DO-GOODERS GONE BAD"" ""BLUE BLOODS IN BLACK SHIRTS"" ""WORLD IMPROVERS"" ""STILL TRYING TO HUSTLE THE EAST"" ""CALIPHS AND CRUSADERS"" ""CHAPTER 2 -- LOVE IN THE TIME OF VIAGRA"" ""FLATTERING FRAUDS"" ""LOVE IN THE TIME OF VIAGRA"" ""THE DOWNFALL OF MARRIAGE: THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS"" ""THE DOWNFALL OF MARRIAGE: BRAZIL"" ""THE MATING GAME"" ""CORPORATE HEIGHTS"" ""PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A SCALAWAG"" ""MONKEY BUSINESS"" ""THE TIES THAT BIND"" ""BRIGHT SHINING LIES""""CHAPTER 3 -- THE TRANSIT OF VENUS"" ""TWO KINDS OF WORLD IMPROVERS"" ""AMERICAâ€TMS REVOLT AGAINST THE GODS"" ""THE AMERICAN BRAIN: THE FLAW IN THE DESIGN"" ""NO ROOM FOR NO"" ""BASIC INSTINCTS"" ""WORD GAMES"" ""THE INTUITIVE MIND"" ""REAL HEROES"" ""Part Two -- Witch Hunts and War Drums"" ""CHAPTER 4 -- THE DEVIL MADE THEM DO IT"" ""EXTRAORDINARY POPULAR HEADLINES"" ""WITCHY WOMEN"" ""WITNESS FOR THE PERSECUTION"" ""THE HAMMER OF WITCHES"" ""HOW TO MAKE A TURKEY STEW"" ""OLD MCMARTIN HAD A CRÈCHE"" ""HISTORY OF A HYSTERIA"" ""STAGE THREE OF A PUBLIC SPECTACLEâ€"DISASTER""""FULL SPECTRUM DUMBBELLS"" ""CHAPTER 8 -- HEROES OF THE REVOLUTION"" ""RADICAL CHE"" ""THE WAY OF ALL CASH"" ""DONâ€TMT CRY FOR EVITA"" ""THE LATE, GREAT HELMSMAN"" ""Part Four -- Flattening the Globe"" ""CHAPTER 9 -- THE NUMBER GAME"" ""THE MAGIC NUMBER"" ""WHY MEN GO APE"" ""ALL MEN ARE DIFFERENT (AND DAMN WELL BETTER STAY THAT WAY)"" ""CHAPTER 10 -- THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY"" ""THE MADNESS IN HIS METHODSâ€"9/11 AND 7/11"" ""THE ANGELIC EMPIRE"" ""ERIN RISEN"" ""CHAPTER 11 -- WHAT THE YONGHY-BONGHY-BO DIDNâ€TMT KNOW"" ""THE MARKET COMES TO MADRAS""""JEKYLL AND HYDE"" ""THE TAO OF JONES"" ""BLACK SWANS AND FAT TAILS"" ""ON THE CLEVERNESS OF CAULIFLOWER"" ""DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED"" ""DO-GOODING DOO-DOO"" ""Part Five -- The Bubble Kings"" ""CHAPTER 12 -- FIN DE BUBBLE"" ""WHERE THE BUCK STARTS"" ""THE TEMPTATIONS OF ST. ALAN"" ""WRECK OF THE TECH"" ""ALAN, THE TECHNICOLOR TURNCOAT"" ""MR. BUBBLES"" ""NOTHING FAILS LIKE SUCCESS"" ""MONEY HEAVEN"" ""MACROECONOMICS FOR DUMMIES"" ""CHAPTER 13 -- THE MILLION-DOLLAR TRAILER"" ""FLIMFLAM SPAM"" ""WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN"" ""Chapter 14 -- central bank bamboozle""

Praise for Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets

"This book strikes at the center of conventional wisdom. It is brilliant, deep, and fun to read."
—Nicholas Nassim Taleb, author of the legendary investment classic, Fooled by Randomness, and the recent bestseller on probability, The Black Swan

"As fun to read as it is thought-provoking and filled with fascinating insights into how the world really works. It will teach you a proper skepticism as to what we are told by the mainstream media."
—John Mauldin, President, Millennium Wave Advisors, LLC author of the New York Times bestsellers, Bull's Eye Investing and Just One Thing

"Learn about Fed bubbles and make Ben Bernanke unhappy: read this book."
—Lew Rockwell, President, the Ludwig von Mises Institute

"A cock-eyed, frolicking hell of a read."
—Dr. Mark Skousen, Professor of Economics and Editor, The Worldly Philosophers

"I laughed aloud, I learned, and I was even offended. Behind the crafty writing, the authors share the deeper secrets of investing and push us to question what we believe. 'Think for yourself!' this book screams."
—Steve Sjuggerud, Editor, True Wealth, one of the world's most widely read investment letters

"Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets is one of the funniest and most entertaining books I have ever read. A classic for the student of the current period in history. If I had to name just one book investors should read, this is the one I would select."
—Dr. Marc Faber, world-famous contrarian guru, author of the bestseller, Tomorrow's Gold, and Editor of the maverick Gloom Boom & Doom Report

"Entertainingly and irreverently investigates the 'do-gooders' and 'world-improvers' who stir up mass hysteria, unjustified wars, and financial crises, while at the same time it warns readers how to better protect themselves and their pocketbooks."
—Ron Paul, Congressman and Presidential candidate

An insightful look at how to succeed by going against the crowd

Collectively, people think and act in ways that are different from how they think and act as individuals. Understanding these differences, says William (Bill) Bonner-a longtime maverick observer of the financial world and the vagaries of the investing public-is vital to preserving your wealth and personal dignity. From the witch-hunts of the early modern world to the war on terror, from dot-com mania to the real estate bubble, people have always been caught up in frauds, conceits, and wild guesses-often with devastating results. In Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, Bonner and coauthor Lila Rajiva show groupthink at work in an improbable array of instances throughout history and reveal why swimming against the current pays.

• Shares the deeper secrets of investing and pushes you to question what this means for your financial well-being
• Explains why people so often abandon good sense and good behavior to "follow the crowd"
• Offers concrete advice on how you can avoid the "public spectacle" of modern finance

The authors' cautionary tale of bubble economies reveals how the gush of credit let loose by Alan Greenspan has wreaked havoc on our lives-but their thoughtful and always entertaining approach also offers some sound investing principles for avoiding the pitfalls of the public spectacle, thinking for yourself, and protecting your money, your sanity, and your soul.

An insightful look at how to succeed by going against the crowd Collectively, people think and act in ways that are different from how they think and act as individuals. Understanding these differences, says William (Bill) Bonner-a longtime maverick observer of the financial world and the vagaries of the investing public-is vital to preserving your wealth and personal dignity. From the witch-hunts of the early modern world to the war on terror, from dot-com mania to the real estate bubble, people have always been caught up in frauds, conceits, and wild guesses-often with devastating results. In Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, Bonner and coauthor Lila Rajiva show groupthink at work in an improbable array of instances throughout history and reveal why swimming against the current pays. Shares the deeper secrets of investing and pushes you to question what this means for your financial well-being Explains why people so often abandon good sense and good behavior to "follow the crowd" Offers concrete advice on how you can avoid the "public spectacle" of modern finance The authors' cautionary tale of bubble economies reveals how the gush of credit let loose by Alan Greenspan has wreaked havoc on our lives-but their thoughtful and always entertaining approach also offers some sound investing principles for avoiding the pitfalls of the public spectacle, thinking for yourself, and protecting your money, your sanity, and your soul. An insightful look at how to succeed by going against the crowd Collectively, people think and act in ways that are different from how they think and act as individuals. Understanding these differences, says William (Bill) Bonner-a longtime maverick observer of the financial world and the vagaries of the investing public-is vital to preserving your wealth and personal dignity. From the witch-hunts of the early modern world to the war on terror, from dot-com mania to the real estate bubble, people have always been caught up in frauds, conceits, and wild guesses-often with devastating results. In Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, Bonner and coauthor Lila Rajiva show groupthink at work in an improbable array of instances throughout history and reveal why swimming against the current pays. Shares the deeper secrets of investing and pushes you to question what this... The EPUB format of this title may not be compatible for use on all handheld devices. Collectively, people think and act in ways very different from how they think and act as individuals. Author Bonner has long been a maverick observer of the financial and political world, sharpening his sardonic wit, in particular, on the vagaries of the investing public. Market booms and busts, tulip manias and dotcom bubbles, venture capitalists and vulture funds, he lets you know, are best explained not by dry statistics and obscure theories but by the metaphors and analogies of literature. Here, Bonner and freelance journalist Rajiva use literary economics to offer broader insights into mass behavior and its devastating effects on society. They end by giving concrete advice on how readers can avoid what the authors call the 'public spectacle' of modern finance, and become, instead, 'private' investors--knowing their own mind and following their own intuitions.--From publisher description Why Going Against the Grain Pays. Bestselling author Bill Bonner has long been a maverick observer of the financial and political world, sharpening his sardonic wit, in particular, on the vagaries of the investing public. Market booms and busts, tulip manias and dotcom bubbles, venture capitalists and vulture funds, he lets you know, are best explained not by dry statistics and obscure theories but by the metaphors and analogies of literature. Now, in Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets, Bonner and freelance journalist Lila Rajiva use literary economics to offer broader insights into mass behavior and