5 ms·

the relationship between Gates and Jeffrey Epstein that was cultivated after Epstein's conviction on sex crimes is not a conspiracy theory. https://www.nytimes

the relationship between Gates and Jeffrey Epstein that was cultivated after Epstein's conviction on sex crimes is not a conspiracy theory. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-...

mhh__ 6y ago
Epstein was a powerful man, was it a friendship or just business?
- flyinglizard 6y ago
  That, my friend, depends on which party you support.
  - xwdv 6y ago
    I'm not so sure. While Epstein committed heinous crimes, he certainly must have had other legitimate interests when he wasn't doing them. People aren't one dimensional.
    - Jarwain 6y ago
      The implication the above person is making is that one's beliefs around epstein depends on their political leaning. But, people are complicated. I remember reading somewhere that he was a generous donor to a number of schools & STEM programs, that he was a patron of the sciences, and an abhorrent sex offender. They aren't exactly mutually exclusive, but just goes to show how people are complex and multifaceted
    - bashallah 6y ago
      He was really good at obtaining compromising information of the most wealthy individuals around the world.
  - JoBrad 6y ago
    I think that’s what the extreme elements of various groups want you to believe. Creating Shibboleths out of so many things is yet another way to drive people apart. Fact is that many people have no idea what Gates does, nor do they care - regardless of which US political party they support.
mikeyouse 6y ago
That Bill Gates is using the Coronavirus vaccine to implant microchips into civilization for population control and that he's harvesting the blood of children so that he can extract adrenochrome -- Definitely some pretty unhinged conspiracy theories. Of which apparently nearly half of American Republicans believe them? https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/inlineimage/2020-05-26/c49f6fb0-9c3e-11ea-aed7-10646d7a1781.png https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/inline...
- RobRivera 6y ago
  I'd refrain from saying half of American Republicans believe something so fringe without real data.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - listennexttime 6y ago
    It's pretty easy to find other sources that cover the same survey that is shown in the graphic of the grandparent's comment. (Business Insider, for example: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/republicans-bill-gates-covid-19-vaccine-tracking-microchip-study-2020-5 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/republicans-bill-gates-co...) Keep in mind this survey was in May and I'd be willing to bet the numbers have grown, as I've watched QAnon grow, multiple mainstream Republicans have embraced them (and won primaries) and the Vice President was slated to attend a fundraiser put on by a QAnon group until days of pressure forced him to cancel just days ago. I've watched HN downplay gamergate. I've watched it downplay climate change (until recently, finally). I've watched it downplay anti-intellectualism at every turn, whether it be flat-eartherism, anti-vaxxers, or qanon, there's this purveying sense of "it will all work out", and that's just completely out-of-touch with reality. Here's a fun one for some background on QAnon, and how the rest of the world perceives it/us right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7YPZxqJDYQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7YPZxqJDYQ And for a complete understanding of how Flat Eartherism proud anti-illectualism has DIRECTLY LED US TO QANON, this video is invaluable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfhYyTuT44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfhYyTuT44 It spells it out step-by-step and I'd love to hear someone try to respond to it. I haven't even expressed any of my own political feelings but I'm sick of watching people use ovenmits to talk about the fact that the anti-intellecutual, pro-conspiratorial actors are by and large self-identified as "conservative", or "Republican" or "pro-Trump". We can't keep acting like this isn't the case. All of these issues, politics, conspiracy theories, online echo chambers in the time of COVID? These are all issues of identity to a certain segment of the population. And acting like "public discourse" is going to sort it out, or ignoring the realities of the situation just isn't going to help. Just in the last few days: "Antifa are lighting fires in Oregon" (this was repeated, inaccurately, by law enforcement official in OR, as well), there's some new USPS SMS phishing scam that is now supposedly tied to child trafficking according to QAnoners. It's fucking mental illness, I'm sorry, I'm tired of tiptoeing around it.
tibyat 6y ago
this needs more attention

mhh__ 6y ago

Epstein was a powerful man, was it a friendship or just business?

flyinglizard 6y ago
That, my friend, depends on which party you support.
- xwdv 6y ago
  I'm not so sure. While Epstein committed heinous crimes, he certainly must have had other legitimate interests when he wasn't doing them. People aren't one dimensional.
  - Jarwain 6y ago
    The implication the above person is making is that one's beliefs around epstein depends on their political leaning. But, people are complicated. I remember reading somewhere that he was a generous donor to a number of schools & STEM programs, that he was a patron of the sciences, and an abhorrent sex offender. They aren't exactly mutually exclusive, but just goes to show how people are complex and multifaceted
  - bashallah 6y ago
    He was really good at obtaining compromising information of the most wealthy individuals around the world.
- JoBrad 6y ago
  I think that’s what the extreme elements of various groups want you to believe. Creating Shibboleths out of so many things is yet another way to drive people apart. Fact is that many people have no idea what Gates does, nor do they care - regardless of which US political party they support.

mikeyouse 6y ago

That Bill Gates is using the Coronavirus vaccine to implant microchips into civilization for population control and that he's harvesting the blood of children so that he can extract adrenochrome -- Definitely some pretty unhinged conspiracy theories. Of which apparently nearly half of American Republicans believe them? https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/inlineimage/2020-05-26/c49f6fb0-9c3e-11ea-aed7-10646d7a1781.png https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/inline...

RobRivera 6y ago
I'd refrain from saying half of American Republicans believe something so fringe without real data.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- listennexttime 6y ago
  It's pretty easy to find other sources that cover the same survey that is shown in the graphic of the grandparent's comment. (Business Insider, for example: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/republicans-bill-gates-covid-19-vaccine-tracking-microchip-study-2020-5 https://www.businessinsider.com.au/republicans-bill-gates-co...) Keep in mind this survey was in May and I'd be willing to bet the numbers have grown, as I've watched QAnon grow, multiple mainstream Republicans have embraced them (and won primaries) and the Vice President was slated to attend a fundraiser put on by a QAnon group until days of pressure forced him to cancel just days ago. I've watched HN downplay gamergate. I've watched it downplay climate change (until recently, finally). I've watched it downplay anti-intellectualism at every turn, whether it be flat-eartherism, anti-vaxxers, or qanon, there's this purveying sense of "it will all work out", and that's just completely out-of-touch with reality. Here's a fun one for some background on QAnon, and how the rest of the world perceives it/us right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7YPZxqJDYQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7YPZxqJDYQ And for a complete understanding of how Flat Eartherism proud anti-illectualism has DIRECTLY LED US TO QANON, this video is invaluable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfhYyTuT44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfhYyTuT44 It spells it out step-by-step and I'd love to hear someone try to respond to it. I haven't even expressed any of my own political feelings but I'm sick of watching people use ovenmits to talk about the fact that the anti-intellecutual, pro-conspiratorial actors are by and large self-identified as "conservative", or "Republican" or "pro-Trump". We can't keep acting like this isn't the case. All of these issues, politics, conspiracy theories, online echo chambers in the time of COVID? These are all issues of identity to a certain segment of the population. And acting like "public discourse" is going to sort it out, or ignoring the realities of the situation just isn't going to help. Just in the last few days: "Antifa are lighting fires in Oregon" (this was repeated, inaccurately, by law enforcement official in OR, as well), there's some new USPS SMS phishing scam that is now supposedly tied to child trafficking according to QAnoners. It's fucking mental illness, I'm sorry, I'm tired of tiptoeing around it.

tibyat 6y ago

this needs more attention