Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, Crypto and Cult Psychology with Ben McKenzie: My conversation with the author of Easy Money about financial manipulation, the need to belong, and protecting our freedom of mind.

When someone promises you financial freedom, it is worth asking how much freedom you have to question what they are selling. Can you challenge their claims? Can you consult independent experts? Can you change your mind without being mocked, shamed, or told you are missing the opportunity of a lifetime? When celebrities like Tom Brady and Taylor Swift promote crypto- do people understand they are not experts on business and economics? Many people know Ben McKensie from The O.C., Southland, and Gotham. I wanted to speak with him about his investigation into cryptocurrency—and the patterns of influence that make its promises so compelling. Ben wrote Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud with journalist Jacob Silverman. His new, independent documentary, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, brings that investigation to the screen. I watched the film and loved it. It is funny, disturbing, and accessible, even if you have never understood what cryptocurrency actually does. Our conversation explored how financial promises can become bound up with identity—and how difficult it becomes to reconsider a belief when your money, community, and self-esteem are invested in it. Crypto is part of the Tech bros plan to usurp democracy by promoting dark money that corrupt elections! Ben testified before Congress. Fortunately, the “Clarity Act” crypto bill was not passed in the Senate due to not including ethics requirements. This was a big blow to the crypto lobby which spent more than Big Oil in the 2024 election.