Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 122 posts

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#21

Post by bradly »

rowanG077 wrote: post #13
tempsy wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are more naive than you think. Think for a second. The most egregious example of this is the Sackler family's ( Purdue Pharma/Opioids) massive donations to the arts/museums. They should not receive the glory and praise for their generosity to the arts for triggering the deaths of so many Americans in the pursuit of drug profits.

Why not? They did both. We should recognize them for both. Why do you feel the need to portray them in such a one dimensional way?

You'd like to recognize a rapist for their charitable givings?

edit: This was a poor comment. I shouldn't have phrased my point in such a crass way when I do not actually believe rowanG077 thinks what I wrote above. Sorry for my tone, rowanG077. It wasn't helpful to the conversation.

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#22

Post by bb88 »

tempsy wrote: post #19
bb88 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that the way the world works? Someone does something bad, gets caught, and all of a sudden gives an endowment to some university or pediatric research agency? I mean, isn't that the way billionaire's revamp their image?

What’s your point? If elite child prostitution rings are “the way the world works” why should we continuing normalizing that as a society?

Oh no, not at all. GP said he'd never heard of that in society before. Just trying to point out his ignorance.

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#23

Post by [deleted] »

natalyarostova wrote: post #14
ve55 wrote: post #5

Kind of weird how they discuss a single case and then literally write that one should "refuse the money of tech billionaires". Sounds like an absurd overreaction. Worth checking out https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/07/29/against-against-billio...

The important thing is that the guardian/nytimes figured out how to connect this back to tech=bad, which is an ongoing interest of theirs.

[deleted]

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#25

Post by rowanG077 »

bb88 wrote: post #12
rowanG077 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think Epstein funding some research washes him of his past transgressions? I have never heard anyone say that. Nor do I think we should stop people that have done wrong from doing right afterwards because it could "wash their reputations from past transgressions". We have something called the law that should bring justice to people.

Isn't that the way the world works? Someone does something bad, gets caught, and all of a sudden gives an endowment to some university or pediatric research agency? I mean, isn't that the way billionaire's revamp their image?

Not really. Someone doing something really bad will always have their image tainted. That doesn't mean we should stop them from doing good.

Look at Bill Gates for instance. People still give him a lot of shit for what he did 20 to 30 years back even though he objectively has done a lot more good now then bad. Bill Gates did both of those things. We shouldn't forget either.

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#26

Post by bb88 »

burnstek wrote: post #18

If you have a problem with MIT taking Epstein's money, then you have a problem with money in general. We all take money in some fashion from disgusting, psychotic, and evil people on a regular basis. Particularly so when we're on social security, medicare, or another social program. It's like the people who are against hunting, but who are happy to eat store bought meat.

So taxes are mandatory. They don't change the reputation of a person.

Charitable contributions can make a sleazeball look like a boy scout, when in fact deep down he's profiting on human misery.

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#27

Post by rowanG077 »

bradly wrote: post #21
rowanG077 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? They did both. We should recognize them for both. Why do you feel the need to portray them in such a one dimensional way?

You'd like to recognize a rapist for their charitable givings? edit: This was a poor comment. I shouldn't have phrased my point in such a crass way when I do not actually believe rowanG077 thinks what I wrote above. Sorry for my tone, rowanG077. It wasn't helpful to the conversation.

Depends on what you mean by recognize. I certainly don't think we should hide it. I also don't think we should "forget" the person is a rapist.

But the main point I am making is that we shouldn't stop the rapist from making charitable givings. Nor should we punish institutions for taking that money.

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#28

Post by rowanG077 »

bb88 wrote: post #26
burnstek wrote: post #18

If you have a problem with MIT taking Epstein's money, then you have a problem with money in general. We all take money in some fashion from disgusting, psychotic, and evil people on a regular basis. Particularly so when we're on social security, medicare, or another social program. It's like the people who are against hunting, but who are happy to eat store bought meat.

So taxes are mandatory. They don't change the reputation of a person. Charitable contributions can make a sleazeball look like a boy scout, when in fact deep down he's profiting on human misery.

How do they make a sleazeball look like a boy scout?

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#29

Post by bb88 »

rowanG077 wrote: post #28
bb88 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So taxes are mandatory. They don't change the reputation of a person. Charitable contributions can make a sleazeball look like a boy scout, when in fact deep down he's profiting on human misery.

How do they make a sleazeball look like a boy scout?

The Jeffrey Epstein Modern Art Wing

The Jeffrey Epstein Pediatric Fund for Incurable Childhood Illnesses

The Jeffrey Epstein Research Lab at MIT

The Jeffrey Epstein Fund for Worldwide Peace

(Note: some of these I'm sure I made up...)

Re: The Epstein scandal at MIT shows the moral bankruptcy of techno elites

#30

Post by marcinzm »

bradly wrote: post #21
rowanG077 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not? They did both. We should recognize them for both. Why do you feel the need to portray them in such a one dimensional way?

You'd like to recognize a rapist for their charitable givings? edit: This was a poor comment. I shouldn't have phrased my point in such a crass way when I do not actually believe rowanG077 thinks what I wrote above. Sorry for my tone, rowanG077. It wasn't helpful to the conversation.

Where is the line? If you stole something at 16 does that mean you're to be shunned from society forever? Is the line rape? Is it murder? Sexual assault? Being a nazi? Being a conservative? Being a liberal? Associating with someone in the shunned group?

And what aren't we allowed to do with these people? Accept their money? Talk to them? Have dinner with them? Be in the same room as them? Same building? Be friends with friends of theirs?

Post reply on HN