Elon Musk: Always A Douche

[HVC]

In my view he was obfuscating, so he was taking truth and mudding it, not adding truth.

[Admiral Yi]

In my view he was obfuscating, so he was taking truth and mudding it, not adding truth.

I'm confused.  Is the truth you're referring to the $45 million a month?

[HVC]

In my view he was obfuscating, so he was taking truth and mudding it, not adding truth.

I'm confused.  Is the truth you're referring to the $45 million a month?

"I have not pledged anything to anyone"

"I did create a PAC"

So he is donating, but has just added a middle step which doesn't functionally change anything beyond perhaps lining the pockets of some functionaries along the way. That's the obfuscating part


"Funding to date has been far below that level"

 He also doesn't really deny the amount exactly, just that it isn't there yet.

[Admiral Yi]

"I have not pledged anything to anyone"

"I did create a PAC"

So he is donating, but has just added a middle step which doesn't functionally change anything beyond perhaps lining the pockets of some functionaries along the way. That's the obfuscating part


"Funding to date has been far below that level"

 He also doesn't really deny the amount exactly, just that it isn't there yet.

I think there is a material difference between promising someone $45 million a month of your own money and starting a PAC with an unspecified initial commitment on your part.

But let's assume for the sake of argument there is no material difference.  Then what possible motive exists for overegging the pudding?  I have given this some thought and have only come up with two reasonable explanations: it's signaling behavior or it's a grift.  To elaborate, perhaps the point of the exercise is to show everyone else you're on the right side of the pro Musk anti Musk culture war.  Or to trick gullible people who are not yet sufficiently anti Musk into disliking him more.

[Josquius]

Yes.... Candidates who support a meritocracy... That's totally trump.

[HVC]

He's always claimed to be in the Center, but acts very differently. Could be self denial, could be plausible deniability. Hell could be trolling, I have no clue. But in the end it's like him saying "I'm not giving any money to Yi, I'm giving it to BB and if it all happens to go to Yi through BB rigorous vetting about free speech and meritocracy well that just a coincidence "


*edit* that is to say you're focusing on the amount and I'm focusing on the "I have not pledged anything to anyone" part.

[Admiral Yi]

He's always claimed to be in the Center, but acts very differently. Could be self denial, could be plausible deniability. Hell could be trolling, I have no clue. But in the end it's like him saying "I'm not giving any money to Yi, I'm giving it to BB and if it all happens to go to Yi through BB rigorous vetting about free speech and meritocracy well that just a coincidence "


*edit* that is to say you're focusing on the amount and I'm focusing on the "I have not pledged anything to anyone" part.

I'm focusing on both the amount and the pledge.  I.e. the entirety of DogeMonkey's post.

And his statement is not like what you wrote.  I see nothing in Musk's statement about rigorous vetting or coincidence. 

[Zoupa]

Sure the truth matters, but this is a distinction without a difference.

[Admiral Yi]

Sure the truth matters, but this is a distinction without a difference.

If there is no difference between $45 million a month and "not that much, won't say how much, but it's a lot," why did DogeMonkey choose to report $45 million a month?

[viper37]

He's always claimed to be in the Center, but acts very differently. Could be self denial, could be plausible deniability. Hell could be trolling, I have no clue. But in the end it's like him saying "I'm not giving any money to Yi, I'm giving it to BB and if it all happens to go to Yi through BB rigorous vetting about free speech and meritocracy well that just a coincidence "


*edit* that is to say you're focusing on the amount and I'm focusing on the "I have not pledged anything to anyone" part.

I'm focusing on both the amount and the pledge.  I.e. the entirety of DogeMonkey's post.

And his statement is not like what you wrote.  I see nothing in Musk's statement about rigorous vetting or coincidence. 

Elon Musk always promise a lot but under delivers.

He might have pledged 45 million$ a month to a PAC to support Trump's re-election if he picked that VP guy, but in the end only gave 25MM$ a month because not enough donors followed.


Like Tesla promised a lot of things but under-delivered.
Like Hyperloop that went bankrupt because it could not deliver.
Like Space X that does not appear has formidable as once thought once the smoke clears.
Like Twitter and its constant security breaches.

[Zoupa]

Sure the truth matters, but this is a distinction without a difference.

If there is no difference between $45 million a month and "not that much, won't say how much, but it's a lot," why did DogeMonkey choose to report $45 million a month?

1. the 45 million $ was originally reported by the WSJ.
2. Musk lies all the time.

I'm not sure why you take whatever he says at face value. 3 months ago he stated he won't be donating to any candidate.

[Admiral Yi]

1. the 45 million $ was originally reported by the WSJ.
2. Musk lies all the time.

I'm not sure why you take whatever he says at face value. 3 months ago he stated he won't be donating to any candidate.

I tried to look up the WSJ story but got paywalled.  Poked around a bit and ended up with a Slate article (honestly can't remember if it's Slate or Salon that makes shit up) which said "Then, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk plans to contribute as much as $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super PAC run by Silicon Valley conservatives Joe Lonsdale and the Winklevoss twins."

That's good enough for me.  DogeMonkey was telling The Truth and Musk was weaseling.

[Josquius]

He's always claimed to be in the Center, but acts very differently. Could be self denial, could be plausible deniability. Hell could be trolling, I have no clue. But in the end it's like him saying "I'm not giving any money to Yi, I'm giving it to BB and if it all happens to go to Yi through BB rigorous vetting about free speech and meritocracy well that just a coincidence "


*edit* that is to say you're focusing on the amount and I'm focusing on the "I have not pledged anything to anyone" part.

I have found this is a weird and common thing amongst educated and otherwise intelligent folks who end up supporting hard right populism.
Insisting "it's not actually that right wing" and "the world is just so left wing it looks right wing. It's the centre really".
I remember Musk posting a bizare meme explaining this one not too long ago.
It's such amazing projection. How anyone could seriously think the world is very left wing these days... Unless you're speaking of a 200 year long scope of history it's delusional.

[Admiral Yi]

I have found this is a weird and common thing amongst educated and otherwise intelligent folks who end up supporting hard right populism.
Insisting "it's not actually that ring wing" and "the world is just so left wing it looks right wing. It's the centre really".
I remember Musk posting a bizare meme explaining this one not too long ago.
It's such amazing projection. How anyone could seriously think the world is very left wing these days... Unless you're speaking of a 200 year long scope of history it's delusional.

Or unless you're speaking of the commanding heights of universities, the media, corporate HRs, and public education.  And the volume and stridency of public discourse as it is manifested online.

[Tamas]

Public discourse especially online is dominated by the right wing. They decide what public debates are about. I follow neither extremes of the political spectrum and far left tropes such as gender theory things and such always reach me because somebody on the right gets outraged and that gets reported in the more mainstream/centre things I do follow.