Excellent post. Not only well-written, but also very informative about a subject relevant to most of us.
While I am probably not quite as cynical about any possible manipulations by whales, it is well known that such manipulations happen in most markets. Therefore, if it is happening with Steem, I would not be surprised.
Regardless, it does present a great buying opportunity. I've been watching the price for days, hoping to buy some Steem Power. Actually, I'll probably buy soon. Given the current price, it's a steal. If it drops another 10 or 20 cents, I might regret (momentarily) not waiting for that drop. But if it goes up 20 or 50 cents before I buy, I'll have major, long-term regrets.
As the saying starts, "Buy low ...."
(note: I bought my first bitcoin when it was dropping from the $200 level. I bought, it kept dropping. It dropped to about $60, but I did not buy any more. To this day, I regret not buying then. I could have increased my bitcoin holdings 3-fold. I won't make the same mistake with Steem or any other crypto.)