Discussion The Random Discussion Thread

[gringo2011]

The Elon of 10 years ago ain't the Elon of now.

Look at his tweets. The guys losing it with every week that goes by.

Twitter has been run into the ground.

It's the ruling class doing their "let them eat memes". A revolution run by the top 1%. What could go wrong.

 

[gringo2011]

To paraphrase Dostoevsky from the novel Crime and Punishment: "The world has a disease where everyone thinks that they are right. Everyone is distracted by their own opinions shouting and fighting. So much so that the world appears chaotic...a chaos that has been completely manufactured out of a diseased inability to listen to what is truly happening."

We are living in interesting times. Not for any good reason, but interesting nonetheless.

The way algorithms work is to feed your beliefs and solidify them. After a while you become so unable to think critically or with any clarity.

It's incredible watching Twitter right now. Israel Palestine stuff has one side saying it's a genocide and a plan to expand Israel, the other side says it's Pallywood lies, made up, being fought by the gentlest most moral army in the world. If you lean one way you'll only see one side of the argument.

I see people on both sides claiming certain voices like Whitney Webb and Caitlin Johnstone. Both seem to have no ties to a party or ideology but no one can believe that you can't have an extreme position either way but cherry pick the stuff that backs their world view.

 

[Sully111]

You don't see the irony?

If they can cut wasteful government spending, I'm all for it.

For many years I worked with people with disabilities. The obscene waste of funding I witnessed drove me insane.

Maybe Elon and co aren't the right people... I guess we'll see. (or we won't)

FWIW I agree that Elon is a megalomaniac. I'm really only interested in whether or not he can do the job though.

 

[gringo2011]

If they can cut wasteful government spending, I'm all for it.

For many years I worked with people with disabilities. The obscene waste of funding I witnessed drove me insane.

Maybe Elon and co aren't the right people... I guess we'll see. (or we won't)

FWIW I agree that Elon is a megalomaniac. I'm really only interested in whether or not he can do the job though.

They give him literally billions of government dollars to make his companies profitable.

Trump's people seem to be dreaming of isolationism. I don't hate stopping globalisation but there is a lot of reasons why it's hard to get out of.

Even bringing in mass immigration is purely because capitalism needs 3% growth year on year. Immigration creates constant demand and keeps the system running hot. Unfortunately the governments love the growth but won't invest in the infrastructure to support it so things get stretched and they then blame the immigrants.

If he cuts that off he's going to find a whole lot of economic hurdles and it's likely to get very bad before it gets better. If his base lose their shit and he doesn't see it through the US could get pretty chaotic.

 

[ScrappyDo]

They give him literally billions of government dollars to make his companies profitable.

Trump's people seem to be dreaming of isolationism. I don't hate stopping globalisation but there is a lot of reasons why it's hard to get out of.

Even bringing in mass immigration is purely because capitalism needs 3% growth year on year. Immigration creates constant demand and keeps the system running hot. Unfortunately the governments love the growth but won't invest in the infrastructure to support it so things get stretched and they then blame the immigrants.

If he cuts that off he's going to find a whole lot of economic hurdles and it's likely to get very bad before it gets better. If his base lose their shit and he doesn't see it through the US could get pretty chaotic.

The US will never be short of immigration. Cutting out the illigals and funding for them will drastically alter the black economy but things might start to crumble without the cheap labour. Gonna be interesting to watch.

 

[gringo2011]

The US will never be short of immigration. Cutting out the illigals and funding for them will drastically alter the black economy but things might start to crumble without the cheap labour. Gonna be interesting to watch.

The problem with having poor neighbours is that there will always be a flow of people ready to risk it all for opportunity. They could look at policy that strengthens Mexico's economy and makes leaving less desirable.

The cost of removing people is probably much higher than what those people contribute to the economy anyway. The irony is that tariffs, removing illegals and all that kind of reactive policy will make the cost of everything higher there. Probably ironically good for the environment.

The simple answers look obvious on the surface but it's a big murky pool. Populists that promise to clean things up with simple answers rarely work out and end up being autocrats to hold on to power.

Not sure that's Trump but it's a well worn path.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Surely the "right to protest" needs to have some common sense attached as to what you're actually protesting about. It's a Christmas display ffs.

The problem is these people lack common sense.

They've been going at it every single Sunday for over a year and nothing has changed. Clearly protesting through the city isn't effective.

I think they're starting to realise they've outstayed thier welcome.

 

[gringo2011]

The problem is these people lack common sense.

They've been going at it every single Sunday for over a year and nothing has changed. Clearly protesting through the city isn't effective.

I think they're starting to realise they've outstayed thier welcome.

The idea of protests isn't to win friends, it's literally to get eyes on the issue. They didn't even end up having to do the protest and got more publicity that they have for a year. The more oxygen the politicians and media give it the more they are encouraged.

 

[ScrappyDo]

The problem with having poor neighbours is that there will always be a flow of people ready to risk it all for opportunity. They could look at policy that strengthens Mexico's economy and makes leaving less desirable.

The cost of removing people is probably much higher than what those people contribute to the economy anyway. The irony is that tariffs, removing illegals and all that kind of reactive policy will make the cost of everything higher there. Probably ironically good for the environment.

The simple answers look obvious on the surface but it's a big murky pool. Populists that promise to clean things up with simple answers rarely work out and end up being autocrats to hold on to power.

Not sure that's Trump but it's a well worn path.

I'm in favour of measures that reduce or prevent artificially low prices, which is always utilising desperate people that will work below our accepted level of remuneration. TVs, power tools and microwaves should cost 3x what they do currently. Minimum price goods and services is a cancer.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

The idea of protests isn't to win friends, it's literally to get eyes on the issue. They didn't even end up having to do the protest and got more publicity that they have for a year. The more oxygen the politicians and media give it the more they are encouraged.

The longevity of it is causing damage to thier cause. People have just tuned out.

It's why they have to turn to desperate stuff like the Christmas windows to get attention.

Modern activists struggle to come up with ideas outside of marching in the streets.

 

[True Believer]

The idea of protests isn't to win friends, it's literally to get eyes on the issue. They didn't even end up having to do the protest and got more publicity that they have for a year. The more oxygen the politicians and media give it the more they are encouraged.

I'd love someone to explain to me exactly what "eyes on the issue" is going to do in a country of 27 million people on the arse end of the earth?

 

[Yawkey way]

The Elon of 10 years ago ain't the Elon of now.

Look at his tweets. The guys losing it with every week that goes by.

Twitter has been run into the ground.

Seems like Twitter is doing just fine and musk is making money hand over fist.

One thing he’s going after is cost plus contracts and who got what, great idea massive fraud and waste.

 

[Yawkey way]

It's generally better for the 1% to have the 99% fighting amongst themselves about stuff that sort of matters, that way the 1% can concentrate on extracting cash from them all. Very effective tactic!

Almost there given there’s very little left except our homes.

 

[bergholt]

Almost there given there’s very little left except our homes.

Nah the boomers have plenty of money, just not trickling down until they finally die.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Seems like Twitter is doing just fine and musk is making money hand over fist.

One thing he’s going after is cost plus contracts and who got what, great idea massive fraud and waste.

Twitters value has tanked

Musk’s $44 billion Twitter now valued at just $9.4b as X.

[Link: Fidelity has cut X's value by 79% since Musk purchase | https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/29/fidelity-has-cut-xs-value-by-79-since-musk-purchase/ | TechCrunch] The markdown comes courtesy of Fidelity which now values its initial $19.66 million investment in X at just $4.18 million. > The...

www.theverge.com

 

[Armoooo]

And there it is in a nutshell

"I don't believe a trans woman is a real woman" somehow translates to "I hate trans people"

I refuse to accept your ignorant spin

My comment wasn't in response to your belief that trans women aren't real women. I believe a distinction between cis and trans women is important for a range of reasons.

If anything it was more about your comments about mutilating kids. It's something a lot on the right do, act like they're outraged on behalf of the millions of confused kids getting mutilated by ideologues and profit driven doctors.

If these people really cared about kids they'd know that gender reassignment surgery of minors is incredibly, incredibly rare. They would also know that trans kids who receive appropriate gender affirming care (could be as simple as letting them change their names and pronouns) have lower rates of suicide than those forced to comply with their biological gender.

If you find trans people so icky, that you refuse to budget whatsoever and are willing to accept the trans kids having worse outcomes, I won't argue you on that. That's a subjective call.

But I don't like the feigned care for the kids. Because even if you don't like it, the health statistics clearly indicate that gender affirming care helps kids, even if you don't like the solution.

 

[Armoooo]

Twitters value has tanked

Musk’s $44 billion Twitter now valued at just $9.4b as X.

[Link: Fidelity has cut X's value by 79% since Musk purchase | https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/29/fidelity-has-cut-xs-value-by-79-since-musk-purchase/ | TechCrunch] The markdown comes courtesy of Fidelity which now values its initial $19.66 million investment in X at just $4.18 million. > The...

www.theverge.com

Twitter was the best purchase Elon ever made. It was never about money, it was about influence. His name is now a part of every major discussion, it's accomplished what he wanted it and for an amount of money he can make back in no time.

It would be like arguing that Goebells decision to provide every German household with a free radio was a bad decision because there was no financial return. It got their message to the ears of every citizen just as Musks acquisition of Twitter has.

 

[Yawkey way]

Twitters value has tanked

Musk’s $44 billion Twitter now valued at just $9.4b as X.

[Link: Fidelity has cut X's value by 79% since Musk purchase | https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/29/fidelity-has-cut-xs-value-by-79-since-musk-purchase/ | TechCrunch] The markdown comes courtesy of Fidelity which now values its initial $19.66 million investment in X at just $4.18 million. > The...

www.theverge.com

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/musks-political-ascendancy-stirs-hopes-redemption-x-banks-2024-11-15/

Not to mention the leverage and influence.

 

[Armoooo]

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/musks-political-ascendancy-stirs-hopes-redemption-x-banks-2024-11-15/

Not to mention the leverage and influence.

Influence has been consolidated.

They've lost the left, academia and large chunks of Hollywood.

But twitters influence with the manosphere and the far right has never been stronger.

 

[Yawkey way]

Influence has been consolidated.

They've lost the left, academia and large chunks of Hollywood.

But twitters influence with the manosphere and the far right has never been stronger.

Just watch many will be back.

 

[Armoooo]

Just watch many will be back.

Oh my bad, I thought you were shit talking twitter, not defending it.

I'm not sure many will be back. It has solidified itself as a right wing echo chamber now.

There is little reason for people on the left to want to go back.

The more prominent a right wing figure Musk is, the less likely it becomes.

Bluesky is getting some hype as the new twitter, but I think it will probably fizzle out like threads did. But still, there are a lot of other options available.

 

[gringo2011]

I'd love someone to explain to me exactly what "eyes on the issue" is going to do in a country of 277 million people on the arse end of the earth?

The government has just folded on recognition of a Palestinian state after a year of voting with the US. Pressuring politicians works and it should be a right in every society. When it's something you believe strongly in you'll want the right to do it too.

 

[gringo2011]

Almost there given there’s very little left except our homes.

Inflation and land tax etc has definitely even made life harder for boomers too. The middle class has been decimated, probably even more than the working classes in trades.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

[

The government has just folded on recognition of a Palestinian state after a year of voting with the US. Pressuring politicians works and it should be a right in every society. When it's something you believe strongly in you'll want the right to do it too.

I'd wager they only acted because thier jobs are on the line.

Nothing motivates a politician more than the threat of losing thier job

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Inflation and land tax etc has definitely even made life harder for boomers too. The middle class has been decimated, probably even more than the working classes in trades.

Land tax is getting those boomers to flog off thier investment properties so it's not a bad thing