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Michael J. Burry (The Weird Genius in the Movie “The Big Short”): “End the Lockdown”

Michael J. Burry is mostly known for predicting the 2007 mortgage crisis months in advance and for inspiring the movie “The Big Short”. In the midst of COVID-19 panic, this financial genius (who usually values his privacy) created a Twitter account to communicate one single message: End the lockdown.

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The movie The Big Short was inspired by the true story of Michael J. Burry, the weird and slightly autistic hedge fund manager who shorted the mortgage bond market in 2007 (his role was played by Christian Bale). Indeed, after processing thousands of pages of data in his powerful, computer-like brain, Burry predicted the mortgage crash months before it actually happened. He also made tons of money off the situation by betting against the housing market – a move that was never seen before. The net result: He made $100 million for himself and $700 million for his investors.

Since then, Burry focused on private investing (mostly water, which he considers to be the commodity of the future) and remained steadily away from the spotlight. However, the massive panic and lockdown caused by COVID-19 seem to have triggered an error message in his powerful, computer-like brain. And that error message was so persistent that it compelled him to do the unthinkable: He created a Twitter account. His goal: To address the sweeping, unprecedented government response to this pandemic.

Burry is not saying that people should immediately go back to sketchy bars and lick each other’s faces. He’s calling for a measured approach, one that allows healthy people to live normally and go to work while protecting those who are at risk. In short, he believes that the current remedy might be worse than the disease. In an interview with BNN Bloomberg, Burry stated:

“I became active on Twitter in the last week for the first time ever. I just had a lot to say and get off my chest. I joined Twitter because I was deeply saddened by a national shut-in that is devastating the livelihoods of Americans in many ways. I saw the prevailing narratives ignoring the masses that are not at lethal risk from COVID-19.

Stay-at-home policies need not be universal. COVID-19 is a disease that is somewhat lethal for the obese, the very old, the already-sick. Public policies have no nuance because they want to maximize fear to enforce compliance. But universal stay-at-home policies devastate small and medium-sized businesses and indirectly beat up women and children, kill and create drug addicts, engender suicides, and in general create tremendous misery and mental anguish. These secondary and tertiary effects are getting no play in the prevailing narratives.

Stay-at-home policies are only good for equipment and medicine shortages at or near peak disease. But this could be achieved with the order affecting a much more targeted group of people.

Meanwhile, stay-at-home reduces and slows the development of herd immunity to COVID. Herd immunity is a fundamental step to putting this behind us.

I am very private, but what is going on in this country and globally supersedes that. In the end, Twitter is a risk-free activity. I have only been on Twitter for a week or so, but I figure l will just try to focus and not to get too deep in the weeds.”

In many ways, Michael Burry is the anti-Bill Gates. While Gates recently called for a mind-boggling 10-week national lockdown (and for microchipping those who get the upcoming vaccine), Burry calls for a quick end to the lockdown and the introduction of a more targeted approach. Although both Burry and Gates are very rich, there’s a major difference between them: Burry is an actual licensed physician with an M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine while Bill Gates is a college dropout with zero qualification in medicine. However, it is Bill Gates who the “authoritative figure” right now.

Burry’s Twitterstorm

Since joining Twitter on March 23rd, Burry has been posting several times a day with a laser-like focus on COVID-19 response. While, at first, his tweets garnered little attention, things began to pick up when people realized who he was. Here are some of his tweets in chronological order.

In the following tweet, Burry addresses an article written by no other than Henry Kissinger titled The Coronavirus Pandemic Will Forever Alter the World Order.

Here, Burry takes aim at his COVID-19 arch-nemesis, Bill Gates.

Burry is not done with his twitterstorm. He actually added a few tweets while I was writing this article.

In Conclusion

In the current climate of fear and media-generated panic, Michael Burry brings his brand of fact-based analytical thinking. While most media pundits (i.e. Bill Gates) are backed by powerful organizations with hidden agendas, Burry is basically a private person who appears to be genuinely concerned with the well-being of his fellow citizens. As Burry says, now is the time for facts, not fear.

Although one might not agree with his views, his voice needs to be heard. We need to have a rational debate about the correct response to this situation. Because if governments keep putting billions of people on house arrest every time there’s a new virus, we’re in serious trouble.

P.S. The economic crisis caused by COVID-19 has caused a massive drop in advertising revenues, making it difficult for independent websites such as The Vigilant Citizen to remain afloat. If you appreciated this article, please consider showing your support through a small monthly donation on Patreon. If you prefer, you can also make a one-time donation here. Your support will help this site navigate these difficult times as it continues to provide vital information and analysis on a regular basis. Thank you!

 
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