Every movie has a bad guy and a good guy. Simple stories for simple people.

This reply makes me feel defensive and outraged.

Words are simple. But if you consider what they refer to, words are complex. See?

Maybe memories are actually really simple. Like the words on a screen. An arrangement of symbols, then a boatload of meaning and interpretation and rationalization. So all you need to do to make memories is to insert a few words. The brain’s “memory interpreter” does the rest of the work.

For example, we insert the words “brother appears”. Then, for the “new memory”, we reference your memories of your brother. His appearance and the sound of his voice. Then we contrive a narrative explaining why “brother” is at this place and time. Etc. Voila! You now have a memory of your brother standing there saying some stuff.

So to make a memory, it wouldn’t require a grand delicate manipulation of brainstuff. Just a simple thing.

The lead paint and the asbestos both served a need. For colored toys and insulation, specifically. And then we found a better way to serve that need. It isn’t a dumb need.

Don’t assume that everybody who sees things differently is an idiot.

Given its vast popularity, I expect that some would argue otherwise.

Call it “stories that people are taking way too seriously”. I’m sure that you can think of other stories that people take way too seriously too, that have nothing to do with religion.

I think that we might be seeing the power of propaganda there. Consider that the science of propaganda is very old. Thousands of years old. There’s population-control psychology there. It’s got hooks.

(On the flipside, imposing a set of rules for moral behavior is a good thing. People can be animals. And if you need to cite an old story about gods and wizards to give those rules some oomph then so be it.)

It serves a need. Get rid of the need and you’ll get rid of the religious bullshit. But if you get rid of the religious bullshit without getting rid of the need, some other kind of bullshit will crop up.

But he runs a spaceship company. How many of those have we got?

Is this some kind of metaphor?

But the format is open ass.

But it’s just talk. Just. Talk.

Meanwhile in the real world other CEOs create investment products, home furnishings and consumer entertainments. While Musk creates spaceships. Yes, those other guys look damn petty in comparison. And by petty I mean small. Do I need to underline my point again?

this is a really dumb question.

And you asked so nicely. How can I refuse?

Reddit is the best thing to ever happen to big governments. It’s wonderful for mind-control and surveillance. They are subsidized by the intelligence apparatus of USA, China, Great Britain and lots of other countries.

Yes, he’s doing it. And all those other guys aren’t (in fact they look rather petty in comparison). So yes, I give him credit. Bigass credit.

I think they do it because getting you to go to the thing is the point, not watch the thing. Once you’ve gone to the thing they just want you to go to the next thing. Watching the thing is just wasted time for them.

It probably has to do with maximizing your exposure to advertising.

I think it’s the power of social media. People living in echo chambers. Their minds are turning into perfect crystal. Full of all the right ideas. Full of certainty about what’s right and wrong, real and unreal. Perfect and logical yet constrained to a tiny box. Brittle. Vulnerable to cracking at the smallest shock.

I have had similar thoughts.

Consider, a really nice ideology. Full of politeness, good behavior, acceptance, tolerance, liberality and positive ideas.

But the ideology is transmitted via powerful propaganda, threats, conformity and totalitarian stuff.

So it isn’t actually so nice.

Like he’s doing more to run it than you are suggesting.