Anyone ever heard of the Dutch Tulip Mania?
Way back when the Dutch were the big dogs of world trade, tulips were a fad that really took off and everyone bought into it because of a bunch of mass group think that said it was popular to buy tons of the damn things, so tulip bulbs became a really hot commodity all because everyone bought into a fad and refused to let the subject drop.
The bubble finally burst when the Dutch government finally took a look at the bloated, distended trade that had erupted over a bunch of flowers and basically said "why is everyone getting all worked up and blowing money over a fad?"
The market imploded on tulips right then and there when reality hit and no one really had a good rebuttal for that, and it never recovered.
NeoGAF is that, only it died in a far more pathetic and hilarious manner, and that will never stop making me giggle.