Thanks for doing Poyais! It's a fascinating cautionary tale. I believe some of MacGregor's victims actually *defended him* after they made it back, because the cognitive dissonance wouldn't let them believe how they'd been straightforwardly taken in. They needed to believe it was real, that's a familiar psychology of fraud victims. From Scotland's point of view, to have one disastrous attempt to colonise Central America could be misfortune - but to have two (Darien and Poyais) looks like carelessness...
Investors, bankers, mortgage-lenders/brokers, who helped cause the 2008 financial disaster never face consequences either. They were allowed to keep their ill-gotten bonuses. The "small" people, who thought they had a chance to give their children a better future too, paid the price. Losing their savings, then their house, and often also their job. Many never recovered from their losses.
This must be the bank crisis depicted in the book Cranford by Mrs Gaskell in which the genteel Miss Matty and her friends,already discreetly poor lose what little money they do have.
Don't know about Ms. Matty, it sounds like a (good) story. I will check it out ! But I was talking about the real thing, that caused so much misery for so many people. No one went to prison, no one paid a fine. Worse, the people duped, were told they had themselves too blame.
I absolutely love learning about historical episodes like this that had somehow escaped my attention. Thankfully people have learned their lesson and no one would be this gullible today. LOL LOL
McGregor had one of the most extraordinary psychologies of any man - so much resource, so much dare-and-dash, as could have helped him achieve a breathtaking array of legitimate successes, who nonetheless seemed to be fuelled by pleasure compulsively taken in getting one over on other people.
May my word be kept as given here - I will novelise his life one day.
And full of thriving wildlife I hope. We never learn do we. All that sort of thing is going on right now,on a global scale,but all who call it out get stigmatized as disseminators of "disinformation and "misinformation".
I stumbled on this today. Terra Nullius is a History Nerd's dream. Looking forward to reading more!
Great to have you John!
Thanks for doing Poyais! It's a fascinating cautionary tale. I believe some of MacGregor's victims actually *defended him* after they made it back, because the cognitive dissonance wouldn't let them believe how they'd been straightforwardly taken in. They needed to believe it was real, that's a familiar psychology of fraud victims. From Scotland's point of view, to have one disastrous attempt to colonise Central America could be misfortune - but to have two (Darien and Poyais) looks like carelessness...
You’re very right! Amazing that really he never faced any consequences
Investors, bankers, mortgage-lenders/brokers, who helped cause the 2008 financial disaster never face consequences either. They were allowed to keep their ill-gotten bonuses. The "small" people, who thought they had a chance to give their children a better future too, paid the price. Losing their savings, then their house, and often also their job. Many never recovered from their losses.
This must be the bank crisis depicted in the book Cranford by Mrs Gaskell in which the genteel Miss Matty and her friends,already discreetly poor lose what little money they do have.
Don't know about Ms. Matty, it sounds like a (good) story. I will check it out ! But I was talking about the real thing, that caused so much misery for so many people. No one went to prison, no one paid a fine. Worse, the people duped, were told they had themselves too blame.
Things don't change do they!
Sadly, for ordinary people they don't.
I absolutely love learning about historical episodes like this that had somehow escaped my attention. Thankfully people have learned their lesson and no one would be this gullible today. LOL LOL
Ha!
Ha ha!
McGregor had one of the most extraordinary psychologies of any man - so much resource, so much dare-and-dash, as could have helped him achieve a breathtaking array of legitimate successes, who nonetheless seemed to be fuelled by pleasure compulsively taken in getting one over on other people.
May my word be kept as given here - I will novelise his life one day.
Better print this out
Very Flashman
Fascinating - nice piece
Thanks Ted!
Wow! What an imagination!
What a great story!
Loved your email today too
Thanks man!
Such a unique story. Crazy the life paths people will end up on! Thanks for the read.
And full of thriving wildlife I hope. We never learn do we. All that sort of thing is going on right now,on a global scale,but all who call it out get stigmatized as disseminators of "disinformation and "misinformation".