Elon Musk is a nice chap

[Zero999]

There isn't much point having a police officer with a degree in modern history

Why not? Isn't broadening the mind a worthy cause, or should people be deliberately dumbded down to they know their place?

And isn't the real benefit of university not so much knowing a ton about some specific subject but knowing how to learn about stuff? Anyone that got through would surely retain some benefit from that regardless of their eventual calling.

Some degrees are dumbed down so much, no one learns anything. Certain degrees are so bad, they'd actually count against a job applicant, in my book. I'd choose someone with no degree at all, over someone with a major in something really bad such as gender/black/fine arts studies. The fact someone would choose to do such a crappy degree says a lot about them, they generally want more than someone with no degree and are more likely to be a snowflake too.

[tooki]

Except that that is literally the exact polar opposite of what’s actually been happening. There’s been a wholesale shift of world politics towards the right. Policies that were once uncontentious centrist things are now considered “radical left wing”, for example strong social security. The existence (in the present and the past) of true far-left politics is conveniently ignored by those pretending there’s been a shift towards the left.

Of course, in reality there are many complex issues that allow anyone from either side to cherry-pick examples to support their views.

This journal article (which I skimmed, but have not read in great detail, so don’t grill me about any details in it) I think does a decent job of surveying the changes in world politics: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/30-years-of-world-politics-what-has-changed/

The key thing from the article that I think is really true is the rise of identity politics across the political spectrum.

[coppice]

You have to be SERIOUSLY uninformed to think that way.

Education in the UK used to be controlled by the right of centre. When I left school in the UK in 1973, at the age of 18, I had been educated to a standard similar to a bachelor degree in the US. 3 years later I left university with a bachelor degree, having studied the material in a US master's degree. This was all paid for by the government. Then the left took control. Now kids leave school at 18, having studied only a fraction of what I learned at school. Bachelor degrees have been watered down to the point of worthlessness. For this, kids gets heavily into debt.

No, if anything kids learn more these days. And educational attainment statistics show on average kids are getting smarter, by a few percent per year, if you go by general intelligence statistics.  This is not all due to school;  removing lead from petrol, overall nutrition and health improving and the country getting slowly richer all contribute too.

It is, true, though that kids are not necessarily learning the right things.  There's too much focus on prepping someone for university rather than a vocational field.  We can partially blame Blair for this, as he aimed for the ludicruous target of 50% of students going to university (which was indeed reached).  There isn't much point having a police officer with a degree in modern history or a plumber who knows more about the USSR than they do about welding copper pipes.

To call the education in this country anything close to left wing shows you've not been sufficiently exposed to it recently enough.  It really isn't left wing, unless you consider learning about other people and cultures to be a leftie thing.  In my recent experience, it is a very pro-capitalist, pro-state teaching system, teaching individual responsibility above collectivism. (And that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Personal responsibility is vital.)

Why are you conflating measures of IQ and education?

There are numerous studies showing that performance in IQ tests has been rising for a century, although it seems to be reaching a plateau now. Better nutrition, less lead in the environment, and many other factors have been postulated for this, but nobody really knows what the dominant factors really are. This has little to do with education. That's the raw material the education system has to work with. UK schools used to be able to get a lot out of the most capable when the raw material was of poorer quality 50 years ago. Now they've stripped down the text books, and teach them far less.

[tooki]

… I'd choose someone with no degree at all, over someone with a major in something really bad such as gender/black/fine arts studies.

While I (a gay man who considers himself a moderate liberal, though my views have become more liberal with age) have never had a high opinion of gender studies, race studies, and similar programs (which in my family we collectively deride as “majoring in underwater basket weaving”), I disagree with you on fine arts: that’s really got nothing whatsoever in common with the others mentioned. Of course, there are various specializations one can go into, and I have precious little respect for things like performance art (and a great deal of modern art). But most of a fine arts program is technique, plus art history, etc.

Art, after all, isn’t useless fluff: we employ artists all over the place to design things we see and touch. Graphic designers create our digital and print media. Cinematographers make the films we watch. Animators draw the cartoon characters we love. Industrial designers design the objects we buy. Art is everywhere, and many, many, many of the people who create it have gone through formal academic study of their field. To lump a fine art degree in with gender studies is an insult to the countless artists who work to make our world more pleasant to live in.

In my first career, as an on-site Mac consultant, most (perhaps 3/4) of my clients were in the arts in some way or another: ad agencies, graphic designers, photographers, publishers, etc. (I didn’t do much with music or video production.) Often, we were supporting the graphic design department within a much larger organization (like the label design departments of a pharmaceutical company and a horseradish factory, or the technical documentation department of a defense contractor). It gave me a great appreciation of the real-world work that working artists do. For example, if you buy a bag of Snyder’s pretzels anywhere in the world, the bag design is still based on one done by a graphic designer whose computer I fixed years ago, at the agency founded by the illustrator who created the “scrubbing bubbles” mascots for the bathroom cleaner that later was renamed after them. A good client of mine (who I did work for long after having otherwise left that career) did all the graphics for the ”shelf talkers” and vending machines for all Pepsi products for the southeast USA. Was it glamorous work? Nope, but it’s honest work that needs doing.

Maybe you’re thinking of fine arts in a more narrow sense, like an art history degree. Sure, we don’t need anywhere near as many working art historians as we do working artists to create the aforementioned everyday things. But the same could be said of history degrees in general, literature, etc. And while we certainly don’t need tons of any of those, we do need some, to maintain our understanding of our cultural heritages.

[coppice]

… I'd choose someone with no degree at all, over someone with a major in something really bad such as gender/black/fine arts studies.

While I (a gay man who considers himself a moderate liberal, though my views have become more liberal with age) have never had a high opinion of gender studies, race studies, and similar programs (which in my family we collectively deride as “majoring in underwater basket weaving”), I disagree with you on fine arts: that’s really got nothing whatsoever in common with the others mentioned. Of course, there are various specializations one can go into, and I have precious little respect for things like performance art (and a great deal of modern art). But most of a fine arts program is technique, plus art history, etc.

He said "fine arts studies". That doesn't meaning learning to produce artistic works. It means whining and moaning, sorry critiquing works of art.

[tooki]

…I'd choose someone with no degree at all, over someone with a major in something really bad such as gender/black/fine arts studies.

While I (a gay man who considers himself a moderate liberal, though my views have become more liberal with age) have never had a high opinion of gender studies, race studies, and similar programs (which in my family we collectively deride as “majoring in underwater basket weaving”), I disagree with you on fine arts: that’s really got nothing whatsoever in common with the others mentioned. Of course, there are various specializations one can go into, and I have precious little respect for things like performance art (and a great deal of modern art). But most of a fine arts program is technique, plus art history, etc.

He said "fine arts studies". That doesn't meaning learning to produce artistic works. It means whining and moaning, sorry critiquing works of art.

Ummm… the art departments of many universities, would beg to differ: if you’re studying how to make art, within the fine arts department, which then confers upon you a BFA/MFA/DFA (bachelor/master/doctor of fine arts) diploma in your specialty, then you’re not just “whining”, “moaning”, or “critiquing”.

You (plural) seem to think there’s this monolithic “fine arts studies” evidenced by stereotypes of snooty artists. And sure, artists like that do exist. But this was exactly my point: fine art degrees (plural!) cover the whole spectrum of the arts. A fine art degree in illustration or painting is not the same as one in art history. One in graphic design is different again, as is one in acting. Whether to become a snooty asshole is completely up to the student.

[coppice]

…I'd choose someone with no degree at all, over someone with a major in something really bad such as gender/black/fine arts studies.

While I (a gay man who considers himself a moderate liberal, though my views have become more liberal with age) have never had a high opinion of gender studies, race studies, and similar programs (which in my family we collectively deride as “majoring in underwater basket weaving”), I disagree with you on fine arts: that’s really got nothing whatsoever in common with the others mentioned. Of course, there are various specializations one can go into, and I have precious little respect for things like performance art (and a great deal of modern art). But most of a fine arts program is technique, plus art history, etc.

He said "fine arts studies". That doesn't meaning learning to produce artistic works. It means whining and moaning, sorry critiquing works of art.

Ummm… the art departments of many universities, would beg to differ: if you’re studying how to make art, within the fine arts department, which then confers upon you a BFA/MFA/DFA (bachelor/master/doctor of fine arts) diploma in your specialty, then you’re not just “whining”, “moaning”, or “critiquing”.

You (plural) seem to think there’s this monolithic “fine arts studies” evidenced by stereotypes of snooty artists. And sure, artists like that do exist. But this was exactly my point: fine art degrees (plural!) cover the whole spectrum of the arts. A fine art degree in illustration or painting is not the same as one in art history. One in graphic design is different again, as is one in acting. Whether to become a snooty asshole is completely up to the student.

In English speaking countries you should be very sceptical of any degree with "studies" in its name. Its usually very very different from a similarly titled degree without studies in its name. Its probably not even taught in the same department or even faculty.

[tooki]

In English speaking countries you should be very sceptical of any degree with "studies" in its name.

(Bearing in mind that I am American and English is my native language.) Yes, I’m aware of that. But there’s no such thing as a “fine arts studies” degree program. (The closest I could find is the “B.A. in Visual Art Studies” program at the Anglo-American University in Prague.) So the phrase ‘fine arts studies’ means [studies] of the [fine arts], not [fine arts studies]-as-opposed-to-[fine arts].

Its usually very very different from a similarly titled degree without studies in its name. Its probably not even taught in the same department or even faculty.

Can you give me an example of where such a contrasting pair exists? I am very familiar with the “academic” disciplines of e.g. women’s studies and gender studies, but I’ve never heard of degrees in simply “women” or “gender”, never mind contrasting  “women’s studies” and “women” or “gender studies” and “gender” programs within a single university!


The upshot is this: there actually do exist a handful of degree programs in art criticism. But it’s completely unfair to besmirch the entire world of fine arts academia by equating all of it to that one narrow, rare specialization!

[Zero999]

This journal article (which I skimmed, but have not read in great detail, so don’t grill me about any details in it) I think does a decent job of surveying the changes in world politics: https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/30-years-of-world-politics-what-has-changed/

The key thing from the article that I think is really true is the rise of identity politics across the political spectrum.

That article is an interesting read and raises some good points: the changes between the left and right and increase in identity politics. There's a lot to go through, but I'll keep it to my main criticisms:

The false idea nationalism is bad because of the Nazis in WW2. Extreme nationalism is definitely bad, but that doesn't mean it's always bad. Nationalism gives people a sense of belonging, for example the way Brits came out to celebrate the jubilee then mourn the death of the queen. It helps bind people of different creeds, colours and classes. Without nationalism, a country would be easily defeated in war, because the people would have no motivation to defend it.

The false idea multiculturalism can work and different peoples can get along fine together, avoiding conflict, in a democratic society. This doesn't work. When there are different peoples with widely different cultures in a country, tensions become inevitable. They voluntarily segregate. One wishes to be around others who share the same language and values. Social disorder and violence erupt, when interests between one group and another clash. An authoritarian government can hold things together, but when the regime topples, violence ensues. Examples of this are, Rwanda, Yugoslavia and India. The sectarian violence in the English Midlands at the end of the summer, shows our government's multicultural experiment isn't going well. Nationalism can help: the reason why the US has been stable is because one is an American first, before being black, Jewish, Hispanic etc. but there are still some tensions.

No mention is made of cancel culture. The fact someone can lose their livelihood and face persecution from the powerful because they say something a little politically incorrect.

No mention is made of the left wing bias in academia. A student who said voted from Trump would invariably face retribution at many universities in the US. There's also a similar problem in the UK.

A big blow to democracy has been the authoritarian response to the pandemic, by many so-called democratic countries. This isn't a criticism of the article because it was written at the start of 2020. It's just an observation.

In my view, too much immigration is a huge threat to democracy in the UK. I don't have a problem with foreigners. The issue is, many of those coming here do not support our liberal values. It's impossible to have immigration and not import the culture. This wasn't a problem when it was mostly Europeans with similar values and they came slowly, but now too many people are coming from illiberal cultures, in large numbers.

Regarding my comment about fine arts studies: you seem to have taken it too literally, because it appeared I was lumping all arts into the dumb box, which isn't the case. I don't know whether there's such a thing, but I know there are silly arts degrees. A friend told me his girlfriend only had to do a few hours a week for her arts degree and most of the final mark was awarded on a crappy performance consisting of her lying on her back waving her legs in the air. I can't remember the name of the course but I think it had fine arts in the title, although I might be misremembering.

[MK14]

Basically, he's NOT absolutely 100% sure, that Elon Musk, has made a 100% correct business decision, here.  The video seems to detail, the various possible pitfalls of what has happened, as regards Twitter, and also mentions some other stuff.

Warning:  I do not consider Thunderf00t, a fan of Elon Musk.  Thunderf00t, seems/tends to like, to make videos that portray Elon Musk, in a bad light.  Rightly or wrongly.

[Ranayna]

No mention is made of the left wing bias in academia. A student who said voted from Trump would invariably face retribution at many universities in the US. There's also a similar problem in the UK.

I'm just picking out this single statement here.
But are votes in the US and UK not secret? I know you have to register in the US, and have? to assert a party affiliation when registering. But you can surely still vote something else?

So if a Trump voter gets themselves "canceled", then it is because they talked about voting for Trump.

And that brings something up that is also a rule here in the Forum: Generally talking politics is a recipe for disaster. As long as you are not sure about the views of those you are talking to about politics, there is not much good that can come out of talking politics.

[Zero999]

No mention is made of the left wing bias in academia. A student who said voted from Trump would invariably face retribution at many universities in the US. There's also a similar problem in the UK.

I'm just picking out this single statement here.
But are votes in the US and UK not secret? I know you have to register in the US, and have? to assert a party affiliation when registering. But you can surely still vote something else?

So if a Trump voter gets themselves "canceled", then it is because they talked about voting for Trump.

They have secret ballots in Russia too, but that doesn't make it a democracy.

You've missed the point. Democracy can only exist when people have the freedom to explore different political views without fear. The pro-Democrat/anti-Republican bias in universities is a serious problem. If talking about voting Biden is acceptable, but Trump is unacceptable, at an institution, ii will interfere with political discourse and change how students are likely to vote. Note that I wouldn't vote for either of them.

And that brings something up that is also a rule here in the Forum: Generally talking politics is a recipe for disaster. As long as you are not sure about the views of those you are talking to about politics, there is not much good that can come out of talking politics.

This thread has been pretty civil so far. If you would rather not participate that's fine. There's also a report button, if you believe it's that bad.

Basically, he's NOT absolutely 100% sure, that Elon Musk, has made a 100% correct business decision, here.  The video seems to detail, the various possible pitfalls of what has happened, as regards Twitter, and also mentions some other stuff.

Warning:  I do not consider Thunderf00t, a fan of Elon Musk.  Thunderf00t, seems/tends to like, to make videos that portray Elon Musk, in a bad light.  Rightly or wrongly.

I'm not a fan of Thunderf00t so will probably skip that video.

Musk appears to be making many mistakes. Making all staff return to the office is probably one of them. Another is not actually verifying the blue check mark. Anyone can pay 8$ and create an account under any name. One fix might be to insist the account has the same name as the credit/debit card used to pay, but I  doubt he'll do that. It does seem to be attracting more users, even though some high profile ones have left.

[MK14]

I'm not a fan of Thunderf00t so will probably skip that video.

Musk appears to be making many mistakes. Making all staff return to the office is probably one of them. Another is not actually verifying the blue check mark. Anyone can pay 8$ and create an account under any name. One fix might be to insist the account has the same name as the credit/debit card used to pay, but I  doubt he'll do that. It does seem to be attracting more users, even though some high profile ones have left.

Elon Musk might be a conundrum (contradictions, anomalies, weirdness).  On the one hand, the expectations would be, that they are (and have been for a very long time), making a huge number of disastrous mistakes.

Yet they have been declared the worlds richest person, seem to be selling lots of cars, under the Tesla brand, moving things into and out of outer space (SpaceX), and other activities.

So, the situation with Elon Musk, is difficult (in my perspective), to properly fathom out.

It is a bit like the expression.  If you owe the bank $500, and are not paying it back, it is YOUR problem.  But if you borrow/owe the bank $19 Billion Dollars, it is the BANKS problem otherwise the bank itself, could go bankrupt.

[PlainName]

Thunderf00t, seems/tends to like, to make videos that portray Elon Musk, in a bad light.

To be fair, Thunderf00t's modus operandi appears to be to portray anything and everything in a  bad light.

[MK14]

Thunderf00t, seems/tends to like, to make videos that portray Elon Musk, in a bad light.

To be fair, Thunderf00t's modus operandi appears to be to portray anything and everything in a  bad light.

That is true.  But on the other hand, it does seem that almost every other video, that Thunderf00t makes, is about Elon Musk and/or his supporters.

Also, Thunderf00t, does seem to give the impression, at least to me, that it is not merely a scientific opinion, but Thunderf00t really (to some extent), has it in for Elon Musk, and his fan base.

I think part of it, is that Elon Musks, fan base, sometimes counter/disagree with Thunderf00t's, videos.  Even in some case(s), producing videos, to knock Thunderf00t's, videos, about Elon Musk.  Which then tends to trigger Thunderf00t, into doing a video, which lays into that video.

I.e. Sometimes, a tit for tat, situation (exchange of videos), seems to take place.

[TimFox]

Although St Paul warns us against Schadenfreude, I can't help but be amused by recent press coverage of the chaos induced at Twitter by Musk's post-purchase activity.
Specifically, the mass firings of staff resulted in engineers being let go, where no one left knew how to perform their duties, and a scramble to re-hire some of them.
I never suffered from anything this large (look up the meaning of "enormity"), but when less intense things occurred at work, my response was often "whom did they ask?".

[jancumps]

I'm not a fan of Thunderf00t so will probably skip that video.

I'm lifting just a tiny part of your post. Let me know if that's unfair.

I think that watching the videos (reading article, listening to talk) of those you aren't a fan of, is an essential part of the art of balanced discussion.

[John B]

I have watched Thunderf00t videos for more than a decade, and yeah Musk is one topic that obviously goes beyond the normal level of sarcastic criticism. He's turned into an anti-fan, where he dabbles in every little tiny piece of negative news. Even to the point of repeating in an assenting fashion that Musk didn't really want to buy twitter, in the same manner that he said Donald Trump didn't really want to become president. Thunderf00ts body of work is important enough that I can tune out this phase - and this is coming from someone who largely agrees with his criticisms of Musk.

[TimFox]

Musk has gone a good job in developing and selling electric vehicles.
Reading 20th century history, we find that Henry Ford was not a nice guy, either, and was a rabid anti-Semite.
A relatively favorable (to Ford) account:  https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-resources/popular-topics/henry-ford-and-anti-semitism-a-complex-story

[vk6zgo]

There isn't much point having a police officer with a degree in modern history

Why not? Isn't broadening the mind a worthy cause, or should people be deliberately dumbded down to they know their place?

And isn't the real benefit of university not so much knowing a ton about some specific subject but knowing how to learn about stuff? Anyone that got through would surely retain some benefit from that regardless of their eventual calling.

Some degrees are dumbed down so much, no one learns anything. Certain degrees are so bad, they'd actually count against a job applicant, in my book. I'd choose someone with no degree at all, over someone with a major in something really bad such as gender/black/fine arts studies. The fact someone would choose to do such a crappy degree says a lot about them, they generally want more than someone with no degree and are more likely to be a snowflake too.

Back in the day in West Oz, there was a difference between an "Arts Degree", which is what the "toffee nosed twits" from the affluent suburbs took at the University (singular) of W.A., & the "Commercial Art Certificate" which was run at the Perth Technical College, as the UWA had "no facilities" for such things.

The latter was all "hard core" Art education, including such things as Anatomy, History of Art (in some detail, definitely including what was then encompassed in "Fine Arts"), Life Drawing (yes, with nude models, including quite average people), & detailed stuff like how to produce bronze sculptures, as well as the "bread & butter "Graphic Arts" skills required to get a job as a Commercial artist in those far-off days.

It was termed a "Certificate" so as to shoehorn it into the Tech School category.
Both of my sisters did this course, before going on to be prominent artists in WA.

One of them took a tangent later on, becoming a Historian & Author, along the way completing a "Bachelor of Arts" Degree at one of the many Unis now operating in this State.
A comment from one of her co-graduates was that B.A. stood for "bugger all".

Both artistic ability & general cleverness missed me out, somehow.

[james_s]

I'm just picking out this single statement here.
But are votes in the US and UK not secret? I know you have to register in the US, and have? to assert a party affiliation when registering. But you can surely still vote something else?

So if a Trump voter gets themselves "canceled", then it is because they talked about voting for Trump.

And that brings something up that is also a rule here in the Forum: Generally talking politics is a recipe for disaster. As long as you are not sure about the views of those you are talking to about politics, there is not much good that can come out of talking politics.

The votes themselves are secret, although in most states you have to register with a party affiliation and as far as I know that is not secret. There is also the fact that a person can say something and get labeled as a supporter of this or that candidate regardless of how much they actually support them and frankly I find that a bit scary. People get targeted for going to speeches, there was a case in the news where an elderly couple got assaulted coming out of a Trump speech, and another case where a young kid was the victim of an unprovoked physical attack for wearing a MAGA hat. I can't stand Trump myself, I would be thrilled to hear that he had passed away, but I know people that voted for him and they are not bad people, they're not racist or any of the other things people get accused of, and it certainly doesn't help anything to assault somebody for their (real or percieved) support of a candidate. 

[james_s]

Musk has gone a good job in developing and selling electric vehicles.
Reading 20th century history, we find that Henry Ford was not a nice guy, either, and was a rabid anti-Semite.
A relatively favorable (to Ford) account:  https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-resources/popular-topics/henry-ford-and-anti-semitism-a-complex-story

There are lots of not so great in some ways people that accomplished great things. Thomas Edison was notorious for being a jerk, Nikola Tesla was a weirdo, Einstein was not exactly a model family man, Werner von Braun was a nazi, though it could be argued that joining the party was in his best interest in order to further his career and avoid persecution. All of these men accomplished great things for humanity and this is only a small sample.

[tooki]

…
No mention is made of cancel culture. The fact someone can lose their livelihood and face persecution from the powerful because they say something a little politically incorrect.

No mention is made of the left wing bias in academia. A student who said voted from Trump would invariably face retribution at many universities in the US. There's also a similar problem in the UK.

Regarding my comment about fine arts studies: you seem to have taken it too literally, because it appeared I was lumping all arts into the dumb box, which isn't the case. I don't know whether there's such a thing, but I know there are silly arts degrees. A friend told me his girlfriend only had to do a few hours a week for her arts degree and most of the final mark was awarded on a crappy performance consisting of her lying on her back waving her legs in the air. I can't remember the name of the course but I think it had fine arts in the title, although I might be misremembering.

I think they didn’t mention “cancel culture” because I don’t actually believe it’s a new thing, nor a particularly prevalent phenomenon to begin with. We used to just call them “boycotts”.

Likewise, the left bias in academia is absolutely nothing new. The article was about trends in politics — that is, the shifts happening — not about describing what’s unchanged.


Of course there are some art programs that are permissive. (That leg waving sounds like exactly the “performance art” I myself dismissed from the get-go.) And lemme tell you, many other artists hate that crap. I have a friend from university who studied fine arts, and I remember running into her on campus one day, and she was fuming. They’d turned in their semester projects. She had worked all semester on her project, which involved her hand-sewing army fatigues for some Barbie dolls, which then were mounted in picture frames she made, and one of her classmates had simply defecated into a shoebox. (At least: no, his “project” did not pass, iirc.)

Video art is another area that tends to attract crap. I remember a few years ago, while a friend was visiting from out of town, seeing a flyer in the tram for an exhibit by a well known Swiss artist who does lots of video. I explained to the friend that she makes stupid crap (the only piece of hers I’ve seen in person was one of those vintage sphere-shaped black and white TVs, suspended in the crotch of a leotard (itself hanging on a coat hanger), playing an endless loop of endoscopy footage). I jokingly said she’s the kind of artist who’d take video of pubic hair and call it art. And then we looked at the exhibit website, and one of the pieces was macrophotographic video of a man’s pubic stubble. 

[eti]

…
No mention is made of cancel culture. The fact someone can lose their livelihood and face persecution from the powerful because they say something a little politically incorrect.

No mention is made of the left wing bias in academia. A student who said voted from Trump would invariably face retribution at many universities in the US. There's also a similar problem in the UK.

Regarding my comment about fine arts studies: you seem to have taken it too literally, because it appeared I was lumping all arts into the dumb box, which isn't the case. I don't know whether there's such a thing, but I know there are silly arts degrees. A friend told me his girlfriend only had to do a few hours a week for her arts degree and most of the final mark was awarded on a crappy performance consisting of her lying on her back waving her legs in the air. I can't remember the name of the course but I think it had fine arts in the title, although I might be misremembering.

I think they didn’t mention “cancel culture” because I don’t actually believe it’s a new thing, nor a particularly prevalent phenomenon to begin with. We used to just call them “boycotts”.

Likewise, the left bias in academia is absolutely nothing new. The article was about trends in politics — that is, the shifts happening — not about describing what’s unchanged.


Of course there are some art programs that are permissive. (That leg waving sounds like exactly the “performance art” I myself dismissed from the get-go.) And lemme tell you, many other artists hate that crap. I have a friend from university who studied fine arts, and I remember running into her on campus one day, and she was fuming. They’d turned in their semester projects. She had worked all semester on her project, which involved her hand-sewing army fatigues for some Barbie dolls, which then were mounted in picture frames she made, and one of her classmates had simply defecated into a shoebox. (At least: no, his “project” did not pass, iirc.)

Video art is another area that tends to attract crap. I remember a few years ago, while a friend was visiting from out of town, seeing a flyer in the tram for an exhibit by a well known Swiss artist who does lots of video. I explained to the friend that she makes stupid crap (the only piece of hers I’ve seen in person was one of those vintage sphere-shaped black and white TVs, suspended in the crotch of a leotard (itself hanging on a coat hanger), playing an endless loop of endoscopy footage). I jokingly said she’s the kind of artist who’d take video of pubic hair and call it art. And then we looked at the exhibit website, and one of the pieces was macrophotographic video of a man’s pubic stubble. 

Gosh tooki, I’ve clearly got you all wrong. You’re SO incredibly kind, complimentary and understanding to people, it seems, and not one little bit arrogant or full of yourself as I’d imagined. I do apologise truly - it’s so very clear from your account, how much you love and care for your fellow man, and how compassionate and accepting you are, despite maybe not agreeing with them or their style, or choices. Your clear acceptance of others and their choices, despite maybe you not liking those choices, demonstrate what a humble, endearing friend you are. Who would want to be alone when they have such a kind, intelligent person to be around! 😃

I’d had you all wrong, it seems… I’m sure you have many friends, you come across as really sensitive and kind. Cheers me old chap.

[EEVblog]

I have watched Thunderf00t videos for more than a decade, and yeah Musk is one topic that obviously goes beyond the normal level of sarcastic criticism. He's turned into an anti-fan, where he dabbles in every little tiny piece of negative news. Even to the point of repeating in an assenting fashion that Musk didn't really want to buy twitter, in the same manner that he said Donald Trump didn't really want to become president. Thunderf00ts body of work is important enough that I can tune out this phase - and this is coming from someone who largely agrees with his criticisms of Musk.

The Elon obsession is evident in many. Try Common Sense Skeptic, another excellent debunker, but countless videos on anything Elon related. And following him on Twitter he respondes to almost every Musk tweet with some snide remark.

I've done several videos on Musk things, and have Tweeted quite a bit, but I'm not obsessed with everything he does. I give him credit when it's due, and also citicism when it's due. And I've copped some flak for not being hard enough on him. He seems to be the social equivalent of the crazy US Democrat/Republican hate factory.