this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2024
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The billionaire wants to advance his political program while preserving his power and wealth

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[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 94 points 7 months ago (3 children)

If you didn't think this was the point of him buying twitter...

It was never about the money, its about growing and empowering a movement that the global oligarchy think they can control.

[–] Ashyr@sh.itjust.works 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It was never a clever ploy. He’s an idiot that said something he shouldn’t have it may ruin far more than Twitter before all is said and done.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

I didn't say it was clever, just that it was obvious. This was an opportunity for a foreign government (Saudis) to buy media/ narrative control over US media. A rightwing/ fascist government is easier for them to work on, so they do things that support its creation.

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Which is exactly the same plan as last time. Then, the ultra-rich were afraid of communism so they propped up nationalism. Now though, they are after democracy as such.

[–] whereisk@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

What's the downside for them? They either win big or things stay roughly the same and they might pay some extra tax but not much. No one (of them) is losing their bulk of their wealth or their freedom. Might as well roll the dice.

[–] MrMakabar 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Ask the Russian oligarchs how they feel about Purin causing massive sanctions against Russia.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

There won't be any massive sanctions if ~85% of the world's governments on your side. That's why they're propping up it in every country.

However, they'll inadvertently also reignite territorial disputes between countries. The Russo-Ukrainian war is also based on the fact, that in the past, borders were different, and some countries were "greater" at that time.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 0 points 7 months ago

Or about throwing half of them in jail (or through the window) because they said something he didn't like or because he wanted their stuff.

Everyone thinks the leopard only eats other people's faces.

[–] MrMakabar 1 points 7 months ago

Ask the Russian oligarchs how they feel about Purin causing massive sanctions against Russia.

[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 61 points 7 months ago (3 children)

this is what the .1% want - a full Corporatocracy where they, not elected leaders of governments, control countries and people.

[–] Infynis@midwest.social -3 points 7 months ago

Might be time to move to the EU, so when we all become corporate citizens, I can at least be a citizen of Lego

[–] HoustonHenry@lemmy.world 50 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You can remove the douche from the apartheid, but you can't remove the apartheid from the douche

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Okay but now I need to rewatch sausage party and repeat this.

[–] HoustonHenry@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Happy to assist!

[–] bardmoss@linux.community 15 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Elon Musk has trouble elevating his own rocket. He sure as hell isn't elevating anything in terms of political discourse..

[–] wildncrazyguy@kbin.social 3 points 7 months ago

I mean, he does have like 7^x log(ln) kids...

[–] exscape@kbin.social 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I can't stand Musk, but SpaceX is going really well, so I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean... If you're referring to Starship, they didn't expect it to work 100% on the first few tries (unlike some media, who report on it as if they failed).

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

This may be an unpopular opinion but corporate space flight is stupid at this point in humanity's history.

Any efficiencies that can be pointed to come from skirting regulations in ways NASA can't or from stock assumptions that might lead to foreign sales and or monopoly, which should be a consideration no matter whose doing it... if it's illegal for NASA to sell space IP to another company, than it should be for any company.

People say government doesn't work, but we have never had a chance to see it work with Republicans throwing albatrosses across it's neck and cutting at its heals and slashing their hamstrings at any chance they get.

[–] eardon@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I totally agree, but funneling taxpayer money to space exploration makes rich people richer faster than, say, using that money to build homes or feed the hungry.

This means useful idiots are always going to support it over any alternatives.

[–] ormr@feddit.de -2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Stupid at this point in humanity's history? Why should it be stupid to make it cheaper to fly payloads into space when we have unprecedented demand for renewable energy? Without interference of the atmosphere we could harvest solar energy much more efficiently and reliably.

We are likely to see a space elevator build in 100 years and it will be a good thing for humanity. For example we'll be able to remove nuclear waste from earth and send it away for good with negligible costs.

These are just two economic examples. From a scientific perspective cheap space flight is valuable because it enables a lot of advances, like the next generation of space telescopes, working as interferometers without atmospheric disturbances.

So I think it's everything but stupid for humanity to expand it's space operations if this is accompanied by meaningful regulations. The latter of course will require a lot of energy to achieve.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago

No one is saying to stop space activity. All of that could be done through government agency if we really wanted to. Inefficiency doesn't come from some nebulous bureaucracy, it comes from actually observing regulations and taking safety and environmental considerations into account.

If space is that important for humanity, than you may as well suspend the regulations. All a corporation is doing is skirting those regulations and acting as a middle man to collect some money for doing so. Adding profit does not make an organization more efficient, as it means money is going to things that don't support space.

[–] Holyginz@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

It should never be falling on for profit companies. That's how you end up with super corporations being in charge instead of governments and that is a disaster waiting to happen. All that was needed was to actually start seriously funding programs like NASA again.

[–] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 7 months ago (1 children)

because he can't elevates his dick anymore

[–] eardon@lemmy.ca -1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Really? Didn't he impregnate Grimes twice?

In addition to having kids with like 3 other women?

Say what you want about Musk, but there's no denying he's having a way easier time getting laid and spreading his genes than most of you.

There's just something about money that even makes slimeballs like Musk irresistible to the opposite sex.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

Half of his kids were IVF.

[–] kari0ca@lemmy.world -5 points 7 months ago

If he were helping the extreme left, I assure you, that would be ok for the most people here...