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> The kind of mental arm wrestling you just engaged in to explain that point What arm wrestling? It's pretty simple: anyone "taking shots" at him on Hacker New

> The kind of mental arm wrestling you just engaged in to explain that point What arm wrestling? It's pretty simple: anyone "taking shots" at him on Hacker News is definitionally punching-up because Thiel has more power and privilege than anyone here, power and privilege he routinely exercises on local and national stages. I don't have any issue with his actions working with the FBI here for what it's worth.

oooyay 3y ago
It's the timing. There's a time for rife comments aimed at Peter Thiel; I have plenty of those. As I put it before, when a gay man is outted in explicitly stated retributive fashion for being a CHS informant for doing his duty as a defense contractor it starts to color the people who are doing the punching. The whole situation should give us pause, not the reflex to punch someone.
- anigbrowl 3y ago
  Nobody gives a shit about the fact that Peter Thiel is gay. It's the palling around with fascists and having massive reach into the political and defense spheres that makes people dislike him.
  - jonathankoren 3y ago
    And let’s be honest about Thiel. He was in the glass closet. Literally everyone in SV knew he was gay. He didn’t hide it. He just didn’t want it published so he could more easily raise money from Mohammed Bonesaw al-Saud. Then again, since when MBS care about staying in anyone’s good graces?
- HelloMcFly 3y ago
  If Alex Jones was in the news for carrying someone out of a burning building, I'd be acknowledging his good work while continuing to "punch up" on him due to his behavior that seemingly seeks to destroy civilized society (an exaggeration, but not a wild one). Someone doesn't get a free pass from earned mockery on an article-by-article basis, Thiel's civic duty to the FBI in this instance isn't some temporary hall pass for his tangible support for fascistic policies and politicians. That's he gay is only relevant to you in this conversation, the person critiquing the critique. Why does that somehow give him extra victim status? Thiel is not subject to the power or cultural dynamics individuals in marginalized groups often are. He's being treated like Charles Koch would be were he to do the same thing - that's equality, baby.

oooyay 3y ago

It's the timing. There's a time for rife comments aimed at Peter Thiel; I have plenty of those. As I put it before, when a gay man is outted in explicitly stated retributive fashion for being a CHS informant for doing his duty as a defense contractor it starts to color the people who are doing the punching. The whole situation should give us pause, not the reflex to punch someone.

anigbrowl 3y ago
Nobody gives a shit about the fact that Peter Thiel is gay. It's the palling around with fascists and having massive reach into the political and defense spheres that makes people dislike him.
- jonathankoren 3y ago
  And let’s be honest about Thiel. He was in the glass closet. Literally everyone in SV knew he was gay. He didn’t hide it. He just didn’t want it published so he could more easily raise money from Mohammed Bonesaw al-Saud. Then again, since when MBS care about staying in anyone’s good graces?
HelloMcFly 3y ago
If Alex Jones was in the news for carrying someone out of a burning building, I'd be acknowledging his good work while continuing to "punch up" on him due to his behavior that seemingly seeks to destroy civilized society (an exaggeration, but not a wild one). Someone doesn't get a free pass from earned mockery on an article-by-article basis, Thiel's civic duty to the FBI in this instance isn't some temporary hall pass for his tangible support for fascistic policies and politicians. That's he gay is only relevant to you in this conversation, the person critiquing the critique. Why does that somehow give him extra victim status? Thiel is not subject to the power or cultural dynamics individuals in marginalized groups often are. He's being treated like Charles Koch would be were he to do the same thing - that's equality, baby.