4 ms·
Throughout his adult life, Ben Franklin was dead-serious about the important things, but evidently he didn't take himself too seriously. This particular essay,
by cs702 3y ago
Throughout his adult life, Ben Franklin was dead-serious about the important things, but evidently he didn't take himself too seriously. This particular essay, he composed in response to a call for scientific papers from the Royal Academy of Brussels while he was the US Ambassador to France. Quoting from the essay's introduction:
> I have perused your late mathematical Prize Question, proposed in lieu of one in Natural Philosophy, for the ensuing year...Permit me then humbly to propose one of that sort for your consideration, and through you, if you approve it, for the serious Enquiry of learned Physicians, Chemists, &c. of this enlightened Age. It is universally well known, that in digesting our common food, there is created or produced in the bowels of human creatures, a great quantity of wind. That the permitting this air to escape and mix with the atmosphere, is usually offensive to the company, from the fetid smell that accompanies it. That all well-bred people therefore, to avoid giving such offence, forcibly restrain the efforts of nature to discharge that wind.
I'm reminded of Musk's antics. I wonder what Ben Franklin, were he alive today, would post on Twitter -- I mean, X.
- mamonster 3y agoYou would probably not be aware of what Franklin would be posting, given that he would almost certainly be doing it with at least 5 alts.
- ShrigmaMale 3y agoBenny F for TPOT!
- rabbits_2002 3y ago[flagged]
- novosel 3y ago[flagged]
- internet2000 3y ago[flagged]
- cjaybo 3y agoIn what ways?
- RIMR 3y ago[flagged]
- alexk307 3y agoThis is thoughtful, funny, and non offensive. Musk posts political memes made by children with the intent of offending and provoking the media.
- VoodooJuJu 3y ago[flagged]
- fasterik 3y agoThere are some superficial similarities between the two figures, but I don't think we should take the similarities too seriously. Benjamin Franklin helped found the United States, became ambassador to France, and made original scientific discoveries and inventions. Elon's main contribution has been having enough money to hire smart people to drive the development of pre-existing technologies. It's hard to imagine him becoming ambassador to anything or having his own original scientific insights. Not all of of the memes Musk posts are harmless. Some of them are promoting dangerous QAnon and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Ben Franklin wasn't a saint either; he owned slaves. But at least he became an abolitionist later in life. It remains to be seen where Musk goes politically.
- woodruffw 3y agoFranklin's irreverence is valuable and interesting in light of his overwhelming civic and scientific contributions. This is not true of Musk: I don't think even the most fervent fan of his can deny that Musk is (1) a businessman, not a scientist, and (2) not a particularly valuable contributor to the civic substrate of the country he lives in.
- PrimeMcFly 3y agoFranklin had true genius. Musk is all bluster taking advantage of being born into wealth.
- ren_engineer 3y agoFranklin had multiple fake personas for writing in newspapers, including LARPing as an old women named Silence Dogood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_Dogood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_Dogood he'd 100% have an anonymous alt account for shitposting
- jmcgough 3y agoOr he'd shitpost on main. He has the same brilliant autist with puerile sense of humor vibe as you see in Mozart and others.
- dv_dt 3y agoGiven the Franklin published his own newspaper, it would be more likely that he would today be running his own site or a mastodon/fedi instance.