r/politics • u/T_Shurt • 19h ago

Possible Paywall Hegseth Announces Elon Musk and Newt Gingrich Will Help Lead Military

https://newrepublic.com/post/216045/pete-hegseth-elon-musk-newt-gingrich-help-lead-military
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u/Jdmaki1996 Florida 19h ago

What’s with the all the techno fascists naming their shit after Tolkien stuff?

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u/travio Washington 19h ago

At least he named his company after something the good guys used. Naming your intelligence company palantir after the seeing stone the big bad guy used to spy on people is just bonkers.

Same with Zuck and the Metaverse. It came from Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, a cyberpunk dystopia where governments have been superseded by mega corporations.

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u/PassiveGambler Washington 18h ago

Well, the palantiri were not evil themselves, nor were they created by the big bad. They were communication devices originally created by the elves (in Tolkien's universe, elves were more closely aligned with divinity than men). They were then given to the Numenoreans. They only responded appropriately to those who had the right to use them (ie the nobility and those they appointed to guard them). The reason they were dangerous is the big bad got hold of one and was able to use it combined with his own power.

The metaphor they're going for is: "We, the brilliant, righteous, and divinely aligned, created a way to retrieve and share information. We must ensure that it is only used by those who have a divine right to use it (the ultra wealthy neo-aristocracy). If it falls into the wrong hands, it can be used for great evil."

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u/According_Tea_6329 18h ago

The wrong hands being the poors?

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u/PassiveGambler Washington 14h ago

I think it's intentionally vague. I don't think they view the poor as bad. They view them (us) as lesser. They don't have any ethical qualms with manipulation, lias, or any attempts to overrule the will of the people because the people don't have a right to make decisions. That's the right of the special, chosen few. They are the only ones who have access to all of the information and believe they know best. They also aren't actually any smarter than most people. "Evil" or "the wrong people" is just whoever they're beefing with. Right now, that would be Iran. Just listen to Peter Theil talk about the antichrist.

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u/EmpressClaraB 10h ago

Once we automate all the manual labour, we won't even need to let the poors have hands any more! It's all working out!