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Culture War Roundup for the week of August 17, 2026

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Obviously not what I meant. There is no point unless you engage with what I meant.

What you meant made no sense. You wouldn't have bought Twitter even if Musk got absolutely no subsidies.

No it's obviously a trivial action

It most likely determined the result of the American election, so it had a huge impact on the world.

And even on your metric he falls short of what I would do.

You wouldn't do anything.

You wouldn't do anything.

How do you know that?

What you meant made no sense.

What do I need to clarify for you? It seemed quite simple to me.

How do you know that?

Because you wouldn't be in a position to, not even if Musk stole no money.

What do I need to clarify for you? It seemed quite simple to me.

How, specifically, would you purchase Twitter, even if Elon Musk stole absolutely no money from you.

Because you wouldn't be in a position to, not even if Musk stole no money.

The premise is if I did have that money. Otherwise we ought to talk about the making of money and not the buying things with it. Do you remember the breakfast question by the way?

The premise is if I did have that money

No, the only premise was that Musk is not given any money at your expense. So outside of a tax reduction equal to you contribution to the subsidies he received, you'd have no extra money regardless of how much he received.

Otherwise we ought to talk about the making of money and not the buying things with it.

Why? Lots of billionaires could have ought Twitter, and didn't.

Why? Lots of billionaires could have ought Twitter, and didn't.

Are those billionaires me?

No, the only premise was that Musk is not given any money at your expense.

That was not the premise.

So outside of a tax reduction equal to you contribution to the subsidies he received, you'd have no extra money regardless of how much he received.

If he behaved fully justly some philosopher-king would have the money and we'd have cool things with it instead of a buggy social media website, increasingly censored.

Are those billionaires me?

That's not relevant, the question shows the flaw in the general logic of "Otherwise we ought to talk about the making of money and not the buying things with it."

That was not the premise.

If you didn't mean "if he hadn't stolen that money from me", maybe you should say that other thing you actually meant.

If he behaved fully justly some philosopher-king would have the money and we'd have cool things with it instead of a buggy social media website, increasingly censored.

We were talking about whether or not he's a great man of history, not whether or not he behaved fully justly. Genghis Khan was a great man of history. Stalin was a great man of history. Hitler was a great man of history. They are not what I'd describe as behaving fully justly.

Elon Musk's web app from the 90s that was merged and acquired and never seen again just wasn't impressive to me. He's a lucky upper-mediocre man and it's clear as day on his Twitter account. I think people only find him impressive because they wish they had the money, have just world bias and construct a narrative where he's a better man than them so he deserves the money. Meanwhile they undervalue more impressive things like brilliant philosophy because there's no sex or money to be jealous of there.

"Impressive" is an adjective that implies someone is impressed. If no one is impressed, it's not impressive. If you are the only one who is impressed, it's fairly cheap as impressions go.

I'm in the cohort who are quick to say (or at least think) that Musk is cringe, a salesman, and doesn't deserve the money in any cosmic sense. Unfortunately for those who grasp at the label of greatness, greatness is not about just deserts.

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