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Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

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Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#581

Post by edblarney »

tptacek wrote: post #426
edblarney wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Lots of individuals who Trump "owes" through either money or support they provided to him; pure cronyism." Trump is the most 'free' President in modern history. He 'owes' the least, to the fewest people. This is one thing even the center-left press were talking about. As for Thiel - $1M might seem like a lot - but Trump doesn't really 'owe' Thiel anything, because Thiel doesn't have direct future influence etc., and…

Why exactly am I meant to be comforted by the fact that the craven opportunists --- the lowest of the low of the Republican party, discredited outsiders like Newt Gingrich and John Bolton --- are getting the most important positions in the United States government for kowtowing to Trump? There are important thinkers in the Republican Party. People with ideas and a moral core, people who have given years of service to…

No - what I said was the Trump can pick who he wants.

That's it.

Also - Gingrich and Bolton are not 'discredited' - you just don't agree with them.

I too, would prefer Gates, but Gingrich is probably who Trump's base would rather have and frankly, maybe it's more authentic that way.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#582

Post by masondixon »

tdkl wrote: post #579
rootlocus wrote: post #576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Thankfully, freedom of speech is such an integral part of the US, that there is not one side trying to control what the other can say, and the other doing the same back. Sure, you and Donald Trump can say whatever you please. Nobody's restricting your freedom of speech. However, what you say betrays who you are. And what Trump said showed he's a liar, misogynist, tech illiterate, arrogant and overall a disgusting h…

> People listen up until the point you prove to them you're not worth listening to. And they decide that based on emotions, which marks them as not being capable of rational discussions.

After losing control of the entire government, there is still this sense of: "I don't need to engage in debate with you". Its just not rationale.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#583

Post by WalterBright »

sangnoir wrote: post #498
D_Alex wrote: post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This "post-truth" does not need to be understood, it needs to be rejected, as hard as possible.

Post-truth is pretty much Donald's lifestyle. He testified under oath that his net worth "depends on how he feels at that moment" (paraphrasing). His state of mind defines reality/truth

Net worth is a pretty slippery concept. For example, what is your house worth? You cannot know it with any sort of precision.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#584

Post by cyphax »

masondixon wrote: post #575

A huge issue today is the lack of calm, reasoned debate. As a Trump supporter I have never been able to properly explain the rationale to a liberal. I believe there is a worthy debate beneath all the political smear, but it is never reached. I believe the reason for this is the liberal media and the incredibly effective Democratic party election machine. The argument stays at the high level of "how could you vote for…

> Thankfully, freedom of speech is such an integral part of the US, that there is not one side trying to control what the other can say, and the other doing the same back.

Let's hope _other_ people's freedoms aren't being taken away thanks to your vote, though.

I also don't see why you would Trump will actually listen to you. Because he says so? You trust what he says?

I understand and will not debate that you feel like you haven't been heard by the American political system (I immediately take your word for it), but that just doesn't mean the alternative to staying on the same path isn't significantly worse. Or do you think your life couldn't be any worse? Worse is _also_ an alternative you may have voted for.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#585

Post by tdkl »

masondixon wrote: post #582
tdkl wrote: post #579

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People listen up until the point you prove to them you're not worth listening to. And they decide that based on emotions, which marks them as not being capable of rational discussions.

After losing control of the entire government, there is still this sense of: "I don't need to engage in debate with you". Its just not rationale.

People should ask themselves deeply why this happened and start researching. Because that would be a rational response, not "protesting" with destroying property.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#586

Post by internaut »

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #490
internaut wrote: post #463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not this again. This just so wrong. Palantir worked for the Clinton Foundation. https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/45010 For at least several years and definitely before Trump was on the map politically. The Podesta Emails literally have Alex Karp, the CEO, paying 100k to talk to Bill Clinton. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/11/05/02/3A142FF40000057...

So he plays both sides then. You haven't invalidated any argument.

I think Alex Karp, much like Thiel's friend Sam Altman, is very much his own man. If they were automatons they wouldn't be in the position they're in.

99% of Silicon Valley disagrees with Thiel, the simplest explanation is that Karp is from that group also.

The alternative explanation appears to be Karp and Thiel conspired to make Trump US President in 2012.

I mean wow. Just wow.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#587

Post by walshemj »

taurath wrote: post #423
analog31 wrote: post #406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trump is the most 'free' President in modern history. He has to buy the support of Congress. He'll give appointments to people who can stand to keep agreeing with him. At least Thiel is loyal to a persistent Republican theme, which is attacking higher education.

Does he go to congress though? His #1 item on his list was term limits. What if he goes directly to the people?

Which requires a constitutional amendment which will take decades to get the states to agree to it.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#588

Post by fastball »

rajathagasthya wrote: post #181
darawk wrote: post #4

This is good news, I think? Thiel has some extremish views, but I generally regard him as intelligent and thoughtful. And he's in close contact with other smart, influential people (e.g. Musk, Sam Altman, etc.), which gives them some indirect influence. Not that this makes things substantially better. But maybe a little bit? Hopefully?

> I generally regard him as intelligent and thoughtful Based on a YouTube video mentioned in another comment thread ( https://youtu.be/CoxxGhLFbw4?t=2m30s ), I wouldn't regard him as intelligent by any means.

Yeah, he went to Stanford for undergrad and law school - he's obviously a dunce.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#589

Post by midgetjones »

eis wrote: post #547

Interesting that the moderators found it important to remove the "YC partner" part from the submission. It also seems the submission is getting less exposure than other submissions even though it's newer and has more upvotes. For example this submission has 349 points and was submitted 6 hours ago and has rank 17 while "Halite: An AI Programming Challenge" has 158 points and was submitted 12 hours ago and is rank 16.…

You'll just get the line that HN readers don't like to talk politics so it was flagged into oblivion.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#590

Post by edblarney »

snaily wrote: post #414
edblarney wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Peter Thiel wrote a book called The Diversity Myth where he said that race mixing would destroy white culture" This is a lie, and it's exactly the kind of lie that Thiel is trying to call out as insufferable oppression on campus and in intellectual discussion. Having lived in very 'multicultural' places, and fairly homogeneous places, it's clear to me that there are both advantages and disadvantages to each - and to…

Your example of Sweden having an official religion is no longer current. The Church of Sweden is since 2000 no longer a state church. That said, it's been possible to opt-out since 1868, and since 1996 membership is opt-in (upon baptizing) and not inherited based on the membership of the parents. Slightly less than two thirds of the population are still members, and it is losing members far faster than simple attriti…

" the state will help collect membership taxes for it, but that should be taken more as a measure of Nordic efficiency than as a tacit endorsement of any particular belief."

I take it as neither.

I take it that the 'Church' is a cultural epitaph, not even so much a religious one.

It doesn't matter 'what one believes'. It matters a little bit that colocated people share some common faith, and the rituals, prayers, holidays, sense of spirit, goodwill - are synchronous in some way.

When those are torn apart - and there is no 'common culture' - some of which is based on 'religion' - then there literally is no ethnicity, and arguably no nation.

You mention 'Nordic efficiency'. It's true, Nordic countries are somewhat 'efficient'.

But will Sweden be a 'Nordic' country when it's 20% ethnically Swedish, 10% German, 8% American, 5% Norwgian, 5% Somali, 5% Russian etc. etc.?

What will make Sweden any different from Norway, which has almost the same ethnic composition, the same rules?

The only difference between Norway and Sweden in 100 years might be the colour of your flags. English will be the dominant language, and ethnically, everyone will be 'from somewhere else'.

Anyhow - thanks for your correction, but I don't think it changes the nature of my point.

Multiculturalism has consequences, and it should be a choice, not something that is foisted upon people as a moral position.

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