Would you believe I have 150,000 followers on Twitter? A lot of them are just hate-following me, but still, it’s a large crowd.
I’m abandoning them now. I’ve made my last post on that hellsite.
Elon Musk has promoted so much garbage that I can no longer in good conscience use the social media site. It’s just vile, and the final straw that broke my interest was the raging anti-semitism that’s flourishing there.
Elon Musk is an impressive business guy. In the space of a year, he turned Xwitter from a sometimes-annoying but vital source of information and community-building into an antisemitic dumpster fire in the middle of a racist tire fire atop a shit-encrusted mountain of misinformation and conspiracy theories — all while losing money at it, too.
Wednesday night, the techno wunderscheißhaufen poured gasoline on one of those fires, boosting a vile antisemitic tweet that echoed the deadly rhetoric behind multiple mass shootings by white supremacists. But he later said he didn’t mean to do antisemitism to all Jews, just the ADL and a lot of others, so no harm, no foul stench, and advertisers will surely not be further put off spending money at Xwitter, right?
Here’s another take.
“You have said the actual truth” was Musk’s Wednesday night response to a paid X Premium user who, in explaining why “Hitler was right,” accused Jewish communities in the U.S. of “dialectical hatred against whites” and blamed them for “flooding their country” with “hordes of minorities.” Musk went on to clarify that he was not talking about all Jews, just the Anti-Defamation League (which has criticized Musk for white nationalist content on his platform) and unnamed others he claimed were “unjustly” focusing on “the majority of the West” rather than “the minority groups who are their primary threat.”
There’s a lot to unpack here, all of it bad. Musk is promoting the white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory, as many have noted. That blood-soaked fantasy was touted by tiki torchbearers chanting “Jews will not replace us” and echoed by several murderous white supremacists, including the terrorist who massacred Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue, even as it spread through Fox News and the right-wing media and became a fixture of GOP politics. And unlike others who have adopted a less explicit version of the theory, Musk is, in the parlance of the white nationalists who applauded his remark, explicitly “naming the Jew” as the source of the problem.
Enough, enough, enough. Fuck that guy, and fuck his company.
Anyone who wants to follow me on social media can find me here:
https://octodon.social/@pzmyers (@pzmyers@octodon.social)
https://bsky.app/profile/pzmyers.bsky.social (@pzmyers.bsky.social)
And if you don’t care about social media, that’s fine, I’ll also be right here.
Musk went on to clarify that he was not talking about all Jews, just the Anti-Defamation League…
Yeah, right, he only hates the Jews who don’t like bigots…but not the Jews who fully support Jew-haters while pretending to support Israel uber alles…
Been trying to educate my 19 yo boy. He loves Musk. Using this blog and other sources.
PZ, congratulations, you earned your ‘masochist’s badge’ and now are stepping away from the toxic pond. The elongated muskox is a horrible being.
p.s. PZ, we think ‘social media’ is societal madness. Your contributions here are helpful and not as polluted by hate and insanity as on shitter.
Xitter is like the Catholic church, they make you want to leave even if you’re not a member.
I abandoned that platform the moment Muck bought it. Not getting back in it again no matter what.
I abandoned that Xithole as soon as it became apparent precisely how Xitty Muskrat Crazy was going to churn it.
Honestly, I was seriously starting to think that someone would have to set PZ’s testicles on fire before he’d finally bail, rather than wail about the Xitshow there.
So, I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. Oh nevermind, he’s already set the reactor up to explode in precisely the way that reactors cannot explode. I’ll simply watch from high earth orbit, to avoid getting any Xit splattered into LEO from hitting me.
Of course, he’s also the brain trust that suggested nuking Mars would give it oceans and an atmosphere. Which is why nobody trusts him with so much as a party popper.
The more I see of Musk, the less I like him.
And I really didn’t like him at all long ago.
We haven’t yet hit Peak Musk or rather Bottom of the Barrel Musk yet.
I will never buy anything even remotely associated with Musk.
I even trashed my Paypal account, even though Musk and Peter Theil are long gone.
I don’t go to X any more because it has become useless for everything.
Just about everyone who has ever dealt with Elon Musk has ended up regretting it.
His breeding stock more than most.
Grimes is suing Musk, who somehow has possession of their third child.
This child was born by surrogate and it is quite possible that Grimes has never even seen it.
That would explain why he’s had so many kids. Ha, I kid, he’s an entitled wanker explains that better.
It’s been clear for years now that Musk is a vile piece of shit. What I can’t figure out is why so many people think he’s brilliant. Is it because he’s rich? Or is it because he’s rich and vile?
Many of the people who deify Musk consider Bill Gates, who’s far from perfect, to be Satan incarnate so, I guess, being rich isn’t enough to gain sycophants. You must be rich, useless, and completely evil, the trifecta among the racist cretins who populate the right wing in the US.
@ Walter Solomon, # 11: There’s a saying, “Nobody likes a bully,” which is incorrect. People like Musk (and Trump, OT) will always need their bootlicking sycophants, and there’s a more than ample supply.
@ 11
He was assumed to be “brilliant” because he associated himself with ventures that require a great deal of scientific and engineering experience and skill. That, and yes, in this dumbass country everyone assumes that you have to be intelligent to become as obnoxiously wealthy as he has.
@11
Some years ago I compared Trump to my boss and thought that both of them mainly got one talent: Being able to tell erverybody over and over again how great they are.
And there are enough people who believe them to make thrm successfull.
I think it’s the same with Musk the Twixxer.
Perhaps Trump could adopt Musk. He would fit right into that family of grifting racist bigots. They could sit around and tell each other lies all day long. It’s a match made in Hell.
Sunak recently cosied up to Musk in an interview (just the two of them – how cosy!) at the end of his ridiculous “risks of AI summit” – presumably in hopes of a job once he’s chucked out of 10 Downing Street*. I wonder whether he still thinks that was such a brilliant PR move.
*Either at the General Election, or by his own MPs in advance of that.
bsky.app (whatever it is) appears to be a near-perfect replacement for post-Musk twitter: it won’t let me see anything except a “Create a new account” button.
IBM suspends ads on X after corporate ads appeared next to pro-Nazi content
Surprised apple dod not jump first. They have to get their brand out of that cesspool.
Walter Solomon @11: The reason for the difference in reputation between Muskrat and Gates is because Muskrat has spent his entire career buying companies that had few to no direct competitors, then touting them as being some sort of big revolutionary idea that was going to disrupt the mainstream and save humanity. Gates and Microsoft otoh were simply as hardcore mainstream as it was possible to be and never tried to claim otherwise.
I gave up on twitter long ago. Not surprising that Foxwit News is also antisemitic. Rupert Murdoch’s father was involved in a nasty bit of Jew-hate in WW1. A key event in turning the tide in the allies favour was the appointment of the Australian General Sir John Monash to head Australian forces. He cared about the men under his command and they respected him. He was a practical and meticulous commander resulting in major advances on the Western Front. His successes got under the skin of Charles Bean, a war historian and adviser to the Australian PM. Together with Keith Murdoch, Rupert’s father the conspired to undermine him. One of their arguing points was that Monash was Jewish.
Why did it take you so long?
I note there still remains, as I write this, a “Share this:” Twitter link under posts on this template.
(Not quite a riddance, yet)
I quit Twitter on the day Musk took over. The fact that it was going to go to hell was only a side reason. Twitter’s revenue (such as it now is) come from advertising, and ad revenue rises and falls in concert with the number of users. Thus, if you are a Twitter user, you are the product. I did not want to be Musk’s product.
I hope this latest horror show will convince a critical mass of users to quit and, thus, spell the end of what has now become a parody of 4chan.
…ad revenue rises and falls in concert with the number of users.
AIUI, it also rises and falls according to ad-algorithms’ ability to fine-target their ads based on accumulated information of users’ choices — all of which was seriously disrupted by #PhonyStark’s “reorganization” and nonsensical account purges.
@ 23 John Morales
One; you’ve already posted this stupid “gotcha” every time any FtB blogger has criticized Facebook. Two; what in your brain makes you unable to distinguish between a decision not to personally use a service, and providing access for others who might want it?
@ ^
And even idiotically opined that Mano shouldn’t criticize Amazon because his publisher sells his book there. *facepalm*
And yet, there is the link. Right there, under the post.
“Share this:” it says.
Tweet, it says.My ability to read what people write.
“Good riddance, Xitter”
(Tricky, but getting rid of something is not the same as keeping that something around)
Wow. What with all your eye-rolling and face-palming and brow-furrowing, your visage must be quite the bruise.
(Also, you are imagining things, because you are always contending with your caricature of what I say and write, instead of the reality)
—
But hey, fine. You want to contend that PZ is deliberately (and I quote you) “providing access for others who might want it”, I can’t stop you.
(You’re about as desperate as a Trump lawyer in trying to defend your AiM)
TLDR: “E pur si muove”
Ah, WTF. I know the SmegmoidBlart is a runby, so why not indulge myself and have a bit of fun. This is what I might have written with another RNG.
Um, Facebook (now Meta) is not Twitter (now X).
So, no.
So, you insinuate that you personally can’t distinguish between a decision not to personally use a service, and providing access for others who might want it.
(Also, I like the conceit that unless a link provided by the site template exists, a post cannot be shared via Twitter)
You do get you are confusing me with another poster there, no?
(Well, no. But you are, really)
xohjoh2n @ 17, Bluesky was started started within Twitter, before Musk stank out the building. It’s since split away as an independent public benefit company under CEO Jay Graber and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and XMPP creator Jeremie Miller sitting on the board. Not currently open to the public, as it’s still under development.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesky_(social_network)
Yes, I’ll have the usual…pedantry with a little extra snark on the side. Thanks. Complement the chef for me.
Currently suspended on Xitter; I’m not deleting the “offending” tweet unless Muskrat says that he’s going to scrub all suspended accounts. Then I will delete it and post “Elon Musk blows goats” once a month to keep my account active so he can’t sell it to a Russian troll farm. I’ll waste the asshole’s resources but that’s it.
I’m not using Xitter. When I went on vacation and when I’ve attended any baseball games, I’m posting on Mastodon. I’m done with Xitter, been done since Muskrat took over. But I want to screw him in whatever small ways I can, so I haven’t deleted my account yet. I’m just taking up space on his servers. I’m on Mastodon now and if you want to follow me, just head over here:
https://nerdculture.de/@Silverwynde
@John Morales, #23 and onwards,
John, from my heart, with the best of intentions: My dude, chill!
[Early Aside: we’re all hypocrites, just some of us try to choose our hypocrisy! Usually badly. :-) ]
People don’t do things perfectly to a timeline you believe they should. It’s hardly either a “bad thing” or “hypocrisy” (by implication or intent) for a link to Website 2 to remain (for now?) on Website 1 when someone says something equivalent to: “Hey, I’m personally not using Website 2 any more”. Your choice of phrasing for #23 does have a greater probability of negative implications than (for example) a simple question like: “Hey PZ, will FtB stop linking to Twitter too?”.
Hell, we can all question (or be questioned about) what any comment any of us might make adds to any conversation, but ask yourself how the content and manner of your comment re: Twitter links added anything (See P.S.). And please spare me any denial of that. You’re big enough, old enough, and way more than smart enough to know that language choice (esp. in a limited, text-based medium) changes the type and degree of any implications. There ain’t no such thing as a context-free statement of objective fact. Even that! ;-)
Your comment is similar to someone “correcting” someone else on a detail that makes no difference to a conversation or train of logic. I was once “entertained” by an argument with a family bigot (I have many, I have stories!) where this person was claiming that “All Muslims do X” (X was not A Good Thing(TM)). My humorously delivered reply was, “What? All 1 or so billion of them? Across all the different sects?” to which I received the sneering response “There’s 1.7 billion, actually.” (I don’t know how many Muslims there are, and I’m not looking it up because it’s obviously not the point!). The bigot I’m discussing made a distinction that made no difference. In that discussion, assigning a property to a huge group of diverse individuals was fallacious and an underpinning of the bigoted and factually disproven claims. “1 Billion-ish” vs “1.7 billion” changes nothing.
Similarly, “I’ve made my last post on that hellsite [Twitter].” is not altered or addressed by “I note there still remains, as I write this, a “Share this:” Twitter link under posts on this template. (Not quite a riddance, yet).” In an equally complimentary manner to what I said above: you’re big enough, old enough, and way more than smart enough to know that the article is not always summarised perfectly by the headline! :-) “Riddance” can be just a personal thing (so far?), as the post makes clear.
If there’s humour, you know I get it. Love me some humour. I made a joke once. No, really. I get that winding up your personal choice of “the usual suspects” is “hilarious” (for given values of “hilarious”), believe me! I’m certainly guilty as charged, too! There is a/was a (are/were) commenter(s) who I feel would benefit from a two-by-four being applied to their cranium with malice aforethought. I am equally certain people feel the same about me. ‘S life, innit?
We’ve both been Phryngulisating long enough to know this Whagarbl is part of the joy. And we’re both honest enough to know I, too, am guilty as sin of enjoying that part of the comments from time to time. Do we all need to work on new material?
Louis
P.S. I do not, for the record, think I add anything (necessarily). Here too, perhaps especially! I’m just commenting on your comment about a comment on a comment on a…
I mean, why not? ;-)
And the rest of you: Be nice to John.
Did we learn nothing from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”? Did Magna Carta die in vain?
:-)
Louis
P.S. Fuck me, I seem to have gone all harmonious in my old age. This coffee is obviously way too healthy. I’ll get back on the donkey crack forthwith. If not fifthwith.
P.P.S. I have never taken donkey crack. Don’t do drugs, kids.
I second Owosso Harpist @6.
Well, I guess there’s still TikTok…
@Fedor Steeman, #37,
I just can’t dance that well…
;-)
Louis
[Louis, you haven’t been around as much lately, so I shall explain.
SilentBob has more than earnt my present attitude via persistent and obsessive pestering and sniping for multiple years now, on multiple blogs here.
Only way to ameliorate circumstances is to do as I now do; get on the case quickly and forcefully. The nym thing is another story, similar genesis.
So, the smackdowns will continue until the provocations cease; note I started out confused, then became annoyed, then became angry, then became resigned, then decided to make lemonade, so to speak]
@John Morales, #39.
Fair enough. The Lord [1] knows I have taken my share of swipes at folks that annoy the piss out of me/I believe behave objectionably towards me. I shall retract my “onwards” [2]. ;-)
I will respectfully stand by my comments re: your #23. And several of my posts passim, thrown into that mix for good measure!
Louis
[1] Aloysius Lord, lovely chap. Played Fives for Accrington Stanley thirds.
[2] One of my favourite bits of Parliamentary invective is when one MP called another “A pompous sod” and was ordered by the Speaker to withdraw their remarks as they were unparliamentary. They replied, “All right. but just the ‘pompous’.”.
Another was from the always value-for-money Beast of Bolsover (Dennis Skinner). Quoting The Pffft:
Skinner: “Half the Tories opposite are crooks.”
Speaker: “Please retract that unparliamentary language.”
Skinner: “OK, half the Tories opposite are not crooks.”
This quote is likely apocryphal, but regardless of the tedious facts, it should be true, and therefore is.
It is an old joke which has been around since at least 1927. ( https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/04/19/half-fools/ )
Also:
Aren’t confused, annoyed, angry, resigned, and lemonade the five stages of grief?
Louis
P.S. I am usually “around” (I read a bit, not always the comments). I comment less. Apart from now, when I comment more. I will comment less again later. (A consummation…)
Louis,
No worries. Playing the ball and not the player is fine.
In relation to that… <clickety-click>
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2021/08/19/shut-down-facebook-please/#comment-2103729
PS re “Aren’t confused, annoyed, angry, resigned, and lemonade the five stages of grief?”
You know the story of “The Fisherman and the Genie”?
More like that.
PPS My wife calls those the stages of waking up in the morning.
@John Morales, #42,
Perfectly fair. I’m guessing if PZ wants to (Remembers to? Has to wait until some people have left Xitter/stop using it? Can be arsed to tinker under the hood?), he’ll bin the Xitter link(s). We can only suppose.
Your #21 over on that thread exemplifies what I described above even more explicitly (IMO) than your #23 here. It’s hardly “rich” of PZ (or anyone) to have done one thing/complain about one thing and not to have (yet?) done another similar thing. It’s entirely reasonable for PZ to decide to stop accessing a social media site on a personal basis and still allow readers/commenters for whom PZ provides a service to access the social media site via his own site.
N.B. Pharyngula is, in part, a service. It’s his pool; we’re just paddling in it. We comment, gratis, at his (great?) sufferance!
“Rich” etc, are judgements that none of us have a shred of evidence to support. That X did not happen at the same/a similar time as Y means anything, everything, and nothing. “A bit rich…” is an accusation, tacit or otherwise, of hypocrisy. Is it really hypocritical of someone to make a personal decision and not (yet?) make a subsequent decision that alters a facility for others to make a related decision?
Rather than reminding via a question (for example), to imply that hypocrisy sits behind an act is a little graceless, no?
Not, of course, that PZ is anything other than a Poopyhead, Naughty Person, and all-round Utter Bastard, of course. I’ve read the internet, I know. ;-)
Louis
@42-John Morales
I commented on that thread. I recall saying stuff before about PZ having Facebook flair lingering at the end of his posts and the Twitter thing is there too. Oddly when I go to login something prompts with G+ (Google+??) as an option. I thought that got taken out back and shot by Google/Alphabet long ago. And PZ has a Tumblr link too? Are these a generic FTB button array thing? By comparison though I note Great American Satan and HJ Hornbeck lack such social media buttons on their blogs.
Your feud with Silent Bob is maybe something to ponder better at some point. Lots of mutual button pushing going on. Have you no common ground beside getting in each others’ craw?
Louis @38
I just don’t trust TikTok. A friend sometimes screen records stuff knowing I don’t have an account and sends it to me. There was this one video of a woman synchronized dancing to Charles Manson at a parole hearing with some high energy techno music and it ranked up there with the funniest laugh hernia inducing things I’ve ever seen. I can see how that platform could become addictive.
hemidactylus,
You’re not as attentive as I am to this issue.
Only one initiator per thread, ever.
Consider which of us is the one who pops into threads to snipe as nastily as possible to the other; consider which it is that merely replies to such attempted jibes. And remember, I have had literally years of this.
So, there are comments I make as a regular commenter, and there are comments I make as responses to one of the interminable jibes, which often barely hides the reeking personal animus that is exhibited towards me.
The only mutuality here is that I can’t stop the SullenBub from sniping at me, and SoggyGob can’t stop me from responding to them.
See, I am not a victim-type. I react, instead of suffering.
(And let’s face it, an obsessive hatefan such as that makes a worthy chewtoy; ah, that tasty lemonade!)