Sounds like somebody wanted to get rid of a co-founder and found a great opportunity to do it.
A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
81–90 of 132 posts
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#82I can appreciate RG's leadership having the self-awareness to see the need to make an Adult Decision in this case, but I think it's probably a mistake for them to continue hosting the Rodgers diary. Contrary to Moghadam's comments, the diary is not particularly well-written. It's long, repetitive, weirdly detailed (the author recounts meals eaten years ago), and studded with evidence of psychopathy. RG's style of ann…
> I can appreciate RG's leadership having the self-awareness to see the need to make an Adult Decision in this case, but I think it's probably a mistake for them to continue hosting the Rodgers diary. Rap Genius is in still somewhat in that growth phase of its life where it wants to attain and secure as many users as it can. The Rogers story is something a lot of young people are curious to see, and if RG can be a pl…
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Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#83Obviously Mahbod's latest annotations were inappropriate. Based on his past behavior, these recent antics should not come as much of a surprise.
As an aside, it has always amazed me how many people over the years have failed to realize Rap Genius' gimmick is just that, a gimmick. It's their attempt at using an admittedly off-color flavor of comedy to build their brand. Said brand is heavily rooted in rap, which is one of the most politically incorrect and offensive mediums of pop culture in existence today.
It stands to reason that when the Rap Genius founders are in character, their behavior should not be taken literally as a reflection of who they really are.
A good example of this is when they were featured on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5773556
Most people simply took them literally, became offended, and jumped on the revulsion bandwagon. Others understood that the RG guys were essentially mocking the startup scene and the rap scene at the same time, in effect making fun of themselves.
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In Mahbod's case specifically, it seemed like he was aiming for humor that went right up to the line but didn't cross it. Unfortunately, comedy is a hit-or-miss endeavor and some of the misses were bound to cross that line. Add to that his medical issues potentially adversely affecting his judgement, and it's no wonder.
Was what he said inappropriate? Absolutely.
Should he have been fired for it? Debatable.
Should we assume he's a terrible human being (as some other comments have implied)? Certainly not.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
> god help us, using the output of that mind as a platform on which to build suggestions on changing our culture Why not? There's what to do lessons and what not to do lessons. From what I read in the essay he talks continually about how he lives in a beautiful, wealthy suburb, has an apartment and BMW, nice clothes and so forth. I don't watch teenage television shows like the OC, The Hills or whatever, but from this…
> Why not? Because it's just one kid. The sample size is too small.
Sorry, but no.
Ok, not everybody is going to kill girls because they rejected you, but almost every man understand at least some of the feelings + frustrations he experienced (especially virgins).
To deny this is to deny the huge elephant in the room - the fact that men do have the primal need for sex, and when it's denied/suppressed, bad things happen as that need goes unfulfilled.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why not? Because it's just one kid. The sample size is too small.
Sorry, but no. Ok, not everybody is going to kill girls because they rejected you, but almost every man understand at least some of the feelings + frustrations he experienced (especially virgins). To deny this is to deny the huge elephant in the room - the fact that men do have the primal need for sex, and when it's denied/suppressed, bad things happen as that need goes unfulfilled.
You know, speaking as a dude it's pretty insulting to see you insinuate that I'm some pent up murder machine held in check only so long as I keep my dick wet.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do another skim read through the diary and notice all the times he unabashedly confirms his belief that other human beings in his life exist to serve his interests. It's practically a motif. He doesn't merely seem upset that women won't acknowledge him, but rather that anyone he interacts with has any agency at all --- his father, his mother, his friends, his roommates.
Not that it matters, but he really doesn't seem like a psychopath. Real psychopaths tend to be brave, extroverted, narcissistic, impervious to punishment, etc. He really didn't fit. (He's a little narcissistic, but limited it to talking about his being a "perfect gentleman" and things like that. Otherwise, he tended to condemn himself--his height, physical weakness, bad fortune, etc.) Of course, I'm basing that on hi…
After a gay co-worker and I watched his Luka Magnotta creepy, incredibly narcissistic to the point of nausea selfie vids he uploaded of himself driving around with a cruisey bar soundtrack we anecdotally declared this guy mad, and an extreme closet case which could explain his odd, jealousy filled hatred for women, obsession over the men they are with and his all around girl repellent behavior.
Too bad there isn't a history eraser button we can use to retroactively deny him fame for this.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#87I can appreciate RG's leadership having the self-awareness to see the need to make an Adult Decision in this case, but I think it's probably a mistake for them to continue hosting the Rodgers diary. Contrary to Moghadam's comments, the diary is not particularly well-written. It's long, repetitive, weirdly detailed (the author recounts meals eaten years ago), and studded with evidence of psychopathy. RG's style of ann…
the diary is not particularly well-written depends on your standards. He's not a professional author but I think he's probably better than your average college grad. studded with evidence of psychopathy genuinely interested. could you point to some of these. I've been skimming it and haven't really seen that. in fact, this struck me as empathetic James’s mother, Kim Ellis, had just passed away from breast cancer. I c…
> in fact, this struck me as empathetic
This really isn't empathy. Roger is not feeling his friend's pain—he's transferring his friend's situation to himself and feeling his own pain. He's crying in imagined self-pity.
Roger describes crying in self-pity or frustration many times in the document, even into adulthood. A quick word count:
34 cried
10 cry
19 crying
9 tears
Otherwise Roger's depiction of himself comes off as completely self-absorbed and often unaware or unconcerned with the feelings of others. The narcissism is overwhelming.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
The brain tumor was removed...and the public behavior was unchanged. http://valleywag.gawker.com/rap-genius-frontman-blames-brain...
Sad but the brain tumour could still be the reason for his behaviour. We don't know nearly enough about the brain to argue that the removal must restore the previous personality.
Lots of people are douchebags without having brain tumours.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why not? Because it's just one kid. The sample size is too small.
Sorry, but no. Ok, not everybody is going to kill girls because they rejected you, but almost every man understand at least some of the feelings + frustrations he experienced (especially virgins). To deny this is to deny the huge elephant in the room - the fact that men do have the primal need for sex, and when it's denied/suppressed, bad things happen as that need goes unfulfilled.
You've basically just tried to excuse rape.
Re: A Statement About Mahbod’s Annotations on Elliot Rodger’s Manifesto
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Not all VC's."
Now you're making a joke out of "not all men". Are you sure you're helping?
Hmmm? "Not all men" is usually presented as a joke. For example, [0]. Similar riffs can be found involving, for example, the Kool-Aid Man.
As an aside, your comment is very patronizing.
