Dave Collum: Financial Crisis, Diddy, Energy Weapons, QAnon, and the Deep State’s Digital Evolution

His ability to speak on diverse topics stems partly from the respect he has earned over his 40-year tenure at Cornell, and his value as a scholar who consistently secures federal research grants. Despite occasional intellectual "outbursts" — like his prescient warning about the 2008 banking collapse during an organic chemistry class — he's generally supported by the university administration, even when his views provoke controversy. Collum's experience highlights the delicate balance universities face between fostering academic freedom and managing institutional reputation.

Supporting Police and Facing Backlash

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Collum's experience being "cancelled" in 2020 amid the heightened cancel culture environment. His "offense" was openly expressing support for the police following the Buffalo riot police incident where an elderly man was knocked over. Collum argued that the man's actions, poking a riot policeman with a device resembling a taser, were a form of self-inflicted trouble, a perspective that quickly ignited a coordinated backlash.

The cancellation was not organic but astroturfed, with rapid, automated complaints flooding university administrators' inboxes. In the chaos and lockdown of 2020, Collum was prepared for confrontation, even sleeping with loaded guns out of precaution — a rare situation for a tenured Ivy League professor. The situation spiraled until evidence surfaced revealing the incident and the protester involved were partly staged and financially exploitative. Despite the university's attempt to quell the controversy through public denunciations, which included the president and chief of police, Collum's professional and consulting relationships were damaged, notably losing a long-standing consulting position with Pfizer.

Critique of COVID-19 Vaccines

Collum, who consulted for Pfizer, shared candid and controversial views on the COVID-19 vaccines. Unlike many who unquestioningly support vaccination, he argues based on his review of clinical trial data and adverse event databases that the vaccines caused significant harm and fatalities unknown to the public during the rollout. He attributes part of this to systemic cover-ups and mismanagement by major health figures like Anthony Fauci and Rochelle Walensky, whom he accuses of both incompetence and malice.

He recounts engagement with a wide spectrum of critics and doctors over several years, illustrating his commitment to rigorously questioning official narratives. Collum views the handling of the pandemic — including lockdowns and the dismissal of effective treatments — as among the greatest man-made disasters of recent history. He also critiques the politicization of public health and the suppression of dissenting scientific opinions.

Unearthing Conspiracies

Venturing into the murky terrain of high-profile conspiracies, Collum offers his perspective on the arrest of rapper Diddy and the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. He postulates that Diddy's arrest was likely orchestrated to confiscate incriminating data and prevent damaging revelations from reaching civil courts. The lack of convictions despite serious accusations and the timing of the arrest suggest political motivations aimed at controlling information.

Similarly, Collum references claims by prominent figures like Sydney Powell regarding the explosive nature of evidence on Hunter Biden's laptop, noting how certain information is deliberately suppressed to maintain political stability. These instances illustrate a broader pattern of manipulations where powerful elites control narratives and evidence to shield themselves, a theme consistent with Collum's wider skepticism of institutional transparency.

The Vegas Shooting and Other Mass Shootings

Collum delves deep into the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, highlighting numerous inconsistencies and anomalies in the official accounts. He points to questionable eyewitness testimonies, such as a man named Mike Cron whose shifting stories strain credibility, and the incongruity in medical appearances and procedural inconsistencies during hospital interviews. These contradictions cast doubt on the official narrative.

He also draws parallels to other mass shootings, including the Uvalde school shooting, to underscore systemic failures in law enforcement responses and media narratives. Collum suggests many of these incidents serve as "kayfabe"—a term borrowed from professional wrestling describing scripted reality designed to manipulate public perception. His view challenges mainstream media portrayals, emphasizing the need for skepticism and independent investigation into such tragic events.

Directed Energy Weapons and Mysterious Wildfires

Addressing conjectures about directed energy weapons (DEWs), Collum explores claims that some catastrophic fires, such as those in Hawaii and Quebec, may have been artificially ignited to test advanced technological weaponry. While he dismisses some conspiracy theories outright, he acknowledges the existence of DEWs as early as Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative and references declassified RAND reports describing their operational principles.

He details unusual fire patterns—such as simultaneous ignition over vast isolated areas with no natural ignition sources—as potential evidence of covert weapon testing. While DEWs are not conclusively responsible, Collum's discussion opens the door to understanding how emerging military technologies could intersect in contemporary disasters and geopolitical conflicts, often hidden behind layers of obfuscation.

The Deep State, Digital Information Control, and QAnon

Collum provides a critical examination of the "deep state" and its evolution in the digital age, emphasizing how narrative control has become central to maintaining power. He argues that since the rise of the internet and social media, traditional gatekeepers of information have lost the ability to suppress dissent entirely, leading to a strategic flooding of public discourse with misinformation and noise to drown out truth.

QAnon serves as a prime example, described as a sophisticated control mechanism potentially engineered by intelligence operatives frustrated with systemic corruption. Rather than purely grassroots, QAnon is portrayed as a tool to siphon and redirect popular energy into harmless or divisive channels—like focusing debates on the Wuhan lab origin theory or race wars—thus protecting entrenched interests. This approach exemplifies the complex multi-layered game of deception Collum sees behind official narratives.

Academic Freedom and University Dynamics

Turning attention back to higher education, Collum critiques the contemporary university system, highlighting how excessive administrative bloat, politicization, and misguided policies like DEI initiatives have compromised academic integrity. While defending the core of academic freedom and quality research, especially in hard sciences like chemistry, he laments the cultural and financial shifts making universities expensive and less focused on intellectual rigor.

He notes that research funding, chiefly from federal grants, has become more bureaucratically cumbersome and politically responsive rather than merit-based. Moreover, the freezing of billions in university research funds amid political pressures threatens the viability of many academic programs. Collum remains loyal to Cornell but is vigilant about the systemic rot and advocates careful reform centered on meritocracy and core educational values rather than transient social agendas.

Market Predictions and the Coming Financial Catastrophe

Having successfully predicted the 2008 banking collapse years in advance, Collum offers a sobering forecast for the current economic climate. He perceives asset markets as critically overvalued—illustrated by historic price-to-earnings metrics like the Shiller PE ratio reaching unprecedented heights. This, coupled with inflated real estate prices and demographic headwinds, especially among younger generations unable to afford homes, paints a picture of a financial bubble due for a harsh correction.

He explains the unsustainability of the 40-year trend of declining interest rates propelling asset prices upward and warns that normalization or reversal will trigger a severe recession or depression. Collum also discusses the fragility of the global debt system, where growing obligations outpace real production capabilities, hinting at an impending systemic crisis difficult to mitigate once it starts.

The Boomer Dilemma and Economic Polarization

Collum reflects on the economic plight of the American middle and lower classes, particularly looking at the '5 percentile boomer'—a hypothetical representation of a moderately successful retiree facing limited wealth and income. He describes the shrinking American dream, where inflation-adjusted earnings and assets cannot sustain expected lifestyles, leading to widespread disillusionment.

He links this economic strain to increased social instability, including shifts in family dynamics such as monogamy versus polygamy, which have historical roots in social cohesion and violence reduction but are now stressed due to economic disenfranchisement. Collum's analysis connects financial precarity to broader cultural and political unrest, emphasizing the erosion of stable foundations.

Precious Metals and Alternative Investments

Addressing economic uncertainty, Collum shares his personal investment experiences with precious metals, primarily gold and platinum. He recounts acquiring gold at historically low prices, viewing it as a long-term store of value amid fiat currency risks. He warns, however, that modern market dynamics mean entry points are now expensive, and investing requires decisive commitments.

Collum is bearish on cryptocurrencies, believing they are unlikely to supplant centralized financial control. He suggests that crypto was introduced as a tool by intelligence agencies to acclimate the public to digital currencies and facilitate the transition toward central bank digital currencies, which would further tighten governmental control over money and individuals. This perspective frames crypto as less a liberating innovation and more a strategic stepping stone toward authoritarian financial control.

Navigating the Information Age

Lastly, Collum underscores the importance of critical thinking and intellectual rigor in an age overwhelmed by misinformation. Through his unique practice of writing extensive yearly reviews, he exemplifies the disciplined approach to digesting complex information and developing nuanced understanding over time.

He warns of the dangers posed by Artificial Intelligence and automation to human cognition and decision-making, fearing the loss of intellectual independence as AI-generated content floods discourse. Writing and articulating thoughts remain paramount, he argues, because they clarify understanding, resist oversimplification, and preserve intellectual freedom.