Look, Nazi-ism isn’t illegal, it’s a free marketplace of ideas. But also if you spend your money on other ad platforms instead of mine you are a communist.
Presuming innocence, that would be a political illiterate who thinks they’re a moderate.
ShivaX
3782
I think the latter.
I’ve encountered people like him in my life, but they were generally home-schooled preacher’s kids or the like. Once they get out on their own they’re very susceptible to various negative influences. I can think of 3 in particular and only one of them didn’t end up being a literal drug dealer or criminal that I’m aware of.
The big difference here is that Elon is over 50. So he’s having this moment most people in his position would have in their late-teens or early twenties in his 50’s. He’s also the richest person on Earth. Random neo-Nazis on the internet have vast influence over him, because he’s basically a child trying to be “cool” so they’ll be his friends. And despite most of them turning on him almost immediately, he still thinks he can be accepted by them and most of them know what they’re doing regarding manipulating him.
In some ways it’s sad, but also it’s hard to feel sympathy for the richest person there is while he revels in the suffering he causes.
Things continue to go well!
Dude is South African and his family benefited from apartheid. I’m gonna say Nazi the entire time.
Menzo
3785
Yeah, as much as I hoped he was just a troll, I’m pretty sure Musk is a white supremacist.
What if Twitter death spirals? That’s going to be an epic crash.
JonRowe
3787
Sure, you can have a platform with “free speech”
but that doesn’t mean that advertisers want to spend money on that platform.
JD
3788
Y’all will be shocked to hear this.
“It’s just different opinions! Do your own research!”
Menzo
3790
Annoying, but at this point if you haven’t gotten vaccinated then it’s not going to happen.
This will only matter for the next pandemic. If Twitter is still around, of course.
A slightly different way to think about it (courtesy of watching Shadowland on Paramount +) is to think about how each topic of misinformation has a certain susceptible population (partially overlapping of course!) but once a particular bit of misinformation gets a hold of someone, they become more susceptible to other types.
So having another source of anti-vax bullshit may draw in a few new people who then go down the rabbit hole to full on batshit crazy on other fronts like election denial.
ShivaX
3794
8Chan had free speech. 4Chan arguably has mostly free speech.
Neither attracted many advertisers.
ShivaX
3795
Which is very true. I knew a guy like that. He bought into some random harmless conspiracy theory when he was younger. By the point I broke off contact with him he was full in a Bill Gates microchips and DNA manipulation. None of his kids were vaccinated and he spouted insanity non-stop.
Sadly he was a genuinely good dude otherwise and previously. It just got to where I couldn’t take it anymore. The worst part of it is the arrogance. They’re so easily proven wrong, but they’re so supremely arrogant that all evidence is “worthless” and then they lord their ignorance over everyone like they’re the Second Coming.
Menzo
3796
Very difficult to determine cause and effect in that scenario. It’s equally possible that he’s just naturally susceptible to conspiracy theories. I’m not suggesting that it’s impossible that people can fall down a rabbit hole and the conspiracy theory is the cause, but that’s definitely not proven.
ShivaX
3797
I think once you believe one bit of nonsense that makes you feel superior, it’s like a drug and you want and need more. It also degrades your ability to think critically, which means you’re more likely to fall for the next one. Eventually you’re talking about 5G and adrenochrome.
A lot of psychologists seem to agree with that general concept.
It doesn’t mean because you think a random CT might have some measure of merit, that you’re going to be QAnon in a year or anything.
This bit reminded me of Yeats:
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
That’s a sure way to attract any company that is even peripherally associated with legitimate healthcare or pharma industries – or who has commercial relations with companies in that sphere.
He really is an astonishing idiot.
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