How’s everyone’s weekend going? Thanks for spending a portion of it with the Six.
A pejorative statement to lead off today…people have lost their freakin’ minds over Elon Musk buying Twitter.
I knew Musk’s billion-dollar purchase of the social media platform would elicit blowback. Left-leaning pundits and gatekeepers are terrified of losing their moral high ground on the internet. And they are not going quietly into that good night.
Authors came out screaming about “equitable” speech over old fashioned free speech. MSNBC race hustler Joy Reid claimed Musk’s purchase is part of a larger effort to bring apartheid to the United States saying “I guess he (Musk) misses the old South Africa in the 80s. He wants that back.” And the White House is peeved off.
Spokesperson Jen Psaki said this when asked about the acquisition: “The president has long been concerned about the power of large social media platforms, the power they have over our everyday lives, has long argued that tech platforms must be held accountable for the harms they cause.” A Democratic Senator echoed Psaki’s fear baiting by using the term “algorithmic justice” when lobbying for tougher laws against tech platforms.
Algorithmic justice? WTF?
Cue up laugh track.
I give Musk credit. He’s having a good row over the uproar, trolling his critics all week.
Expect more of the same farcical mayhem in the coming weeks and months as Musk closes the deal and puts his stamp on the company.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
A Cop’s-View of Seattle’s Undoing.
We are almost two years removed from all the urban city unrest caused by the George Floyd murder in 2020. Soon after, the term “defund police” became a talking point in the every day news cycle. It hasn’t gone away as the concept of reducing law enforcement is being weaponized in political campaigns across the country. This article is a first hand account of what happens to a city when “defund police” literally becomes part of public policy. A jaw-dropping read from the Common Sense newsletter about the events in Seattle in 2020, events the city has yet to and may never recover from.
Would You Bring Dinosaurs Back From Extinction? Survey Says.
An organization called YouGovAmerica recently completed a fascinating survey. They asked a bunch of adults how they feel about preserving endangered species. Most said they’d be in favor or such a move (almost 75%). But when asked how they feel about bringing back species already extinct? A far less favorable response, only 32%. This is a write up of the survey from YouGov where they dig deeper into the data. One question asked was if pollsters supported the re-introduction of dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Nine in 10 answered “no.” As the article quotes Jeff Goldblum’s character from the film Jurassic Park, “Dinosaurs had their shot, and nature selected them for extinction.”
German Tycoons Agreed to Fund Hitler’s Rise to Power.
I was stunned when I read this as I don’t recall it ever being reported or documented before. Amid constant reappraisal of WW2, it is rare to find an under-covered angle. This account of a meeting in early 1933 between leading figures in the deeply indebted Nazi Party and six German wealthy industrialists provides details on how Adolf Hitler pitched his ideas for ending democracy. And the German tycoons opened their wallets. The session ended with a declaration: “And now, gentlemen, to the cash register!” Hitler took over Germany and well, we know what happened next. An unbelievable story from an upcoming book on the subject.
The Greatest Traveler You’ve Never Heard Of.
A New York man named J.R. Harris is a lone traveler, perhaps the most prolific solo hiker ever. The 78-year-old wanderer doesn’t like to brag, though in more than a half-century of traveling, he has circumnavigated the world 13 times. From his apartment in Queens, he’s waiting for the weather to warm to embark on his next adventure: Morocco, perhaps. Or maybe a solo trek across the High Atlas Mountains. A terrific adventurer profile from Afar magazine.
Inside the Best Sports Show of the Past Decade.
Just when I consider cancelling my $15 per month for HBO, they come up with another winner (just kidding…HBO is the best investment in pure entertainment content I spend each month). I’m obsessed with “Winning Time” the story of the rise of the NBA Showtime Lakers of the 1980’s. What makes the show so compelling is the historical fiction aspect to it and how non-basketball fans would enjoy the show as it’s rarely about basketball. The characters are real people who did real things. But the show takes storytelling liberties with the depiction of said characters and events and after all, it is an entertainment series. The Hollywood Reporter takes a deep dive on the show, it’s actors and creator and how they were able to pull the whole thing off.
103 Bits of Advice I’d Wish I’d Known.
A selection from this author's commonplace book of unsolicited advice on his 70th birthday includes, "Always read the plaque next to the monument". "Try to make new mistakes". "Anything you say before the word 'but' does not count". "Half the skill of being educated is learning what you can ignore". "We overestimate what we can do in a day, we underestimate what we can achieve in a decade". "Take the stairs.” One nugget of wisdom I fail to follow almost every day? “I don’t need to write this down because I will remember it.”
I always forget.
Thanks for reading everybody and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com