Alternative take, this is all staged to keep you entertained while other stuff are going on.
Even the whole Elon leaving, then feuding live on twitter is so closed to wrestling and people are so entertained (me included tbh) rather than questioning or fighting.
Genuinely, I don't believe trump or elon are capable of that level of acting at this point.
Seriously, the two biggest man babies on the planet had a disagreement and are having pissing match on the internet. Is that hard to believe? I don't get the people pushing this "THIS IS ACTING" crap either. Elon FOR SURE couldn't.
There's no nefarious shit to distract you from because there's too much nefarious shit for you to keep track of WITHOUT the arguments.
A bit of column A, a bit of column B.
This is their whole shtick: constantly manufacturing more outrage and "engagement". Yes, the personal grievances, egomania and narcissism are real. But it's just what they do. Throwing shit at the wall, and only when something sticks, decide what to do with it. It's not acting per se but it has method. Very simple, very primitive, only half-conscious method, but a method it is.
And surely meanwhile somebody behind them is using the opportunity to actively dismantle US democracy - more focused, but essentially still using the same "method".
This situation is certainly beneficial for Trump, as it places him back in the spotlight and generates conversation. It's also advantageous for Elon, as people flock to Twitter for updates and discussions. Additionally, the ongoing debate about whether to borrow more money allows Elon to position himself as the "good" guy advocating for the right side.
The more I analyze it, the more it seems like a manufactured outrage aimed at boosting engagement.
You know, they figured out a long time ago that smart people weren't any better at getting to the truth in emotional contexts, because a smart person can just think up more logical reasons for why the reason they want to be true is true.
The human brain is primarily emotional, not intellectual. We receive stimuli, the brain decides the most appropriate emotion to respond to the stimulus with, and then generates reasoning post hoc. This, btw, is why Trump can be so successful despite his obvious bullshittery - he creates an emotional response in his followers, and then leaves the reasoning up to them.
What is happening to you is that your brain has been trained to associate news of Trump with fear and distress. So since the emotional response can't possibly be wrong (according to your brain), you keep looking for ways to make it seem reasonable until you find some.
Take a step back and realize that the most likely outcome here is good. When narcissistic egomaniacs gain power, they must contend with the fact that their power only exists with the help of the spinless syncophants, backstabbing snakes, and other narcissistic egomaniacs they brought with them. Once they gain the top position, there isn't much to keep them distracted from backstabbing and infighting. There is no real belief in higher ideals that ties everyone together - just pure self interest. So once their self interests conflict - even over such minor things as perceived slights - they start to spin out, and can no longer effectively collaborate.
Even some dark, shadow-y puppeteer is unlikely to benefit from this. Maybe their dark, shadow-y plans are largely unaffected, and there is a small chance that the random chaos of conflict will help them.... But people achieve things - including nefarious things - by making and executing long term plans which universally depend on some level of stability in the environment. Of course, you don't raise to the level of top-tier villainy with a pessimistic can't-do attitude. A good evil capitalist should always look at situations with an eye towards their opportunities - but objectively, this will be a setback for anyone banking on Trump or Musks political influence, or the effectiveness of the Trump administration to create real and lasting change in the name of evil.
at the very least they couldn't fake a fight without it becoming a real one
Or they are just a bunch of stupid people and they do what stupid people do
Occam's Razor, also known as the principle of parsimony, suggests that the simplest explanation, with the fewest assumptions, is usually the most accurate.
True
They really are not that smart or disciplined. They have plenty of other obviously distracting stuff going on and they have all the branches of government so it isn't like they really need distractions anyway.
Let's stop giving them credit for playing 4d chess. The figureheads are selfish assholes who can't get along but are useful idiots for the owners of the Republican party. That is explanation enough.
I don't think so. The people who enjoy the fight are precisely the ones who despise them for what they did -and still do- in a political level.
And those exact people are now a little calmer because stuff is less shitty suddenly, they were right it won't last and a plethora other reasons.
A dangerous position to find yourself in while the people are still in power.
Might be true, might be just a red herring.
It could be a bit of both. Somehow I don’t think Trump would agree to Elon publicly calling him a pedo.
And it's women who are too emotional to lead !
Scott Bessent.
I figured Elon got beat up. All the bruises were on the right side of his face, so I figured he got hit by someone left-handed.
The only left-handed person in the Trump admin is Pam Bondi.
Kind of disappointing, honestly. It would have been very funny.
Coulda been a backhand
Not to condone violence, but it would have been symbolically appropriate.
Maybe Bassett suckered punched him.
I want to see the cell phone video so badly. It's wild that he got beat up by the token gay guy too.
Elon says his son punched him after he told him to punch him.
Elon says a lot of things.
I don’t believe him.
That's a pretty bad story of itself to make up.
The man is on a lot of drugs. Did you see the best of that made the rounds a few days ago regarding ketamine psychosis?
Honestly, if that’s starting to happen, I wouldn’t say he has my sympathy, but… oof.
It's all fun and games until JD Vance starts challenging people to duels
Does he pound his chest and say "I'll fight you!" with his voice cracking
Pretty sure it'd be fun to watch JD Vance get killed in a duel
Spectating can be fun but the real enjoyment comes from being an active player
Or becomes president.
Unlike the Jackson administration (yes, its been that long since the executive branch has been allowed to participate in duels, and thats for a very good reason, he was a lunatic) guns actually fire where you point then. Unless they insist on using some antique smoothbore, someones getting hurt. I would not put it past them that actually hurting your opponent is not the point of formal duels.
Did the guy he shove punch him in the face and give him that black eye or what?
Unlikely unless he used his non-dominant hand.
Rules:
Also feel free to check out [email protected] (also active).
Icon credit C. Brück on Wikimedia Commons.
_portrait.jpg){kind=link}