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Attempting to buy Twitter in order to (let's face it, there is no other reason) un-muzzle Trump. That alone would be enough to get 10,000 oppo researchers on hi

Attempting to buy Twitter in order to (let's face it, there is no other reason) un-muzzle Trump. That alone would be enough to get 10,000 oppo researchers on his case. And let me be clear. I do think Musk has a few screws loose and that was obvious back when he was trying to buy ICBMs from Russia. He is also absolutely responsible for the creation of the new space race and for every major car company having a great EV. In our current political climate it's become impossible to take the good with the bad. There is only space in public discourse for him to be a hero or a villain. We demand absolute ideological purity from our public figures these days and many folks on the left feel betrayed that he could be anything other a progressive champion. Money, more than anything is an amplifier, and it has amplified a neuro-atypical man with an unbalanced ego and actual political opinions you might not agree with. He is a real person with massive accomplishments who has enough money to firmly grab the wheel on the ship of our country, not some cardboard cutout of good or evil.

brtkdotse 4y ago
I prefer the version where this whole thing started with the elonjet kid wanting a Tesla to take the account down.
adastra22 4y ago
Trump says he doesn’t want to be on Twitter, even if Elon let him back on. That possibility is just being used as a political scare tactic now. Otherwise pretty spot on comment. Thanks.
- dougmwne 4y ago
  I very much disagree that we should take what he says at face value. That has never been a good strategy for predicting his actions in the past. I'm also not sure what I think of the Twitter purchase. It's been good fun to gag people I don't agree with so I don't have to listen to them, but whenever I get into a (self?)uncensored space I feel the anger and resentment boiling over all around me. I'm pretty sure we can't keep the Overton Window closed this tight for long.
  - adastra22 4y ago
    I block early, block often. Keeps my feed manageable. But that's an entirely different thing than the company itself deplatforming people based on supposed "misinformation." Twitter banned doctors who suggested COVID was airborne in 2021, and public health professionals who called for universal mask wearing in 2020. Being able to voice counter-narrative or non-mainstream opinions is exactly how science and society progress, and how we keep our elected governments in check. If Twitter is indeed the "new public square"[1] then I think Elon has a solid argument for keeping it open to all as a free speech platform. [1] I don't think this is true, btw. Twitter is a bubble, like Reddit and HN. It just happens to be a bubble that includes a bunch of politicians and world thought leaders. But only a quarter of US adults are on Twitter, and many of them use it for niche purposes too.

brtkdotse 4y ago

I prefer the version where this whole thing started with the elonjet kid wanting a Tesla to take the account down.

adastra22 4y ago

Trump says he doesn’t want to be on Twitter, even if Elon let him back on. That possibility is just being used as a political scare tactic now. Otherwise pretty spot on comment. Thanks.

dougmwne 4y ago
I very much disagree that we should take what he says at face value. That has never been a good strategy for predicting his actions in the past. I'm also not sure what I think of the Twitter purchase. It's been good fun to gag people I don't agree with so I don't have to listen to them, but whenever I get into a (self?)uncensored space I feel the anger and resentment boiling over all around me. I'm pretty sure we can't keep the Overton Window closed this tight for long.
- adastra22 4y ago
  I block early, block often. Keeps my feed manageable. But that's an entirely different thing than the company itself deplatforming people based on supposed "misinformation." Twitter banned doctors who suggested COVID was airborne in 2021, and public health professionals who called for universal mask wearing in 2020. Being able to voice counter-narrative or non-mainstream opinions is exactly how science and society progress, and how we keep our elected governments in check. If Twitter is indeed the "new public square"[1] then I think Elon has a solid argument for keeping it open to all as a free speech platform. [1] I don't think this is true, btw. Twitter is a bubble, like Reddit and HN. It just happens to be a bubble that includes a bunch of politicians and world thought leaders. But only a quarter of US adults are on Twitter, and many of them use it for niche purposes too.