In the face of rising global challenges and uncertainties, the significance of communities like Naked Capitalism cannot be overstated. Reflecting on my personal experiences over the past twenty years, I recognize the platform’s vital role as we navigate a tumultuous era. Here, I outline why Naked Capitalism has become an indispensable part of my journey.
To strengthen this refuge against the escalating chaos, consider donating to the Tip Jar, as if your sanity depended on it. In many ways, it truly does.
The Professional Managerial Class Abandons the Field
This year, I’ve observed a concerning trend among my peers—mostly educated professionals nearing or in retirement—exhibiting widespread apathy towards engaging with “the news.” This response, rooted in rationality, stems from the overwhelming emotional and cognitive strain induced by the constant barrage of information, coupled with the manipulative agendas of mainstream media and its oligarchic overseers.
Power Steps Up Its Game
John Michael Greer once pointed out the dominance of binary thinking in human deliberation. He argued that our ancestors were wired to make immediate judgments: distinguishing between threat and non-threat, predator and prey. Today, however, we face a landscape where capable adversaries disguise deceit as truth:
…the binary reaction is meant to produce snap judgments in stressful situations, and it has no gray areas at all; a distant bit of color in a tree is either food or it’s not, the snap of a twig breaking in the forest behind you is either a predator or it’s not, and our australopithecine ancestors didn’t normally have to cope with things that were partly food and partly a predator, and might turn into one or the other depending on how a set of complex processes went. They also didn’t, as far as we know, have to deal with other australopithecines trying to convince them that food was predators and predators were food.
This description perfectly encapsulates our contemporary predicament, particularly as those manipulative actors are now equipped with vast resources, armies of supporters, and advanced technologies for distraction, confusion, and persuasion that previous generations could not have fathomed.
Naked Capitalism serves as a modern-day Rivendell, a sanctuary amidst disorder—a place where sanity prevails, allowing us to connect and unify in our resistance against corruption. (Yes, I’m a nerd, but it’s an apt analogy). While we lack Elvish magic, we rely on your support to maintain this haven. I encourage you to visit the donation page and contribute generously.
We’re On Our Own, But Thanks to Naked Capitalism We’re Not Alone
Like Rivendell, protected by Elrond’s Ring of Power, the Naked Capitalism community finds strength in Yves’ leadership and our collective commitment to delineate reality.
This community isn’t about endorsing a singular narrative; rather, we engage in thoughtful discourse to uncover the truth and adjust our perspectives as new evidence emerges.
While the polycrisis worsens, many become discouraged and withdraw from discourse. Therefore, supporting NC becomes increasingly vital.
Our mission may simply be to preserve the light of knowledge, pass it on to future generations, and empower them to challenge the powerful and restore humanity’s values in society and governance.
If that’s our role, then we accept it. Much like the generations of Black activists who endured the failures of Reconstruction and Jim Crow, we hold onto significant wisdom—a guide that ultimately contributed to the civil rights achievements of the 1960s.
Though those victories had fleeting moments, they remain unforgotten. The ongoing struggle between those who seek to control and those who cherish freedom is a battle without end.
Naked Capitalism is crucial in the fight to safeguard the values worth preserving in our civilization.
And we’re not relics of the past. In the current decade, NC has produced some of its most compelling analyses on critical issues such as:
Modern Financial Manipulation
AI Off-Balance-Sheet Obligations Hit a Subprime-Like Reset Wall in 2027 and 2028 · AI Datacenter Borrowing “Frenzy” ·
Dimon, the IMF, and the Bank of England ·
the final stage of the AI bubble ·
Private Equity Is Coming for Your 401(k)
War and Rumors of War
Understanding Iranian Victory ·
the limits of escalation ·
Iran Defeated The US Empire ·
Bessent’s flailing and the Strait of Hormuz ·
The Rules-Based Nuclear Bomb
Psychopaths in Power
Do You Trust Epstein Elite With Nuclear Weapons? ·
The Epstein Files as a Weapon ·
“NatSec Democrats” ·
the Democratic Party’s Self-Destruction
Propaganda and Manipulation
Narrative Wars as US Media Struggles to Manufacture Consent ·
Team Trump as Narrative War Captives ·
Propaganda and Humanitarian Work ·
Ukraine’s Three-Pronged Infowar Campaign
Deliberate Population Reduction?
Social Murder as a Necropolitical Governance Technology ·
Culling the Herd? ·
Making the Next Pandemic More Likely ·
Why Are They Trying to Kill Us? ·
American Life Expectancy ·
Why ‘Entitlements’ Cuts May Succeed
Neo-Colonialism
Ukraine’s Untenable Position and Inevitable Loss ·
The West’s Ethical Framework ·
Don’t Look Away ·
“Regime Change” in Venezuela
The Modern Prairie Rebellion and Its Causes
5 Ways Data Centers Endanger Their Local Communities ·
The Kansas Community Fighting Data Centers ·
US Consumers are Footing the Tariff Bill
In last year’s fundraising appeal, I shared my journey within the “netroots movement” (I even co-authored a book on it) which led me to discover Naked Capitalism.
I also mentioned:
Very few blogs have guided me here: Matt Stoller’s BOPNews, Sean Paul Kelly’s The Agonist, Ian Welsh’s work at Firedoglake, Stirling Newberry.
Yet among them, only Naked Capitalism still stands. This is no coincidence.
Naked Capitalism isn’t merely about bylines or a collection of posts; it represents an independently hosted community, free from ownership by corporations like Meta or Elon Musk—it’s backed by Yves Smith.
Over the past year, she’s demonstrated her keen eye for talent and ability to weave diverse voices into a unified narrative.
When Lambert retired in 2025, we honored his contributions and quickly carried on, tackling the ongoing challenges before us.
I joined the community in mid-summer 2025, and during a particularly critical time while Yves was away during the Ramadan War, I was privileged to step in and contribute, supported by our dedicated community.
We’ve created something remarkable here; let’s ensure it continues. Please visit the donation page to support this essential community today.
