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People troll on message boards because they are anonymous and there are no consequences. Trolling in real life, on the other hand, has consequences: try doing i

People troll on message boards because they are anonymous and there are no consequences. Trolling in real life, on the other hand, has consequences: try doing it at work, or with your partner (if you have one), and see how that works out for you. The long-term consequences of his behavior have yet to reveal themselves. We will see. The only reason Musk can troll and get away with it is because he is fabulously wealthy. (He didn’t do it when he was getting his career going.) If he were a 9-to-5 salary earner like the rest of us, he’d have faced a very different outcome. I believe that Musk’s defenders like him because he says things they wish they could say, but can’t, because of the consequences it would bring. Musk is largely insulated from those consequences today. It’s the “things they wish they could say” that’s concerning. The ideological alignment speaks for itself.

rayiner 2y ago
You're so close! But you've got the conclusion backwards. People enjoy Musk's trolling because the culture has become so sanitized. There is a reason corporate HR departments have rigid rules--legal liability, the need to keep a diverse workforce focused on the job at hand. But the whole world shouldn't be like that. > It’s the “things they wish they could say” that’s concerning. The ideological alignment speaks for itself. The point of trolling is to say what will provoke the target of the trolling to have a conniption.
- gaganyaan 2y ago
  What a stupid take. Sorry to be blunt, but you need to be told that, because you should feel bad. There's a reason for the quote "Any community that gets its laughs by pretending to be idiots will eventually be flooded by actual idiots who mistakenly believe that they're in good company". Replace "idiots" with "Nazis" for enlightenment.
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- otterley 2y ago
  We’re well past the mere “trolling for lulz’s sake” phase. These people now have the controls and their actions can do significant damage if unchecked.

rayiner 2y ago

You're so close! But you've got the conclusion backwards. People enjoy Musk's trolling because the culture has become so sanitized. There is a reason corporate HR departments have rigid rules--legal liability, the need to keep a diverse workforce focused on the job at hand. But the whole world shouldn't be like that. > It’s the “things they wish they could say” that’s concerning. The ideological alignment speaks for itself. The point of trolling is to say what will provoke the target of the trolling to have a conniption.

gaganyaan 2y ago
What a stupid take. Sorry to be blunt, but you need to be told that, because you should feel bad. There's a reason for the quote "Any community that gets its laughs by pretending to be idiots will eventually be flooded by actual idiots who mistakenly believe that they're in good company". Replace "idiots" with "Nazis" for enlightenment.
- deleted 2y ago
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otterley 2y ago
We’re well past the mere “trolling for lulz’s sake” phase. These people now have the controls and their actions can do significant damage if unchecked.