A Local Establishment
I have been going to the same barber shop for more than twenty five years. I went to get a haircut there before my wedding. I know the owners pretty well by now. It's an old fashioned, men only place, though once in a while a mother will bring her young son in to micromanage his pre- k hairstyle. It's the kind of old school business that offers you a shot of whiskey around the holidays.
You're Not Going Out Like That, Are You?
My wife and daughter convinced me that I needed to pay them a visit before Christmas. Since the covid lockdowns, and since I no longer work every day, I start to look like a member of ZZ Top if I neglect my beard for too long.
They Like The U.S. Just Fine
The owners and workers are all Jewish immigrants from Odessa. Their politics are strictly Fox News aligned conservative. They believe in the American dream, the US dollar, and US real estate. They loathe anything that in any way reminds them of their communist past, and they are certainly not woke. I have never discussed bitcoin with them for privacy reasons.
Master Of The Universe
Today the shop was crowded with pre- holiday customers. There was a financial industry white collar type getting a shave, pontificating about investing. Among his proclamations: "You can always expect returns of 20-25 percent in the stock market. That's just how it is." I suspected I was listening to an idiot.
The caste system of this barbershop is roughly equivalent to that of the town. There is a wealthy area where all of the professionals live- doctors, lawyers, engineers, and finance guys. The rest of the town is blue collar. In the barbershop the loudmouth professionals usually hold court, while the blue collar guys always seem reluctant to express their opinion. The deference paid is class driven. We have plenty of dumb lawyers and really smart contractors around here.
The immigrant workers do not observe these rules, and they are never shy about expressing their opinions.
Let The Games Begin
One of the barbers asked the investment wizard about bitcoin. He snorted in response. "It isn't backed by anything financial. Pure speculation. Gambling. I wouldn't go near it." The barber mentions Trump's support.
Mr. Wall Street must have been a democrat. He didn't seem to like the president elect: "Trump! He's a whore. He just likes it because he knows the idiots who voted for him like it."
Soon Lambo!
That's when things got a little ugly. All the barbers are Trump supporters. It sounded like most of the people waiting for a haircut were too. Now everyone was telling stories about the profits they had recently made in bitcoin. Unfortunately, the talk was all about coinbase, microstrategy, and ETFs. Number go up.
I sat there and listened. I was surprised to learn that so many people in that room had recently bought bitcoin, but it seemed all about short term profits.
What Does This Mean?
Was this a good thing? Is there really no such thing as bad publicity? I don't know. Maybe everyone needs to go through an NGU phase before they discover the revolution taking place while they count their dollars. I hope so.
you.I notice that it is also a great ego booster for those that had the foresight to get in early.