8 ms·

Agreed, although I think that while Thiel might not be a stereotypical Bible-thumping Trump supporter, his libertarian leanings place him significantly closer t

Agreed, although I think that while Thiel might not be a stereotypical Bible-thumping Trump supporter, his libertarian leanings place him significantly closer to far-right anti-government types than his polished cosmopolitan-technocrat side might lead one to believe. Also worth remembering that a lot of rich and powerful gay guys really are pretty conservative, and aren't that concerned with traditional liberal ideologies overall. I'd say being rich—and white, and a man—insulates them from many of the hardships that get people thinking about social justice; if you and your friends aren't treated badly on a regular basis, you could easily forget that other people are. (Especially if you're very wealthy and would like to keep it that way.)

maxvulpini 5y ago
> insulates them from many of the hardships that get people thinking about social justice He grew up in Pretoria and it sounds like he had a pretty rough time. And it's hard to argue that he's having an easy time now, the press has been personality-assassinating him since the early 2000s when Gawker outed him as gay when he was in Saudi Arabia, where gay people are often punished by the death penalty... My 2 cents is that he cares about humanist values quite a bit, but just doesn't think the wokes are going about it the right way.
- api 5y ago
  > when Gawker outed him as gay when he was in Saudi Arabia, where gay people are often punished by the death penalty... This is why I have never held the Gawker thing against him. That little detail didn't make it into any of the articles I saw on the subject, and it makes Gawker's behavior really low. Also: if he were female, outing him this way would properly be considered sexual harassment. Publishing a sex tape without permission, which they did to Hogan, is basically sexual assault. Gawker was sleazy as hell and deserved what they got.
  - csilverman 5y ago
    Same. I have very few positive feelings towards either Thiel or Hogan, but I've always thought Gawker was disgusting—the left-wing equivalent of any far-right blog you want to name—and I wasn't sorry to see the end of them.
api 5y ago
Left/right is an oversimplified model, so it depends on what you mean by right. By far right I really meant fascist or at least authoritarian reactionary, not libertarian. I don't see the alt-right as libertarian at all. They are mostly reactionary nationalist or racialist collectivists.
- maxvulpini 5y ago
  Yeah, sorry, I misunderstood you.

maxvulpini 5y ago

> insulates them from many of the hardships that get people thinking about social justice He grew up in Pretoria and it sounds like he had a pretty rough time. And it's hard to argue that he's having an easy time now, the press has been personality-assassinating him since the early 2000s when Gawker outed him as gay when he was in Saudi Arabia, where gay people are often punished by the death penalty... My 2 cents is that he cares about humanist values quite a bit, but just doesn't think the wokes are going about it the right way.

api 5y ago
> when Gawker outed him as gay when he was in Saudi Arabia, where gay people are often punished by the death penalty... This is why I have never held the Gawker thing against him. That little detail didn't make it into any of the articles I saw on the subject, and it makes Gawker's behavior really low. Also: if he were female, outing him this way would properly be considered sexual harassment. Publishing a sex tape without permission, which they did to Hogan, is basically sexual assault. Gawker was sleazy as hell and deserved what they got.
- csilverman 5y ago
  Same. I have very few positive feelings towards either Thiel or Hogan, but I've always thought Gawker was disgusting—the left-wing equivalent of any far-right blog you want to name—and I wasn't sorry to see the end of them.

api 5y ago

Left/right is an oversimplified model, so it depends on what you mean by right. By far right I really meant fascist or at least authoritarian reactionary, not libertarian. I don't see the alt-right as libertarian at all. They are mostly reactionary nationalist or racialist collectivists.

maxvulpini 5y ago
Yeah, sorry, I misunderstood you.