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Coronavirus: Skin in the Game

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In finance, there is a concept known as "skin in the game."

It is used to warn against taking advice from anyone who does not share with you in the related risks. Though when it is offered as advice ("only listen to people with skin in the game") it can cut both ways.

"Buy Xerox," says the television prophet. 

On the one hand, yes, I see the point of expecting that he has some skin in the game himself. If he doesn't own some stock, he doesn't really care whether the price of Xerox goes up or down. It is an academic exercise for him. It is a retirement fund for some sucker paying attention to him. 

But on the other hand: what if he does have skin in the game? That may work against his reliability. 

After all: he may be trying to drum up interest in Xerox, holding Xerox stock himself, precisely because he plans on selling INTO that drummed-up interest. :Pump and dump. His talk may be pumping so his broker can do the dumping. 

With the Coronavirus we have a different situation. We've seen news reports of people who have said, "oh, it's only a flu, the idea that this is something especially bad has been drummed up by the [insert name for bad people here] in order to [insert description of their power-grab here.] Let's ignore them." 

To the extent that they DO take part in sizable gatherings in defiance of lock down orders, they have skin in the game created by their own assurances. 

So, when you learn that someone like that has died: does that affect your own mood at all? Your likely future actions? 
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