I just closed my Twitter account in the expectation there will no longer be any moderation of Trump or similar, reactionary propagandists. I hope many others will do the same.
Well, he is in a way accountable for how he invests his own money. When you make cars, you can be everything in your company. However, the feds are beginning to think that his driverless car thing is dangerous. It either kills the passenger (by running into a white tractor-trailer) or the driver gets bored, stops watching, and kills someone else. Elon might lose in all.
But when you buy a service like Twitter, it only makes money when people use it. if your customers stop using it for any reason (i. e., they no longer trust it), you goose is cooked. There are already plenty of internet apps that let people spew hatred.
So, when it comes to Elon and Twitter, WE are "in the driver's seat," (excuse the pun). If you don't like it, find another platform or start one yourself. We cannot count on today's courts to do anything but make a mess. So, it's up to us. Let's DO IT!
This looks very dangerous, as the World is not particularly stable at the moment. I am not an US citizen. I appreciate that democracy in your country is in a shaky state at the moment and because I really believe in Democracy I am sorry to see you sinking under combined weight of MAGA, Musk, Putin and Southern Evangelicals..
First, and bear with me here, I gotta get this off my chest, Musk is making a strong bid for the title of Biggest Asshole in the Universe (which Matt Taibbi some years ago originally awarded to Alan Greenspan). Competition is stiff, what with all the fascist, racist autocrats and power-crazed no-talent tinhorns out there, not to mention the far-right extremist billionaires continuing to corrupt our country with their blood money. But Musk, an execrable excuse for a human being and a waste of otherwise perfectly good oxygen, seems determined...
I've gotten on Twitter yesterday and the day before and the postings were 90% garbage. None of the intelligent postings I grew used to seeing but rather the stuff that lurked in the corners, much like the MAGAts who came out of the woodwork when Trump gave them the power to be publicly dumb, violent and racist.
I suspect that the number of Twitter followers will decline dramatically until Trump is allowed back on, and then it will be Trump's s**tshow and his maggot followers will exult in Trump temporary victory, and as the former guy once put it, 'get tired of winning.'
In the end, though, the Musk Melon will lose most or all of his investment and eventually either fade away or run for high office because, as narcissists seem to believe, they're so wonderful that everyone is supposed to stand up and cheer for them and what better way to gain the applause (if you don't sing or dance) than to gain the highest office in the land?
The greatest threat to what's left of America is an uninformed or misinformed populace that doesn't recognize fascism when it hits them on the nose.
Even before Elon took over twitter, I thought of removing myself. Yesterday I did remove myself from twitter. It is a worthless media and now even moreso.
I quit Twitter months ago when I read that EM had made an offer to buy it and make it a privately owned, uncontrolled entity. I have long ago disconnected from TV Networks and prefer to live in a world of fiction via streamed "foreign" TV and movies where I can pretend to live in a world where people have ordinary problems, a social safety net and socialized medicine even if only for a few hours. I read fiction for entertainment and posts like these.
I feel that the two main newspapers (NYT and WAPO) that I have read for my entire adult life have recently changed from being quasi-liberal to more conservative and filled with verbal nonsense and meanness. For now, I will keep my NYT subscription for the Crossword, Spelling Bee, Wordle, and Letterboxed and some occasional OPED pieces. Few writers other than Jennifer Rubin keep my interest in the WAPO and I will let the subscription run out.
I know in my heart that these changes have occurred since the gap between the very wealthy and the rest of us has exponentially widened with decisions like Citizens Unites and Corporate greed. I'm sick to death of hearing about the hatefulness of Trump and his GOP sycophants and the Catholic decisions of SCOTUS.
At almost 82 years old, I can say that I've lived a lot of our "history" but I now have little hope for our country to remain a Democracy when and if the GOP manages to take control of our Government in November. I wish I could be more hopeful for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren but I'm not.
Elon is just 1 of the 1,000s of Oligarchs controlling our news.
This October, segments of the stock market rose at a near record rate. So far this month, the rise is the best since 1978. Also, at the same time America's 3rd quarter GDP rose 2.6%. My point is that the "Biden crash" has not occurred, and the business news oligarchs will not explain that to the American public. Instead, they explained the rise in the market to the projections that Biden will lose control of the House and Senate this November. This is very bad. During the 1930s there were 1,000s of American NAZIs inspired by such Oligarchs like Henry Ford, whose Dearborn press blamed almost all of the world's problems on the Jews. Hitler praised Henry and awarded him the highest honor that Germany can give. I know a lot of you don't think America has oligarchs, but that's because American oligarchs are not as bad as Russian oligarchs.
Don't fool yourself. The vast majority of American news is controlled by oligarchs, like Elon, who shape most of public opinion. Their goal is to divide Americans and create chaos. So far it is working.
I just closed my Twitter account in the expectation there will no longer be any moderation of Trump or similar, reactionary propagandists. I hope many others will do the same.
Well, he is in a way accountable for how he invests his own money. When you make cars, you can be everything in your company. However, the feds are beginning to think that his driverless car thing is dangerous. It either kills the passenger (by running into a white tractor-trailer) or the driver gets bored, stops watching, and kills someone else. Elon might lose in all.
But when you buy a service like Twitter, it only makes money when people use it. if your customers stop using it for any reason (i. e., they no longer trust it), you goose is cooked. There are already plenty of internet apps that let people spew hatred.
So, when it comes to Elon and Twitter, WE are "in the driver's seat," (excuse the pun). If you don't like it, find another platform or start one yourself. We cannot count on today's courts to do anything but make a mess. So, it's up to us. Let's DO IT!
This looks very dangerous, as the World is not particularly stable at the moment. I am not an US citizen. I appreciate that democracy in your country is in a shaky state at the moment and because I really believe in Democracy I am sorry to see you sinking under combined weight of MAGA, Musk, Putin and Southern Evangelicals..
I'm calling it "shitter" from now on because Musk and how he lies, dissembles and treats people badly is one big SHIT!!
I can't possibly "like" this post. It is too horrid. And too true.
It's time to eliminate the class of billionaires, isn't it?
First, and bear with me here, I gotta get this off my chest, Musk is making a strong bid for the title of Biggest Asshole in the Universe (which Matt Taibbi some years ago originally awarded to Alan Greenspan). Competition is stiff, what with all the fascist, racist autocrats and power-crazed no-talent tinhorns out there, not to mention the far-right extremist billionaires continuing to corrupt our country with their blood money. But Musk, an execrable excuse for a human being and a waste of otherwise perfectly good oxygen, seems determined...
In a more productive vein, see Heather Cox Richardson's Oct. 28 essay for some interesting insight on some practical, real-world constraints Musk is likely to crash into with Twitter (scroll about halfway down if you don't want to read about the attack on Paul Pelosi): https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-28-2022?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email.
Clean up the Internet - tax 1 penny every tweet, like, post, email. etc.
It's a Free-for-All because it is free for all.
An unregulated Internet is as unrealistic as an unregulated marketplace. The tricks are getting the right regulations and enforcing them.
I just cancelled my Twitter account.
You are a brilliant, if depressing, analyst
of our changing world. Please put your
talented mind to work on how to
overcome these dangers.
I've gotten on Twitter yesterday and the day before and the postings were 90% garbage. None of the intelligent postings I grew used to seeing but rather the stuff that lurked in the corners, much like the MAGAts who came out of the woodwork when Trump gave them the power to be publicly dumb, violent and racist.
I suspect that the number of Twitter followers will decline dramatically until Trump is allowed back on, and then it will be Trump's s**tshow and his maggot followers will exult in Trump temporary victory, and as the former guy once put it, 'get tired of winning.'
In the end, though, the Musk Melon will lose most or all of his investment and eventually either fade away or run for high office because, as narcissists seem to believe, they're so wonderful that everyone is supposed to stand up and cheer for them and what better way to gain the applause (if you don't sing or dance) than to gain the highest office in the land?
The greatest threat to what's left of America is an uninformed or misinformed populace that doesn't recognize fascism when it hits them on the nose.
Overconsolidation and monopolies are the death of capitalism.... yet, republicans just say, "Get out of thier way".
The rich and corporate have purchased an entire party.... with no room or tolerance for personal integrity, beliefs, ethics, or patriotism.
Tim Michels has spent overs 20 million of his own money, 97% of the whole, to BUY THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. HE IS TRYING TO BUY A STATE.
Even before Elon took over twitter, I thought of removing myself. Yesterday I did remove myself from twitter. It is a worthless media and now even moreso.
I quit Twitter months ago when I read that EM had made an offer to buy it and make it a privately owned, uncontrolled entity. I have long ago disconnected from TV Networks and prefer to live in a world of fiction via streamed "foreign" TV and movies where I can pretend to live in a world where people have ordinary problems, a social safety net and socialized medicine even if only for a few hours. I read fiction for entertainment and posts like these.
I feel that the two main newspapers (NYT and WAPO) that I have read for my entire adult life have recently changed from being quasi-liberal to more conservative and filled with verbal nonsense and meanness. For now, I will keep my NYT subscription for the Crossword, Spelling Bee, Wordle, and Letterboxed and some occasional OPED pieces. Few writers other than Jennifer Rubin keep my interest in the WAPO and I will let the subscription run out.
I know in my heart that these changes have occurred since the gap between the very wealthy and the rest of us has exponentially widened with decisions like Citizens Unites and Corporate greed. I'm sick to death of hearing about the hatefulness of Trump and his GOP sycophants and the Catholic decisions of SCOTUS.
At almost 82 years old, I can say that I've lived a lot of our "history" but I now have little hope for our country to remain a Democracy when and if the GOP manages to take control of our Government in November. I wish I could be more hopeful for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren but I'm not.
Elon is just 1 of the 1,000s of Oligarchs controlling our news.
This October, segments of the stock market rose at a near record rate. So far this month, the rise is the best since 1978. Also, at the same time America's 3rd quarter GDP rose 2.6%. My point is that the "Biden crash" has not occurred, and the business news oligarchs will not explain that to the American public. Instead, they explained the rise in the market to the projections that Biden will lose control of the House and Senate this November. This is very bad. During the 1930s there were 1,000s of American NAZIs inspired by such Oligarchs like Henry Ford, whose Dearborn press blamed almost all of the world's problems on the Jews. Hitler praised Henry and awarded him the highest honor that Germany can give. I know a lot of you don't think America has oligarchs, but that's because American oligarchs are not as bad as Russian oligarchs.
Don't fool yourself. The vast majority of American news is controlled by oligarchs, like Elon, who shape most of public opinion. Their goal is to divide Americans and create chaos. So far it is working.