The System is Rigged and Everyone is Compromised

I'll be the first to admit that doomscrolling on twitter(x) is not a healthy obsession, in fact, I wrote a blog post about it recently that you can check out for yourself here. However, you cannot blame Doomscrolling alone for the feelings I have been feeling as of late that the whole system, encompassing multiple industries, is rigged.  From online gambling to political parties, to fake metrics on twitch, to sports, there are countless examples that can be found that make you distrust the system and realize that it is simply made to remove you and your hard-earned cash from your wallet.  And because of how compromising it is, it pretty much impacts everyone and compromises them too eventually.  Multiple recent examples will be provided to assert this claim.

One of the recent rigged examples hits close to home as it impacts the streaming industry in which I am a part.  One of the most prominent streamers on the platform was caught viewbotting on twitch with a screenshot of a website she uses to viewbot caught in a clip.  Extraemily has become a posterchild for the Twitch platform, so her blatant use of these tools to inflate her numbers makes us realize that if she uses them, pretty much everyone uses them.  When the largest creators on the platform are doing this to stay relevant, it pretty much means that everyone needs to use these tools to do so, because even they, feel as though their multiple thousands of viewers are not enough to promote themselves on the platform.

Another recent example of the system being rigged against the common man is the recent announcement in the financial markets of the SEC eliminating the Pattern Day Trading Rule, replacing it with a new intraday margin system.  This is significant because before the rule was eliminated, it required day traders to maintain a balance of $25,000 before they could start day trading, and this was done to protect and prevent the most vulnerable of investors from treating the day trading system as a casino.  45 days from now however, when the rule takes effect, that is exactly what retail investors are going to do.  The stock market has always had risk, but being a day trader is the riskiest of all activities, especially when most people will end up cannibalized by the largest and most experienced traders who have been doing this for years.

In the political sphere, there are too many examples to count.  One example however has recently propped up that compelled me to write a rather large response on twitter.  This related to the war in the middle east where the Israeli regime is on an imperialist campaign to expand their borders and a United States senator, the senate minority leader Chuck Shumer, essentially endorsed the war on religious terms after speaking at the largest lobbying group's event, AIPAC.  This isn't about republic or democrat; this is about the rigged system of politics that keeps the United States and the world in a war that we all should not be in by compromising the senators who receive millions from AIPAC during the political seasons.  All of this has been accelerated ever since the January 21st, 2010, landmark court ruling of Citizens United made it possible for corporations and other legal entities to spend unlimited funds to influence political elections.

Online gambling has exploded over the years and now everyone seems compromised in this multi-billion-dollar industry.  From streaming websites like Kick that are built off of the backs of their online gambling website stake that continue to promote gambling to millions of viewers, to the proliferation of sports betting apps that allow you to wager thousands of dollars with a click of a button, everything is leading to a rigged system designed to extract as much money from your wallets as possible.  College sports also now is a rigged system, with athletes choosing schools to attend based on how much money they can gain through sponsorships in the area, rather than by traditional coaching and scouting efforts.  If your school cannot come up with enough sponsors, your season is essentially pre-determined as a loss as a result.

While I do not like talking about topics as negative as this, I do believe it is important to be aware of what is going on in the world, especially in industries that directly impact you.  As I mentioned, when industries are compromised to such an extent that the only legitimate way to compete is to cheat as well, then essentially, you have to adopt a "if you can't beat them, join them, attitude" until the industry of your choosing eventually collapses or changes, for better or for worse.  Attempting to stand on morals is not a money making or winning proposition when these industries can care less about morality and more about virality.  It doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't compete, it just means that you also have to play the game that they are playing, and in doing so, perhaps you are doing your part to bring the whole system down sooner.  Anyways, the grind must go on.

Until next time,

Blackboa