I know, @krakenfx 😂

I Realized I Was Prejudiced - And I'm Sorry “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” For a long time I privately, and sometimes publicly, mocked meme coin traders. I would say the standard go-to lines, "there's no real utility, it's all rugs and serial launches, just degenerate gamblers chasing a quick hit" If I'm being painfully honest with myself? I felt smarter than them. Even superior. The problem is...almost everything is a meme. Even our fiat currency. Instead of a cartoon animal its usually a dead political figure. On a piece of paper. With no real backing other than the shared belief it has value. A meme is simply an idea, behavior, or narrative that virally spreads person to person. It's cultural transmission. It's shared belief. And once you understand that, you realize how much of the world - not just crypto - runs on only attention and perceived value. As I've said in some of my recent points, most markets are driven by mindshare and narrative far more than people want to admit. True utility (for those that even have any) is never equal to asset value by any sane, human valuation mechanisms. This is true for "serious" crypto assets - majors/alts/memes - it's all the same. Yes, there are highly addicted gamblers in the trenches. There are also highly addicted gamblers trading "blue-chip" crypto assets. The liquidation histories of some very large CT personalities make that painfully obvious. The label we place on an asset doesn't change the behavior of some people who interact with the asset. Somewhere along the way I convinced myself that trading blue chips made me more disciplined. More rational. More professional. But that belief didn't actually make it true. It just made me feel superior. I've only been the steward of a meme coin for a couple weeks now. The thing I dreaded (and really didn't want to) take over has turned into one of my most valuable crypto learning lessons of the year. I've met people I would never never interacted with otherwise. And surprisingly I've come to really love and appreciate many of them. And if I'm being completely honest? Many of them are smarter and more skilled than I am. The biggest learnings I've had are this: Degen trench warriors weren't stupid or unsophisticated the way I believed they were. On the contrary they are mostly a group of people who simply saw the game for what it was. Faster than the rest of us. They understood that in most of crypto, liquidity and attention are the only things that matter. Not the stories about utility and adoption we tell ourselves to feel smarter. While the rest of us "professionals" comfort our decision making with things like, "ETH will always have mindshare" or "fundamentals will win in the end," they got very good at identifying winning narratives before they exploded - and just as importantly, recognizing when that attention was about to shift to something else. That fast, chaotic, casino-style game people love to mock? One could even go so far as to argue it's just highly efficient capital rotation. It's honest about the game, even when the game is brutal. And let's face it: there are fewer arenas that are as brutal as the "Wild West" that is crypto. I'm genuinely saddened that I - with my core values of embracing and loving the entirety of humanity - discovered I was holding private prejudice and propping myself up as superior to my fellow man. That is NOT what I am about. But likewise I'm genuinely happy that this unexpected road I was put on led me to some important realizations. Not just about crypto, but about myself and life in general. I don't think I'll ever be as adept as the true trench warriors in identifying emerging narratives. My mind is wired for playing and winning longer-term games. I'm a "slow and steady to win the race" type of guy. I would likely fail miserably if I actively traded in that environment. But to all of those who saw past the illusions we all like to tell ourselves? Who can analyze and pivot at quantum computing levels of speed? I tip my hat to you. For it was you that was truly superior to me all along. 🫡 From the depths — The White Whale 🐋

I’m one of the most consistent, predictable people you’ll ever meet. Just ask my wife - she can predict what I’m going to say in almost any given moment. My voice hasn’t changed once since I stepped into the public arena. What has changed, though, are the excuses people cite when they don’t like what they’re hearing. First it was: “You don’t understand - you’ve made more money than the GDPs of some small countries.” Then it became: “You’re just saying that because you got liquidated on 10/10.” Then: “You must be broke now, and anything you love is obviously a paid shill.” Then: “You’re only saying this because you took over stewardship of a meme coin.” The funny part is none of those explanations have anything to do with me - or with the things I actually believe. I haven’t changed my values. I’ve evolved the same way anyone who’s learning and growing as a human being should. Except my evolution is public, and visibly transparent. As I discover new things on this journey, I share them. But my core values haven't changed. I’ve always spoken uncomfortable truths. I call things for what they are, while still pointing at what they should be. And because I don’t sell my voice, I can talk honestly about the good and the ugly parts of the things I use, love, and genuinely care about. That freedom makes some people uncomfortable. If I post anything but a 100% glowing review of anything, insecure bag-holders come out of the woodwork. That level of response often speaks greater volumes of their own lack of faith in their investments than it ever does about my observations. I’m incredibly blessed in life. I’ve thankfully made more money as a trader than I’ve lost. My identity and my values aren’t tied to PnL, social status, or approval. The core of who I am hasn’t changed at all. The only thing that keeps rotating is the narrative people use to dismiss words that make them feel uncomfortable. If continuing to speak unfiltered eventually leaves me with fewer followers - or none at all - that’s fine. I’m not here to manufacture fake social media dopamine hits. I’m here to share the real version of this space (and myself): the beautiful parts and the ugly parts, in equal measure. Not for ego. Not for a paycheck. Being myself is the only person I know how to be anyway... 🫡 From the depths — The White Whale 🐋