I maintain a "Must-Read" list on Twitter, carefully curated to offer a smart, insightful, funny stream of tweets. I don't agree with everyone on the list, but all are reasonably clear-minded and interesting and don't just echo trendy sentiments.
I recently removed Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Elon Musk because both have gone from being trollish dicks who periodically say clever things to a more robust trollish dickishness unrestrained by intention to be clever.
I've resisted this move for years. There's grave danger in closing one's ears to those with whom one disagrees. But I demand nutrition. There must be some enrichment. Snide pique and dorky trolling do nothing for me, even from those with whom I agree (e.g. a lot of the Lincoln Project stuff turns me off, though I strongly support their mission).
I'd love to include a MAGA in this list who offers thoughtful perspective (however flawed), and who doesn't just fling memes and contrived horseshit. I've never found such a person, so I settle for anti-Trump commentary by former Republicans (well-represented on this Twitter list), who help assure me that I haven't been spun into irrational fury and paranoia by cynical profiteers.
It's a concern of mine because while I still strongly disagree with Reagan and GWB, I see now that I was incited into hating/fearing them way too severely. I was spun into seeing them as devils, so now that an actual devil has appeared, I question my appraisal. But with Dick Frickin' Cheney voting Democrat, I'm much more confident. It's truly that bad.
I basically only use Twitter to check out your list and Elon has been an obvious stain on an otherwise terrific resource for quite some time now.
ReplyDeleteI know, I know (though Taleb's actually been worse). They're both gone now.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I kept Musk in the mix for so long is because his trendy assassination was disgusting and unearned. But it apparently so rattled him that he ran to MAGA world for comfort and completely lost his mind. He was not the ogre people insisted he was, but their sustained insistence turned him into that precise thing. We're a twisted society, and he's been utterly twisted.
I'm not saying he was ever a super good guy. But anyone who seems like a super good guy is generally playing to social media in a slick and cynical manner (and I appreciated his non-slick earnestness before he completed this pivot). Idunno, greetings from sunny Portugal, etc etc.
BTW, Laurence Tribe will be next to go. Some legal experts (e.g. Conway and Weissman) have insightful things to say about politics. Tribe, though, has turned into a ditzy resistance warrior. While I used to rely on him to confirm my impression that the MAGA movement was anti-constitutional, that's a given at this point, so I don't have much need for a constitutional scholar. But I'll keep him around until after the election in case Trump wins and we need to track erosion of constitutional norms. Though he may be too old and self-indulgent to perform that role crisply.
ReplyDeleteInteresting view of Musk as running to 'MAGA world for comfort'! I think your really summed it up right there.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Tribe has noticeably turned into that family member you to take the phone from so they don't lose their shirt to another scam. I largely skip his posts these days.
Too bad Ken White and Josh Barro aren't posting much (although Barro is at least back to some degree). I recommend their Serious Trouble podcast if you aren't already a fan.
Sunny Portugal is on my radar!
I read Barro’s Serious substack thingee sometimes. He’s not really cut out for self publishing, I think he’s better cooped up in journalistic institutions, choosing his battles. Ken White quit Twitter a while back. And I may jettison Tribe sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteI suppose if you had a strong addition request you’d have said so….
No strong addition suggestions. I find Eric Topol to be informative, but if that was the only requirement you'd have one long list.
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