Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society | Hacker News Reader

Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society

theguardian.com

13 pointsjzox10 comments

Old, old story -

1.) A fame-challenged group eagerly associates itself with some famous loose cannon, imagining that a barrel-load of that coveted fame will rub off on them.

2.) BOOM!

Notable previous members:

Sir Isaac Newton 1672-1727,

Prince Andrew 2013-2022.

Also, not a member: Francis Williams, denied on grounds of being not white.

See also: "Why I have resigned from the Royal Society." (Flagged, of course.)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42234497

Is this a satire? Honest question.

As a lefty here in the US I don't like Elon, but come on...

it seems satire to me too

I don't know why you would assume this was satire. If it were, that would be clearly indicated somewhere on the page. If it is, I haven't seen it.

I suppose Elon's behavior and beliefs have become so normalized in some circles that people really can't understand why anyone would find him objectionable. It's likely a symptom of being chronically online and poisoned by internet culture, mayhaps.

I also don't know what being a "lefty" has to do with anything. The article lists a number of concerns, and none of them seem linked to any particular political ideology. I wouldn't necessarily make the mistake of assuming the American political dichotomy necessarily maps to British politics, or that a member of the Royal Society must necessarily be "leftist" to object to Elon Musk's behavior. Admittedly I'm just going by vibes but the "Royal Society" at Oxford doesn't seem like a den of radical leftism.

There is an awful lot of bad satire on the web. When something seems unlikely, it can be hard to tell the difference between actual things, things that people pretend are actual in the name of "satire" but without actually being funny, and just plain lies.

Not satire. Google 'elon musk royal society.' Apparently, this has been an issue for a few months now. I had no idea.

Among his other recent transgressions, Musk called for the execution of a government witness[1] and proclaimed that homeless people were "violent drug zombies with dead eyes."[2]

It's easy to see why intelligent and dignified people would want nothing to do with this man.

[1]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politic...

[2]: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politic...

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