It may sound like ad hominem, but that would mean I was "responding to arguments by attacking a person's character". That said, I'm definitely making blaming s

It may sound like ad hominem, but that would mean I was "responding to arguments by attacking a person's character". That said, I'm definitely making blaming statements, so it's fair you made the observation. I'm pretty sure cognitive dissonance isn't a character trait so much as it is a current state of thinking surrounding a given topic, which in this case is global finance. I've read Stross, and like his works, but I am attacking what he is saying (currently) about a given topic. I think it's also fair to point out he makes his own ad hominem arguments: "Bitcoin (is bad b/c) mining software is now being distributed as malware". I also think it's fair to say, when observing illogical remarks from an individual, that they may still be conflicted on the topic.