I would argue the Epstein scandal is the distraction here not the other way around. He’s also signing a lot of shady tech legislation we should all be frightened by.
I think that’s very possible. They’re using him as a fall guy too. They want to transition power to someone who’s not so fickle and more loyal while avoiding elections. They have to constantly course correct him because he’s actually wildly incompetent and he goes off script. He’s easy to manipulate but that means he’s easy to manipulate by everyone.
Also, look at all the tech stuff he’s passing right now. It’s super concerning and is going to have long term impact on our ability to do anything beyond tech monopoly control. Everything is “EPSTEIN” meanwhile he’s signing crypto laws, ai deregulation and all kinds of scary dystopian tech bills.
If you don’t know who Curtis Yarvin and what the Dark Enlightenment is and who his acolytes are— it’d be a good place to start to understand what’s possibly happening here. Hint: JD Vance is a loyalist.
Clearly, other ideologies are also blocked then correct? Like, you can’t say, “no Christian nationalists” or “no white nationalists” or “no fascists” or “no Neo-Nazis” or “no MAGA”. Right? Right?? You have to accept and expose yourself to all dangerous ideologies equally.
Ah “toxic empathy” this is the “I need to protect my mental health— I can’t be bothered with seeing homeless people or caring about genocide. It hurts me to care, so I just won’t.” crowd. And every last one of them is a “magical empath” with more empathy than anyone ever had ever. They’re the mostest empathetic and don’t question it!
I know Iceland’s geothermal is a hot spot for mining crypto-currency because it costs absolutely next to nothing. When you’re running massive mining centers off of the earth’s burps there is opportunity to turn a massive profit.
Now, do I think it’s incentivizing a large shift in the production of energy? I’m not sure. Are crypto-bros reinvesting their earnings into renewables research and infrastructure? Or are they buying gas guzzling sports cars and jet setting to all the best parties?
At this point in time, a lot of the “green crypto” feels more like greenwashing than actual ethical development. But who knows, maybe someday that will change?
The plot twist at the end there got me
Good ole Donald J. Quixote
Glad I’m not the only one whose mind went straight there
I’m going to play the devil advocate here and say this is actually rather impressive. Look at all of those towers which I imagine are steel, something up and coming for the era. And the new methods of drilling being implemented. This was cutting edge stuff in 1859. Dawn of an era. Birth of several blue collar trades. Just like we have “forefronts of innovation” today that one day we’ll look back at and cringe. This was exciting stuff in its time. Pinnacle of human progress.
There are 3 Dimensions of Power
Network Television and print media were the old ways. You’d control what people perceive to be important through sitcom values and talk show hosts. AI is just the next generation, making it even more intimate and organic, but the end goal remains the same.
The bot armies in comment sections are here to make you think you’re part of a hive mind; that you’re one with the crowd, but in reality you’re being manipulated into conformity.
Instead of your favorite actor onscreen or talking head telling you what is “normal” to think and believe, a chat bot in your pocket or a comment section on your favorite social media is guiding you towards what’s “normal”, toward what’s the “correct” answer.
In a perfect world. But he is the sitting president and does sign bills into law. But you’re right, I’m referring to executive orders as well. But the GENIUS Act he signed after passing the House and the series of AI Executive Orders like Preventing Woke AI, Export of the American AI Tech Stack and his deregulation on Data Centers. . They’re rushing forward with all of this while the whirlwind of Epstein news dominates the news cycle. These are massive power shifts and it’s only been a week.