"It would be like us debating, or me debating you, over do you think that solid or liquid rocket fuel is a better propellant, but saying I don't want to talk about physics." -- Talking to @AdrianDittmann (not Elon btw)
Good News, Bad News!
The good news is that Lex Fridman knows who I am. The bad news is he probably will never invite me on his podcast.
He is blocking anyone now who mentions the interviews he conducted in Ukraine in 2022 and why he refuses to release them.
@lexfridman
Hi all,
Some reflections:
This election is shaping up to be extremely close. The polls show an essentially tied race in the swing states. Though Harris’ favorables are up, so are Trump’s. Soothsayers can make plausible claims for either side’s advantage based on the early vote patterns (though I trust and hope you will take them with a grain of salt). A convincing electoral defeat remains possible for both candidates. A popular vote landslide or mandate seems completely out of reach.
The country is divided — we stand at a crossroads between two futures, two realities. As we were two years ago, four years ago, six years ago, and eight years ago the day MAGA took power.
Since Joe Biden's 2020 victory and the attack on our Capitol, my sole objective in public life has been to shine a light on the corruption, lies, and criminality of the MAGA elite, particularly the former president. My advocacy over this period has, I understand, smacked of rank partisanship to some observers.
I want to assure my followers that everything I do and say regarding our country and this election has been grounded in patriotism. I love the USA. This was the country that decades ago embraced my parents trying to escape insurgency and war in Peru. America is where I was born, where I went to school, where I’ve made my living — practicing American law. To me, America means republicanism, rule of law, justice, fairness, and opportunity — all grounded in that magnificent Constitution ratified over two centuries ago and amended dozens of times since. My hope was that my words, in some way somehow, might have had an impact on one person.
A Trump victory would be a profound setback to the America I know. These warning seem so cliche but they are necessary. The dangers of a second Trump presidency without any guard rails, inhibitors, or checks — are too big to roll the dice on. You cannot underestimate MAGA, you cannot sleepwalk into November. Did you believe we would get here — after everything?
It’s time to tell the truth: Trump and his movement are stronger than they’ve ever been. They have more mainstream support than they’ve ever had. They are cunning and unified. A stamp of approval next month by the American people would be the ultimate vindication for MAGA. People you know, institutions you respect, will fall in line. The history books, our public memory perhaps, will be re-written by the intellectual contagion of MAGA. What does America mean? Who actually won the 2020 election? Who are the heroes and who are the villains?
But it’s not too late. It’s not too late for us to make a difference. There is a week and a half left. This is it. Talk to the people you know, the people you love. Make your voice heard.
If Trump wins, I’m not going anywhere and I won’t be silent. I hope you are the same. It will continue to be our responsibility to fight for the USA and its values — we owe it to our home, our parents, and/or children. But don’t resign yourself to defeat — there’s time on the clock and plenty left to fight for *now* 🙂
People should be aware that Hasan operates in a very specific manner in order to denigrate his political opposition. You can retroactively and prospectively apply this formula, he will always follow it, guaranteed.
1. Never, ever, ever watch a reasonable amount of content from the person criticizing you. This allows Hasan to...
2. Misrepresent the opposing view to a ridiculous extent, e.g. if someone criticizes you for liking pineapple on pizza, responding to the argument as though they said you hate all fruit, "what, am I just not allowed to eat any fruit man lol???" Once you've misrepresented the point of view to its most absurd form, you can...
3. Attack the strawmanned version of the opposition's argument. Lump the strawmanned argument in with other deplorable people, e.g. pretend your opposition is making the same argument against you that a Nazi, conservative, racist, etc...would make. If you still need to convince your audience, make sure that...
4. If you do debate anyone about the position, it is never, ever the original person holding the position, and it is only people who you feel you can out-maneuverer in a conversation, i.e. in Hasan's case, a 16 year old Israeli or a commentary YouTuber about Israel/Palestine (WillyMac). And finally...
5. When the opposition becomes increasingly frustrated with your poor articulation of their argument, plus your takedowns of strawmanned versions of their argument, call them crazy, obsessed, unhinged, racist, etc...and pretend you don't even really care about the topic.
The point of this rhetorical strategy is that it shields Hasan's fanbase from ever seeing the original criticism, and allows him to respond to a strawmanned version of the argument that people believe was actually made. The fans will carry forward both the stupid strawmanned version of the argument and Hasan's response to it.
I’ve seen seeing a lot of this Frogan individual on my feed. I know I’m not a political person but I think everyone can agree it is sad we see individuals like this being supported and admired for openly justifying civilian collateral damage
BREAKING: In a stunning admission, one of the most conservative Senators, Senator Mitch McConnell, admitted it was Donald Trump who sabotaged the toughest border security legislation proposed in decades. Retweet to make sure every American sees this
(🧵) THREAD: Donald Trump is clearly fading mentally and physically. His running mate was handpicked by a Kremlin-agent white supremacist (Tucker Carlson) and two creepy far-right billionaire techno-authoritarians (Peter Thiel and Elon Musk).
This is not the election you think.