Bitcoin Psychopaths? A Decade Later, It’s Time for Blood
By: Dr. Riste Simnjanovski
Bitcoiners have been labeled a variety of things in the past — psychopaths and narcissists, to name a few. Exploring some events from 10 years ago, it’s time to clear the record and for the BTC community to remind one another of the good in the world. This article hopes to inspire a small thing we can all do to help our communities.
Let’s Go Back In Time
With the 2023 Super Bowl recently concluding, I’d like to turn the clocks back for a moment. A decade ago, in February 2013, several events nudged themselves to the top of American newsfeeds. Super Bowl XLVII kicked off the start of the month, and viewers witnessed the Familial Harbaugh’s (John and Jim) face one another as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34–31. A decade later, players Travis and Jason Kelce played against one another in Super Bowl LVII.
A decade ago Barack Obama was the President of The United States, and Hillary Clinton was stepping down as Secretary of State to be succeeded by John Kerry. Mumford & Sons won a Grammy; Warren Buffet announced he was going to buy H.J. Heinz Company; Dell went private; and Fidel Castro was speaking directly to voters in Cuba. Near the end of the month, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation; Benedict was the first Pope to resign since the 1400s. The price of Bitcoin was around $22; boy, does 2013 feel like a lifetime ago.
Devastating events also took place. A day before the Super Bowl, former US Navy Seal Chris Kyle was shot and killed in Texas; on February 4th, a charter bus coming back from a skiing and snowboarding trip in Big Bear lost control, killing eight people and injuring 30 others when it flipped off of Bryant Street in Yucaipa, California.
February 2013 is also remembered as the time when Christopher Dorner acted on a self-defined depressive state manifesto which he subject lined “Last resort” and began a killing spree, targeting the LAPD, affiliated persons, and any/all willing to render aid to those he injured or killed.
The fugitive got into a second shootout with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s, killing one (Detective Jeremiah Alan MacKay (35), who was survived by his wife Lynette, daughter Kaytlin (7), and son Cayden James (4 months) and nearly killing another (Deputy Alex Collins (26 at the time) who had a three-week old son at home with his wife, Lila). The shooter in these events was a narcissistic psychopath; Bitcoiners are not.
Bitcoiners have been called many things in the past, “psychopaths’’ comes to mind in regard to a New York Times article that cited a research project with known validity and reliability concerns (Source: New York Post; Bitcoin Fans are Psychopaths).
This isn’t to say that every Bitcoiner isn’t a psychopath, nor that every police officer is the epitome of integrity — countless examples await Twitter bots and extremists hoping for an angle of rebuttal; there are dangers when humanity attempts to generalize any group without examining the individuals that make up a majority.
Again, the Bitcoin community has been called a lot of things in the past, and present, and most certainly will be called things in the future. Ironically, these names include but may not be limited to psychopaths (as stated above), sociopaths, degenerates, or narcissists. I fail to see the correlation between what Bitcoiners are attempting to change in the world versus what Dorner attempted to do to Officer Collins and others.
After Deputy Alex Collins was shot, multiple times by the way, to the face, arms, chest and leg, a community of people came together to save his life. My hope is that this story will remind the Bitcoin community (maxi or not) that they can help others as well. That was, in part, Satoshi’s vision and I doubt true psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists would care as much about their communities as Alex did in those moments or continues to today; and how much Bitcoiners care about their communities as well.
Why We Should Care
First, the Bitcoin community as a whole, has a lot more in common with the folks who rendered aid to Officer Collins (an arsenal of people on surgical teams at Loma Linda University Medical Center — three in all, comprising of trauma surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and orthopedic surgeons), than with Dorner. They are not the same; moreover let’s not allow mass media to correlate the officers involved in the tragic case of Tyre Nichols to all officers; they too are not the same.
The community that I have had the pleasure of running into are good, hard working, kind, compassionate and selfless individuals; people who care for their families and communities more than themselves.
When Alex Collins, while on paternity leave to spend time with his wife and first-born son (again 3 weeks old at the time), recalls his brothers (Ryan and Matt; both also San Bernardino County Sherrifs) receiving the call that self-proclaimed murderer Christopher Dorner was hiding out in the snowy mountains of Big Bear Lake, Alex made the decision to support his brothers, both of blood and badge.
Now, full disclosure and personal bias on the table for the world, Officer Collins, Alex, is family.
He is the first cousin of my wife and while his blood is not mine, he shed his for people like me, and you. This is not insignificant. Let’s not combine all officers into a single group and similarly, let’s not couple “Bitcoiners” or even most “crypto” folks with the likes of SBF — again, they are not the same. I do not compare every fiduciary with Bernie Madoff, and as such we should not allow mass media to make irrisponsible correlations with our neighbors.
While people rushed down Big Bear Mountain when word got out that a killer was on the loose, others suited up and rushed in. These men and women were and are heroes; let’s not forget that amongst the atrocious acts of a few.
The “Dorner story” hit home then, and the fact that ten years have passed, only reminds me that the correlations to a Bitcoin community of people being typecast as “psychotic” or “narcissistic” are not only unfounded but are downright inaccurate and ridiculous. Additionally, statements such as “all policing” mirrors what occurred in Memphis and is unfair to a vast majority of good people working to keep our communities safe.
To get facts correct and to refresh myself in regard to the events that unfolded during that traumatic time, I sat down with Alex, broke bread (like literal carbs) and had lunch with him prior to the publication of this article.
He is an articulate, kind, genuine and hardworking man that reminds me that there is good in the world; regardless of what Twitter trolls and the hundreds of negative comments I’ll receive on ZeroHedge may propose. Can we call a truce and combine forces for a moment? Save the pure hate for the next article. There is a greater good we can all support — innocent lives that could be saved. Just give me an opportunity to make that request of you in a bit.
Alex had been through over 20 surgeries, and in less than one year, he was back on duty; this was after surgeons recalled telling a room full of family and officers awaiting updates, that, “…we don’t think he’ll ever be able to walk again,” let alone, go back to work.
Surgeons were unsure about his ability to speak, walk, or otherwise function normally. Speaking directly to him, his recovery is remarkable; with an outlook on life that is nothing short of inspiring.
The team, according to conflicting reports, went through somewhere between 4 and possibly upwards of 8 (or more) units of blood working on Alex. For reference, when someone donates blood, a typical adult donates 0.5 liters. For reference on body types:
- an average female (5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds) has about 9 pints (4.3 liters) of blood;
- an average male (6 feet in height and weighing 200 pounds) has about 12.2 pints (5.7 liters) of blood;
- an average infant has about 1.2 fluid ounces (fl oz) for every pound of body weight (or 75 — 80 milliliters (ml) of blood per kilogram for our international readers); and
- an average child has about 1.0 — 1.2 fl oz of blood for every pound of body weight (or 70 — 75 ml of blood per kg [again for our international readers]).
In addition to the dedicated, skilled, and tireless surgeons who helped save Alex and others, an army of individuals they never met, donated blood that helped save lives.
This is my goal for the community to read this article, share, or simply repost this content. I have never donated blood, but this year, I plan to and I encourage you to do the same and join me.
Let’s get out there and help someone we’ve never met — perhaps your blood will save the life of a child or someone else’s blood may save yours in the future. There are atrocities everywhere we look, and as we continue to be divided, this common thread may act as an olive branch for your community; Bitcoiner or not.
The Bitcoin community, in my mind, are individuals who think in “legacy” terms; they care for their communities, their families, and people they’ve never met. The opposite of what they’re called in the media, and in truth, the opposite of how the police are portrayed in the media as well. Again, there are bad actors who garner the most attention, let’s focus on the majority who need our help. There are correlations that can be made there, but perhaps at another time or with another author.
My goal, among other things, is to ensure that, as a community, we continue to support our local neighborhoods, and one of the best ways to do that is by supporting our men and women in uniform and by donating blood — knowing that we are literally are saving lives; innocent lives, from people who wish to steal the future of people they may have never met.
This is bigger than politics; regardless of where we fall in a multitude of debates, I want you to be around for your families and I want your children to have the opportunity to be raised by you.
Exploring Tomorrow
Like Bitcoin, in the subsequent decade, Alex didn’t just survive, he thrived. Once he became aware of what had happened and the road he had ahead of him, he set goals.
The first goal he set? To leave the hospital, alive.
The next? To get out of the wheelchair.
The next? To get out of the walker.
The next? To return to active duty.
Remarkably, he achieved every goal he set.
Alex and his wife welcomed two more children. Today, that 3 week old little baby Alex nearly left that snowy day in Big Bear a decade ago, is now ten; with siblings aged 7 and 5. I’m sure your life has changed dramatically in the past decade as well. Bitcoin has not only survived, but thrived as a corollary.
Good people, fellow officers, amazing surgeons and unknown individuals who donated blood, should know that they played a part in ensuring Alex not only returned to work, but had an opportunity to continue to be a friend, colleague, son, brother, husband and father.
When I asked Officer Collins where he’ll be in ten years he stated, “…hopefully not dead” with a smile. When I ask the Bitcoin community about BTC, they sometimes have a similar response.
While the media will continue to push a narrative designed to divide us, let’s continue to remember that good people exist, some in uniform, some with “Bitcoin” or even “crypto” in their Twitter bio, and some far beyond the scope of this article.
Additional Resources
For individuals in Southern California wishing to donate blood, can support the cause by clicking here: LifeStream Blood Bank (https://www.lstream.org/) — plus a Press Release (https://www.lstream.org/areahospitalssuffering/)
For individuals beyond Southern California, they can set up a donation here: Donate Blood | Find a Local Blood Drive | American Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html) or here: LS Stream Officers (https://www.lstream.org/blood-donation-is-essential-for-treating-law-enforcement-officers/)
For LifeStream video on Alex Collins (from when the events occurred), you can view content here: Detective Alex Collins (https://youtu.be/D9wIMpyqHPw).
If you’re a combat vet who may be struggling or needs/wants to share your story (you can find support at): Urban Valor — YouTube (https://youtube.com/@UrbanValorTV); or Veterans Crisis Line (https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/)
If you’re in a crisis now and need immediate help, you can dial: 988 (in the U.S.) 24/7/365.
10 Years Alex Collins Documentary (Brief): https://www.instagram.com/reel/CodISUIjgVb/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet
Finally, for international readers who wish to donate blood, this is a great place to start: Blood donation | IFRC https://www.ifrc.org/our-work/health-and-care/community-health/blood-donation
Author Bio:
Dr. Riste Simnjanovski is a tenured professor of public administration at California Baptist University. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of La Verne, has published multiple articles on digital assets, and is the author of The Bitcoin Heir Next Door: Happiness Beyond Generational Wealth, a best-selling book on Bitcoin, inflation, and wealth preservation:
