# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442 "2022-04-25T22:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 426
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8506 "2024-01-10T07:18:57Z")
Hubster has told me of his adventures with acid. He became convinced he could swim across Lake Michigan, and one time he wandered the woods after leaving the car he was riding in (he wasn’t driving) for hours. He did that all night and ended up miles from where he started. Both times he was very lucky. I have to agree that tripping may be “real” in that, why yes it really happens. For me though, philosophically, I’m a pragmatist: the table is a table. An acid trip is a break with reality. The other drugs you mention are different. This is an apples to broccoli comparison. Whataboutism is you like. Hubster was indeed tripping when he imagined he could swim the Lake, however the reality was that he could not, and would have drowned if someone hadn’t stopped him. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8507 "2024-01-10T09:54:49Z")
There’s a difference between something **existing** and being real. My dreams happen when I sleep but they’re not real. Hallucinations from drugs are not showing reality either. And many of Elon’s claims on Twitter exist but they don’t represent anything but paranoid conspiracies from hateful bigots. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8508 "2024-01-10T10:51:55Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > There’s a difference between something **existing** and being real No, there isn’t. “Real” is not a synonym for _material_ or _empirical_ or whatever you seem to be mistaking it for. But it _is_ a close synonym for “[existing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence)”. > [@Atamasama](#): > > My dreams happen when I sleep but they’re not real. Your dreams are real. Their referents _may_ not be. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8509 "2024-01-10T10:56:15Z")
Man, have you ever really looked at your hand? I mean _really_ looked? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8510 "2024-01-10T11:27:09Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > No, there isn’t. “Real” is not a synonym for _material_ or _empirical_ or whatever you seem to be mistaking it for. But it _is_ a close synonym for “[existing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence)”. Bullshit. > **[Definition of REAL](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/real)** > > having objective independent existence; not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory : genuine; also : being precisely what the name implies; occurring or existing in actuality… See the full definition > not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory **:** [GENUINE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genuine) I mean, it literally means “not illusory”. Saying otherwise is just… I mean you just made a fucking _weird_ statement here. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8511 "2024-01-10T11:43:59Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Man, have you ever really looked at your hand? I mean _really_ looked?- [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Reruwp_Fs3Y/hqdefault.jpg ""They Call Them Fingers, But I Never See Them Fing" - Otto from The Simpsons") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Reruwp_Fs3Y) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8512 "2024-01-10T12:11:48Z")
Are you linking directly to “X”? There is a 2-click rule for nsfw sites. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8513 "2024-01-10T12:33:15Z")
Not bullshit. Happy to play duelling definitions all day, motherfucker: > **Existence** is the state of being real or participating in [reality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality). The terms " **being**", “reality”, and “actuality” are often used as close synonyms. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8514 "2024-01-10T12:39:23Z")
What I love most about this board is that anywhere else on the internet a discussion of Huckleberry Finn or ontology can easily devolve into profanity and insults, but only here does it happen the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8515 "2024-01-10T15:00:50Z")
Ha, good observation, well put. I’ve always thought we should have thread titles that change to match the current discussion: **What Were You THINKING?** [But this week, it’s “ **Beck’s Not A Bigot**!”] **How’s 'Bout Dat Elmo?** [Though posts 8429-8666 are “ **Sage Rat 🧡 LSD** ” (and “Noisy Tires”)] . > [@Stratocaster](#): > > Man, have you ever really looked at your hand? I mean _really_ looked? Hey, I remember you from the dorms! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8516 "2024-01-10T15:08:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Not bullshit. Happy to play duelling definitions all day, motherfucker: The fact that it has one definition doesn’t make every other one wrong. I’m not sure what you think you’re proving here. It’s like you’re saying that Diet Coke can’t exist because Coca-Cola does. My point was that you can draw a distinction between existence and reality, things can exist that aren’t real. I proved that. You can’t disprove it by saying there’s another meaning of “reality” which means “existence”. I really don’t know what you’re trying to do here. I was pushing back on the idea that because someone had an experience, that experience must be “real”. It depends on what you mean by “real” because it doesn’t just mean one thing. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8517 "2024-01-10T15:38:10Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The fact that it has one definition doesn’t make every other one wrong. What it does do is make my statement _not_ “bullshit”. > [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s like you’re saying that Diet Coke can’t exist because Coca-Cola does. Idiocy. I’m saying no such thing. Diet Coke is _just as real as_ Regular Coke. _That’s_ my point. > [@Atamasama](#): > > My point was that you can draw a distinction between existence and reality And my point is that you’re using two synonyms. Existence _is_ reality. You want a different word than “existence” here. Or “reality”, I’m not exactly sure which side of the line your malfunction lies. > [@Atamasama](#): > > You can’t disprove it by saying there’s another meaning of “reality” which means “existence”. Nothing in the definition you used says any different. > [@Atamasama](#): > > I really don’t know what you’re trying to do here. Trying to get you to use better language. Or pissing in the wind, I’m not really telling a difference. > [@Atamasama](#): > > I was pushing back on the idea that because someone had an experience, that experience must be “real”. And I’m pushing back at your pushback. All experiences are real. Like I said, their referents may not be, but the experiences all are. Just like all dreams are real things. > [@Atamasama](#): > > It depends on what you mean by “real” because it doesn’t just mean one thing. All things that exist are real. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8518 "2024-01-10T15:42:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > What it does do is make my statement _not_ “bullshit”. The statement that “real” isn’t a synonym for “material” is bullshit. It can be, I showed that. > [@MrDibble](#): > > And my point is that you’re using two synonyms. Existence _is_ reality. You want a different word than “existence” here. Or “reality”, I’m not exactly sure which side of the line your malfunction lies. It isn’t necessarily, again I showed that. Something can exist without being “real”. You’re digging in your heels and denying what I showed. Not sure what your issue is here. You just won’t admit that there is another meaning for the term. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8519 "2024-01-10T15:48:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The statement that “real” isn’t a synonym for “material” is bullshit. It can be, I showed that. Help me out here, maybe my Ctrl+F is not working properly - where the fuck was the word “material” _anywhere_ in your cite? > [@Atamasama](#): > > Something can exist without being “real”. No, it can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8520 "2024-01-10T15:53:06Z")
I have to say, this is perhaps the most boring hijack this thread has ever had - and that’s saying something. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8521 "2024-01-10T15:54:12Z")
Maybe the hijack is, like, only in your mind, man. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8522 "2024-01-10T15:57:11Z")
Looks like somebody on the internet is wrong ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8523 "2024-01-10T16:10:52Z")
This is what happens when the ecstasy is spiked with meth. So much aggression! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8524 "2024-01-10T16:12:07Z")
I’m not even sure y’all disagree. Consider these propositions: 1. People sometimes take LSD. 2. Sometimes people who’ve taken LSD see things they wouldn’t see otherwise. 3. Some of those things they see don’t have objective external referents. That is, they might see a bird that’s speaking English where there is in actuality no bird speaking English. Does anyone here disagree with any of these propositions? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/8525 "2024-01-10T16:23:44Z")
If I take LSD, will this debate get more interesting? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=425) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442.md?page=427)