# Now that Elon Musk has bought Twitter - now the Pit edition (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** elon-musk\ **Created:** [August 13, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634 "2024-08-13T00:48:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 72
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1442 "2025-01-21T17:49:06Z")
28,563,000 or so at the moment. For now the site has a 2015-era Twitter feel, except the culture is slightly different - much more blocking of trolls and less engaging with them. We’ll see if it lasts, but it’s way more interesting than Xitter was at the end. ---
**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 21, 2025, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1443 "2025-01-21T18:13:43Z")
The malignant bots are out in force on Bluesky, now that the open trolling approach hasn’t worked. At the moment they seem to take two forms: 1. Engagement bots, who often start posts with “I disagree” and continue on in fluent sealionese; and 2. Blockbots, which are accounts that have no posts or replies but set up blocklists that just throw vast swathes of active users onto them, label them something like “Porn bots” or “MAGA Scum” and encourage the users to block each other. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1444 "2025-01-21T18:19:52Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > it’s fallacious to say if you shop Amazon then you have no standing to criticize Twitter. True: so long as you know that I didn’t say that, either. What I said was: - using a platform operated by an active fascist does not make you a fascist (though I agree that it’s also not a good choice, and it certainly doesn’t make you anti-fascist). - avoiding a platform operated by an obvious, active fascist does not mean that you aren’t supporting fascists elsewhere. It’s a continuum, of course, and I would hope that everyone is doing their best to move their dollars and eyeballs away from fascist-supported spaces, starting with the most obvious. I just don’t think it’s true or helpful to label people as fascists for continuing to use a platform that they’ve been using for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1445 "2025-01-21T18:30:22Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > This is not in any way a defence of Musk or X; I don’t understand why people are still there. I just don’t think it makes them fascists. You are absolutely correct. It’s not being on X that makes one a fascist. It is the support one gives an authoritative dictator that makes one a fascist. It is also true that if you are still active on X that it is likely because you support an authoritative dictator. If you didn’t support him, you wouldn’t listen to and engage with those who do. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1446 "2025-01-21T18:42:28Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > It is also true that if you are still active on X that it is likely because you support an authoritative dictator. If you didn’t support him, you wouldn’t listen to and engage with those who do. Just so I follow the logic, if I follow Marc Elias, who stays active on X to encourage people to fight back, I’m still supporting a fascist. Even though he doesn’t. I ask this as someone who killed off his own X account. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1447 "2025-01-21T19:25:39Z")
> [@FluffyBob](#): > > Its what people that hate licorice call Cherry Twizzlers? Did something go whoosh? I’m a prescriptivist about licorice. If it’s not flavored like anise, it’s inappropriate to call it licorice. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1448 "2025-01-21T19:32:21Z")
It sounds like this bothers you. Here, calm down with a nice cup of herbal tea. ---
**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 21, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1449 "2025-01-21T19:54:33Z")
At this point the only real way most of us can influence stuff is by voting with our feet, our eyeballs. An important part is fucking of from twitbook, ridiculing Tesla drivers, and steering your shopping away from Amazon. Make it hurt in the only way they understand. They only have as much power (or money) as we give them. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1450 "2025-01-21T20:57:57Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > > > It is also true that if you are still active on X that it is likely because you support an authoritative dictator. If you didn’t support him, you wouldn’t listen to and engage with those who do. > > Just so I follow the logic, if I follow Marc Elias, who stays active on X to encourage people to fight back, I’m still supporting a fascist. Even though he doesn’t. > > I ask this as someone who killed off his own X account. Well, to be fair, I did say “likely”. Not to mention, Mark Elias is on Blusky. If following Marc Elias is what you want to do, you don’t have to put up with all of the racist, xenophobic, homophobic, and other nasty stuff that overwhelms X. Even if you have figured a way to keep all that stuff out of your feed, and state you hate everything Trump stands for, you are still supporting Elon by regularly logging into X. So, as I stated in the part of my post you edited out, > [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > It’s not being on X that makes one a fascist. It is the support one gives an authoritative dictator that makes one a fascist. It’s hard to argue that you support Elon but don’t support an authoritative dictator. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1451 "2025-01-21T21:09:45Z")
What muddles this is the word “support.” Twitter users can pay money for stuff: that supports the company, some of which supports Musk. Twitter users can also pay nothing: their use of the platform still contributes to its overall size, which allows it to raise revenue from advertisers, some of which goes to Musk. To my mind, espousing fascist views is one level. Reading what the fascists have to say is another: perhaps you like them, and perhaps you are just trying to know the enemy. Just using the platform isn’t moving the needle much either way on an individual level, though like voting it’s the aggregate that matters. Lumping all of these together is not particularly useful, because they have very different effects. I would argue that someone who remains on X but actively works to combat American fascism is doing better than someone who leaves X but otherwise does nothing. (That said, my spouse finally decided to leave the platform after Musk’s antics yesterday, which I was pleased to hear, and is doing as suggested above and moving over to Bluesky.) ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1452 "2025-01-21T21:12:39Z")
“Liam Nissan” is fun to read over there. ---
**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 21, 2025, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1453 "2025-01-21T21:26:43Z")
“Liam Nissan” is fun just for watching all the people failing to notice that he is not, in fact, a famous actor. I think he’s now completely on Bluesky. Meanwhile in Italy… > **[Students hang Musk puppet upside down in Mussolini square - World - Ansa.it](https://www.ansa.it/amp/english/news/world/2025/01/21/students-hang-musk-puppet-upside-down-in-mussolini-square_2f34c442-fa15-430c-ba1a-d6513e568ad7.html)** > > Left-wing Italian university students on Tuesday hung a mannequin of Elon Musk upside down in Piazzale Loreto, the Milan square where Benito Mussolini's boy was similarly desecrated in 1945, amid a row over an alleged Fascist salute the world's... (That should obviously read “Mussolini’s **body** ”) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1454 "2025-01-21T21:28:39Z")
This what we’re going with? ‘I only have a Stormfront account because of all the great recipes, I ignore all the bigotry so you can’t can’t say I support a site that promotes bigotry!’ ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1455 "2025-01-22T00:04:08Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I only have a Stormfront account because of all the great recipes I heard Göring made great Süßspeise. I should sign up. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1456 "2025-01-22T00:10:58Z")
I’ve seen this GIF elsewhere[, Hitler and Musk doing the "Roman](https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/1i6par1/elon_musk_vs_hitler_nazi_salute/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) salute." ETA: Some of the comments are mentioning that this GIF keeps getting taken down. My link is to Reddit, and I don’t know if the GIF will be deleted here too; it apparently has been up for six hours. ETA2: If it’s gone by the time you go to look, it’s showing Hitler and Musk doing the exact same salute, starting with the hand slammed onto the chest. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1457 "2025-01-22T00:20:35Z")
I am not sure if people are saying those on X are bad? Dan Savage, my favorite weather people, etc? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1458 "2025-01-22T00:22:44Z")
The suggestion is that any content provider who is not fleeing X now is guilty of actively supporting X. I personally don’t believe that idea 100%, but maybe 85%. ---
**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 22, 2025, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1459 "2025-01-22T00:29:17Z")
Elmo’s daughter isn’t buying her dad’s excuses. > **[Vivian Jenna Wilson (@thevivllainous.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/thevivllainous.bsky.social/post/3lgbvnblz3s2e)** > > I'm just gonna say let's call a spade a fucking spade. Especially if there were two spades done in succession based on the reaction of the first spade. > **[Vivian Jenna Wilson (@thevivllainous.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/thevivllainous.bsky.social/post/3lgbz4uxs5k2e)** > > I don't know why y'all are reacting with such vigor, I'm clearly only talking about card suits. I mean I have ADHD and this was CLEARLY just an accident that people happened to interpret to mean something other than just card suits. > > \[contains quote... > **[Vivian Jenna Wilson (@thevivllainous.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/thevivllainous.bsky.social/post/3lgbz4uxyyc2e)** > > After all, there's no proof I'm not just talking about card suits. Y'know... people assuming that I'm not just talking about card suits just goes to show how dishonest people can be. > **[Vivian Jenna Wilson (@thevivllainous.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/thevivllainous.bsky.social/post/3lgbz4uy2ws2e)** > > For those who can read between the lines, do y'all understand how fucking easy this is to do? Plausible deniability honey. Just saying ✨ ---
**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 22, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1460 "2025-01-22T01:04:37Z")
Apparently a bunch of subreddits are now banning Twitter links in response to Elmo going full Hitler. > **[https://i.redd.it/nc6b1lrzufee1.png](https://i.redd.it/nc6b1lrzufee1.png)** Imagine how much of an asshole you have to be to get banned from New Jersey. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634/1461 "2025-01-22T01:42:46Z")
Great one! Next thing we know, 4chan will decide that Elmo is too _outré_ for them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634.md?page=71) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-2/1005634.md?page=73)