Regarding the Elon Tweet
Added 2021-12-23 18:40:29 +0000 UTCGuys,
Steve and I have been discussing the Elon tweet. I've also been reading your feedback about it. Some of you may not like Elon and I understand that. I think we should look at this as an opportunity though. Having one of the richest/most famous people in the world positively commenting about skepticism is amazing. If someone like Elon were to support skepticism the potential gains could be profound.
In order to keep his tweet active, if you read our book and want to help, please leave a positive comment on Elons post. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1473824879820615680?s=20
Feel free to let me know what you think...and thanks.
-Jay
Comments
Elon Musk got saved by Jesus on the Babylon Bee podcast (it's on YouTube) December 21, 2021. At the very end of the podcast. Possibly not sincere. Weird.
James Christensen
2022-01-01 18:24:33 +0000 UTCI feel like this is stating the obvious, but anyone familiar with Musk filtered through a skeptical lens will know he cannot possibly be genuinely interested in skepticism. If he’s signal boosting your book that’s fine, as maybe some of his audience will read it and it will free some of them from his personality cult. But let’s not pretend that this guy actually gives a shrt. He’s about as mercurial as they come, and he doesn’t seem truly interested in anything but his own interests and agenda.
Darren Wynnyk
2022-01-01 01:22:23 +0000 UTCElon accused someone of pedophilia with no evidence. He clearly hasn't read the book
Kenny Armand
2021-12-31 16:12:52 +0000 UTCAlso, congratulations. I mean, if I wrote a book and Oprah recommended it I would be honored, as long as I stood by the content.
Brendan Riddle
2021-12-29 07:17:02 +0000 UTCI don’t have any input except to say I’m a bit happy that the book I bought for like 10 family members and was most likely not read was acknowledged by someone with a brain (evil / good? TBD)
Brendan Riddle
2021-12-29 07:16:03 +0000 UTCOverall I think this was a good thing, but if he were to support you. Would you be less likely to cover things that might criticize him or his friends? This is what I would be worried about, I think you guys have remained true to skepticism no matter where how everyone else sways and that should be your primary goal.
MaxPlan
2021-12-29 06:22:38 +0000 UTC"If someone like Elon were to support skepticism the potential gains could be profound." I do generally agree with this statement. The problem, as Tim Anglen has noted, is Musk more often than not supports gullibility. Broken clocks come to mind: We shouldn't get too excited about them being correct twice a day (assuming a typical 12-hour clock, obviously).
Leo Buzalsky
2021-12-29 03:02:31 +0000 UTCA lot of fake info about Musk in these comments. So my suggestion for Steve Novella: just like Steve has previously done deep dives on skeptic topics to tell the facts from fiction. Steve should do a deep dive on Musk, what is fact and what is fiction? Did he really became rich exploiting a child labor on a cobalt mine? Are billionaires inherently evil by merely existing? Has he ever done anything positive to humanity? Is there really evidence that he pointed guns at Boca Chica residents to force them to sell their houses cheap? ETC Which ones are facts we can find hard evidence for and which ones are celebrity gossip? Make that into an SGU episode Steve!
MPAA
2021-12-27 12:25:21 +0000 UTCBoth the above are fake. 1) Musk answered a headline by CNN literally claiming the UN said 6% of his wealth could solve world hunger. Musk responded if the UN could come up with a peer reviewed plan to solve world hunger with 6% of his wealth, he would help. At the end of the day, it turned out the CNN headline was fake, the UN never said that, CNN retracted the headline. 2) Musk offered to pay 3x the property value of Boca Chica residents. Most of them took the offer. So far only one, a space fan girl who is now a hired photographer by Nasaspaceflight.com, did not take the offer. Of course, there's no evidence of bullying residents to sell with guns. Would hope fellow skeptics would apply their lessons learned on the SGU and look up into primary sources for both sides of the stories instead of only sensationalist tabloid spam before spreading fake news on the internet! Let's separate what is fact and what is celebrity gossip!
MPAA
2021-12-27 12:05:27 +0000 UTCIn my opinion, no.
RawkGWJ
2021-12-26 17:07:29 +0000 UTCIf anyone who wasn’t a plutocrat or an oligarch had written what Elon Musk has written, would we be having this conversation?
Michael House
2021-12-26 03:25:07 +0000 UTCElon told millions of people to read a skeptical book, that is a good thing. Your book has the potential to actually help people by making them more skeptical, vitriol helps no one. If the former President told his followers to read your book, I’d be celebrating that as well. These are the people who need skepticism the most. I’m happy for you rogues, you deserve the recognition. Of course, I may not be the best person to advise you because, I’d hug the devil if he gave me a cookie…
Garry
2021-12-25 07:00:21 +0000 UTCPersonally, I wouldn’t call Musk a skeptic. It would be awesome if the SGU book helps Musk to become a better person, but what if the book teaches Him how to be a more efficient bastard? Rocket ‘ish is cool, but people are more important. Musk has enough power to do both rockets and help the downtrodden, but He’s only choosing to do rockets. That’s something that I despise about the wealth deities of the world.
RawkGWJ
2021-12-25 02:58:49 +0000 UTCIt’s a little scary because Musk is so powerful and could (I suppose) try to bury the SGU if it goes a direction he doesn’t like, but I can only imagine the lifetime of regret that would result if you don’t at least try to take advantage of the opportunity to reach his millions of followers.
Joshua Hart
2021-12-24 23:11:45 +0000 UTCGreat work Rogues - everyone is entitled to their opinion on Musk but the reality is that he has a massive public platform and for him to give a Thumbs Up to you all is seriously awesome. Merry Christmas!
Benjamin McCartney
2021-12-24 21:09:59 +0000 UTCThe boys don't care about because he does cool space stuff.
Tim Anglen
2021-12-24 19:53:41 +0000 UTCI agree with Jay, whatever Musk is, benefits to skepticism could be big. One thing I want to point out though, is that the reverse is also true, credibility damage could also be big, so if the interview happens, the team should prepare for it as if not only their lives depended on getting things right but also the fate of the skepticism as a whole (not saying that it is, but risks are big).
Alexander Czar
2021-12-24 19:03:22 +0000 UTCMusk is a self serving ego maniac. If the “money disease” is a real thing, he’s got one of the worst cases in the world. On twitter, when folks called Musk to action to use his wealth to help the most downtrodden people in the world, Musk said that he would not do that. The reason he gave is akin to the nirvana fallacy. Musk said that there’s no way that he could help every starving person in the world, so he wasn’t going to help any starving people. And then there was the thing where his company hired a private paramilitary organization to harass and terrorize folks in a small town near the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. You see, Musk wanted their land but didn’t want to pay the residents what their property was worth. The paramilitary soldiers would show up on the doorsteps of residents homes donning body-armor and brandishing automatic rifles and essentially telling the residents that they needed to sell their homes to Musks rocket companies and get out of town.
RawkGWJ
2021-12-24 18:57:10 +0000 UTCHe could end homeless or hungry, but chooses to horde money
Tim Anglen
2021-12-24 14:58:02 +0000 UTCCan someone explain to me what Elon has done to help society? He seems like a taker?
Tim Anglen
2021-12-24 14:56:32 +0000 UTCSo you only positive comments not honest comments. The problem is that he doesn't always follow true skeptical thinking. He sides with people like Joe Rogan. I know you are a fanboy because he went to space but in honesty he is like the feudal kings of old. Sorry for not being positive but honesty is more important.
Tim Anglen
2021-12-24 12:53:21 +0000 UTCAs someone who's followed Elon and his companies closely for years, I'm quite surprised at the negativity coming from what I'm sure is a very fine group of patreons of this very fine show. I fear the usually quite negative way he is portrayed in the mainstream media may be the culprit. In case some of you haven't had the chance to read something positive about the man at length, I think Tim Urban's series is a fun place to start - https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/05/elon-musk-the-worlds-raddest-man.html If you do get a chance to interview Elon please please do review his old interviews so the material is fresh 😁
Andy
2021-12-24 12:52:37 +0000 UTCCORRECT!!!
RawkGWJ
2021-12-24 11:46:02 +0000 UTCOops. I missed the part about being positive until after I tweeted my response. I’m going to leave my post as is, though. Though I wasn’t being super positive, I wasn’t being overtly negative either.
RawkGWJ
2021-12-24 11:45:20 +0000 UTCI love the fact that a great book around skeptical thinking just got in front of millions of people!
Crystal Haka
2021-12-24 01:22:29 +0000 UTCI have been mulling this over all day. "Should billionaires exist?" The answer is No.
echo
2021-12-24 00:56:43 +0000 UTCDefinitely ought to have him as a guest rogue or interview. Make it so!
Richard Drumm
2021-12-23 22:28:44 +0000 UTCFlawed human being, but who isn’t. Great opportunity to engage. Carefully, because everything is magnified when you step into his arena.
Blurry fingers
2021-12-23 22:27:20 +0000 UTCI think it’s a good thing. He is problematic but also this is a huge bump that will help reach people you probably would never reach
Brandon Cure
2021-12-23 22:18:55 +0000 UTCAbsolutely agree with you. It's praise from a very high place. The worst it can do is give you a bunch a free publicity. An SGU interview would be one of the best interviews he will ever do. The rouges know all the right questions. Who cares if he says the odd thing that's incorrect, P.C. or weird? Whether you like the man or not, he is doing some great things for humanity, he has some extremely good innovations and this hopefully ends up in many more SGU listeners and book sales. 👍
James Joyce
2021-12-23 21:56:51 +0000 UTCThis is all very interesting that’s for sure. It’s not really about exposure for the SGU, although that’s awesome, it’s about the potential good that can come from it. Immediately picking a public fight on Twitter with someone like Elon when he just praised your work would be dumb, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an opportunity for the SGU to at least make him rethink things down the line. But trying to change Elon wouldn’t be the goal either. It would be getting skepticism into the heads of more people through him. Let them then realise he isn’t good at it himself.
Mark Penney
2021-12-23 21:51:17 +0000 UTCHas the Elon Musk tweet bumped your patreon subs? :-D
Eric Wadsworth
2021-12-23 21:26:31 +0000 UTCPretty funny, on the same day I saw about the tweet from Elon I also saw a video where he stated (paraphrasing slightly) "The 'woke mind virus' is the greatest threat to our civilization". Quite the dichotomy. It would ludicrous for the SGU to do anything other than graciously accept the praise from Elon. Anyone giving you a hard time doesn't understand how being polite is basically a 'prime directive' of sorts when it comes to engaging with people in a skeptical way. Any other attitude detracts from the movement.
Steve Roberts
2021-12-23 21:02:22 +0000 UTCI think its great to see more exposure for the SGU. I like Elon as well, so full disclosure here. I also I also know that the SGU team would do a damn fine interview with him! Thanks for all your hard work.
Les J Oates
2021-12-23 20:59:35 +0000 UTCIt's very good for your book and podcast probably in terms of publicity, but you will lose credibility if you don't hold him to the same standards as you would anyone else, especially re: skepticism.
Aila Slisco
2021-12-23 20:42:10 +0000 UTCA successful highly intelligent tech entrepreneur likes the book. Where is the controversy?
George Theodosopoulos
2021-12-23 20:15:47 +0000 UTCAll of our heroes have flaws. 100% of them. Know how I know? Cuz they’re people! The question for each is whether the flaws are forgivable. In Elon’s case my own answer is “yes”. There are some people out there I would suggest refusing their endorsement. Musk doesn’t come anywhere near that line (the way I draw it). I hope that’s an objective opinion and not colored by fanboy enthusiasm for rockets! But I agree with posters above - rejoice in the post!! Congrats!! The book is great and more needed now than when it was first written!!
Mark Devney
2021-12-23 19:58:48 +0000 UTCI was just having a discussion with a friend about this topic last night. People have a hard time separating what someone does from how they act/believe. Someone can be a horrible person but also make great music, art, technology, etc. and I feel like there's nothing wrong with enjoying what those people create.
Wojtek The Bear
2021-12-23 19:57:09 +0000 UTCagreed, and action taken
Josh Nankivel
2021-12-23 19:36:05 +0000 UTCCompletely agree. Musk is a polarizing figure. He's done a lot of objectively good things for humanity, accomplishing things that no one else has been able to successfully do, so there's a lot to love about him. He's also said and done some objectively horrible things, and his relationship with truthfulness his tenuous at best, so there's a lot to hate about him. I'm a little disappointed to see so many in the skeptical community ignore one in favor of the other to either vilify or lionize him depending on their preference. Aren't we supposed to be comfortable enough with nuance to recognize/understand both aspects simultaneously? Regardless, the fact that he's publicizing scientific skepticism, whether or not he's willing to practice it himself, is nothing but good for the SGU rogues, critical thinking communities, and humanity overall. Hopefully his influence here has a positive impact!
Erik Harris
2021-12-23 19:30:49 +0000 UTCI believe this is after someone suggested the book in response to Musk tweeting the 50 Biases chart. So he was already promoting critical thinking, and it's awesome.
Den K
2021-12-23 19:30:13 +0000 UTC100% agree.
Ryan Garrick
2021-12-23 19:28:44 +0000 UTCThe same is true for Choprak or Trump, Chris. Furthermore, even if you’re exclusively motivated by exposure (weird, but ok), responding in a polite, yet no-nonsense way calling him out on his covid denialism would’ve actually resulted in MORE exposure, because the dude can’t take criticism, so it would’ve gone viral.
Craig Lopez
2021-12-23 19:22:44 +0000 UTCWhatever you think of Elon he is one of the most famous people on the planet and has tens of millions of Twitter followers. For him to recommend the book can only bring more reader and listeners. Not all of them will like what they read/hear, but at least some will pick up a bit of Skeptical know-how, which helps make the world a better place.
Chris Spain
2021-12-23 19:18:05 +0000 UTCHeld my nose and replied positively just for you Jay
Jamie Bruno
2021-12-23 19:14:51 +0000 UTCI have mixed feelings about it, but to me it is almost like getting an endorsement from Deepak Chopra. Elon may not deal in pseudo-science exactly, but he makes promises he can't keep and is totally unrealistic about timescales.
John P
2021-12-23 19:13:30 +0000 UTCNah, the opportunity was for you guys to use the reach of that tweet to ask him why then he espouses covid denialism, and start a conversation to expose the stupidity of that mindset. What’s next, Jay, you’ll ask us to celebrate a Trump endorsement? Really disappointed in you guys.
Craig Lopez
2021-12-23 19:10:58 +0000 UTCI agree with you, Jay. It’s a long-awaited exposure for skepticism that all of us should appreciate, regardless of what we think of Elon Musk. So happy for you guys!
Andras G Pinter
2021-12-23 19:09:10 +0000 UTCI don’t love a lot about Musk, but we need to be able to work towards common goals with anyone willing. Everyone demonizing everyone on the other team is, in large part, how we ended up in the dumpster fire we now inhabit. Positive comment left.
Michael Paver
2021-12-23 19:00:28 +0000 UTCMerry Christmas! This level of exposure is a GIFT! (pronounced [ jĭft ])
Ignacio Petrochevitz
2021-12-23 19:00:16 +0000 UTCElon is awesome imo, I'm also very excited he dropped your book on his twitter. I hope success for all of you simply bc that means we all win.
Brett Reiman
2021-12-23 18:57:57 +0000 UTCI agree. No need to condemn a (flawed) public figure for praising your book. You didn't ask for the endorsement. But if he wants a guest spot on your show, make him agree to give a few million to charity.
Dan K
2021-12-23 18:54:58 +0000 UTCI see this as a great thing. Even if you don't like Elon personally, he's still famous and 67.4 MILLION people follow him on Twitter. As they say "any press is good press". It'll help get more new listeners and readers. Way to go SGU!
David Oreol
2021-12-23 18:48:04 +0000 UTCI completely agree. I *really* dislike the guy, but if a) it boosts your sales and audience and b) some of the more unquestioning Musk-eteers get exposed to skeptical thinking, I don't see a downside. I trust you guys enough to not worry that the SGU will turn into the Praise-Musk-Show. (Cara will make sure of that :D)
Lars Martin
2021-12-23 18:46:56 +0000 UTCLove him, hate him, or indifferent, getting an endorsement from one of the most famous people in the world is pretty damn awesome. Congrats!
Nicholas Planchard
2021-12-23 18:46:49 +0000 UTCNo matter how I might feel about Elon, I think only good things can come of this. Congratulations! Hopefully it brings more people to look into skepticism, as a dose of skepticism is what the world needs now.
thefriz
2021-12-23 18:45:43 +0000 UTCTotally agree! Musk Twitter is certainly not a bastion of critical thinking, but I bet a lot of science fans who just don’t know much about critical thinking and skepticism will see it
Michael Dempsey
2021-12-23 18:45:23 +0000 UTCI agree there is a good and bad here, but if people read it, that can only be a positive in the world. Heck, maybe it will make Elon a better thinker too.
Eric Hall
2021-12-23 18:43:48 +0000 UTCI was amazed by the tweet and of course it's nothing but POSITIVE!
Ville Kuitunen
2021-12-23 18:42:42 +0000 UTCTotally agree. Let this not be a poisoning the well logical fallacy. Enjoy the publicity. You deserve it sooo much! Love / Pontus
Pontus
2021-12-23 18:42:36 +0000 UTC
