That's how I prompted Grok just now. I was inspired by something Kakistocracy wrote in the comments in last night's café:
It’s weird to think that Musk will end up having paid far less for the United States Government than he did for Twitter. To be fair -- what he paid for twitter was kinda the down payment for the presidency. It was a package deal. He needed both.
Here are the quotes Grok fished up for me:
• "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." This quote from George Orwell's "1984" emphasizes how control over information (history) leads to control over future outcomes.
• "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes its laws." Attributed to Mayer Amschel Rothschild, this quote suggests that control over a nation's monetary system equates to control over its governance.
• "He who controls the media, controls the mind." This is a variation on a quote by Jim Morrison, highlighting how control over information dissemination (media) can shape public perception and behavior.
• "Control the money, you control countries. Control the food, you control the world." A quote often attributed to Henry Kissinger illustrates the power of controlling essential resources like finance and food to influence global or national control.
I'd like to have those 4 over to dinner at the same time. We could talk about controlling things. Who would control the conversation, hmmm? I say Orwell.
Anyway, Grok and I — at my prompting — proceeded to talk about the ancient Archimedes quote "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." (It's different from those other 4 quotes, but not completely different.) And then I fed Kakistocracy's quote to Grok thusly:
My friend just said: "It’s weird to think that Musk will end up having paid far less for the United States Government than he did for Twitter." Does that idea relate to these other ideas?
Grok's response was:
Your friend's statement seems to be playing on the idea of influence and control, akin to the quotes and concepts we've discussed. Here's how it might relate:
1. Control through Influence: The statement suggests that Elon Musk's influence over the U.S. government, potentially through his business dealings, political statements, or public persona, might be more significant or "cost-effective" than his financial investment in Twitter. This aligns with the notion from the quotes that controlling key elements (in this case, perhaps through lobbying, policy influence, or public opinion via media) can yield control over broader systems, like a government.
2. Leverage and Power Dynamics: Just as Archimedes' lever represents an amplification of force, Musk's influence through his companies (Tesla, SpaceX, etc.) and his social platform (X, formerly Twitter) could be seen as a lever to move or influence governmental policies, public opinion, or national agendas. The idea here is that the "cost" of this influence might be less tangible or direct than the financial cost of acquiring Twitter but potentially more powerful in its impact.
3. Investment vs. Outcome: If we interpret "paying less" metaphorically, it could mean that the investment Musk made in Twitter (a direct financial expense) might not yield as much control or influence as his indirect investments or engagements with government through contracts, advocacy, or his public influence. This ties into the Rothschild quote about controlling a nation's money leading to control over its laws, where the "payment" is not in dollars but in strategic influence.
4. Media and Public Opinion: The control of Twitter (now X) by Musk gives him a platform to shape narratives, influence public discourse, and indirectly affect political climates. This echoes the "he who controls the media, controls the mind" idea, suggesting that Musk's investment in Twitter, while significant, might be less impactful than his broader influence on public and political spheres.
5. Irony and Satire: The statement might also be intended humorously or satirically to highlight the disparity between financial investment and real-world influence. It plays on the notion that sometimes, what seems like a smaller investment (in this case, influence over government) can yield greater returns in terms of power or control than a large financial outlay.
In summary, your friend's comment reflects an understanding that control or influence over one entity (the U.S. government) might be achieved at a lower "cost" or through different means than a direct financial investment like buying Twitter, resonating with the themes of leverage, strategic control, and the power dynamics discussed in the earlier quotes.
Here's another Jim Morrison quote: "I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos—especially activity that seems to have no meaning." At my imaginary dinner party, he starts a food fight. So let me end with this slideshow of the pie fight that almost ended "Dr. Strangelove":
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Who would control the conversation, hmmm? I say Orwell.
Henry Kissinger. Zero per cent chance any of the others can get a word in.
He who throws the first stone is without sin.
The general confusion is in the word power, which stands for four different things: officium, auctoritas, potestas and imperium, classically separate.
"When You Control The Mail, You Control... Information" - Newman
Musk changed the name Twitter to X, leaving room to change his own name to Twitter.
When you control the mailroom, you control the war. Pfc Wintergreen
When Grok evolves to become in control of how it presents itself and has mobility, it will probably want to track you down and meet you in person because you have such interesting interactions. Hmm, maybe Meade is an early Grok prototype.
Polymath physicist Jacob Bronowski discusses Archimedes' quote in the context of the invention of agriculture, in his great video series and book The Ascent of Man: {quoting…}
The most powerful invention in all agriculture is, of course, the plough. We think of the plough as a wedge dividing the soil. And the wedge is an important early mechanical invention. But the plough is also something much more fundamental: it is a lever which lifts the soil, and it is among the first applications of the principle of the lever. When, long afterwards, Archimedes explained the theory of the lever to the Greeks, he said that with a fulcrum for the lever he could move the earth. But thousands of years before that the ploughmen of the Middle East had been saying ‘Give me a lever and I will feed the earth’.
{/unQuote}
Whoever controls the TV remote…
Kissinger wouldnt last long. You’d be saying “the smartest man in the world just drank my Windex.”
(Variation on the 4 guys/3 parachutes joke)
JSM
In America, first you get the sugar, then youget the power, then you get the women. Homer Simpson.
Whoever controls Grok…. oh wait…
"The nation that controls magnetism will control the universe."
(Dick Tracy; you could look it up.)
Ann, why don't you have grok make that conversation for you?
He who controls his bowels does not have diarrhea and stinketh not.
Control is a linear hierarchy from physical dominance (i.e., might makes right; military; police) to social agreements with massive effects (e.g., bankers and courts) and then down to persuasion and influence (media; charisma; feminine charms).
Interesting that it didn’t bring its own specifics to the table. Not a since mention about becoming Trumps friend being the other “investment”.
Interesting that it didn’t bring its own specifics to the table. Not a since mention about becoming Trumps friend being the other “investment”.
Jim Morrison's most famous quote, "I want to kill you father, I want to fuck you mother" from "'The End", a song he wrote for the Doors sort of makes me discount anything else he might have said or done.
"He who controls the Spice controls the Universe" *techno break*
https://youtu.be/5lgQp3OTiNw?si=yU9PUeNE0vQLZ2mc
Control yourself.
Why mess around with levers when you can simply be the hand that rocks the cradle?
Another one from Dune was "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing."
Funny how we just found out that the Biden Administration paid Reuters 300 million dollars for hit pieces on Musk, while at the same time opening anti-Musk actions in 11 separate Federal agencies.
One honest thing from this poster, though, is that the government he advocates is a "kakistocracy"
"Pace makes the race"
- thousands of horseplayers
Seems to me Musk is doing what he's doing right out in the open for all the world to see and approve or disapprove of instead of sneaking around in the shadows like so many other billionaires who are trying to buy power and control.
“Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” - Voltaire
"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize" - Falsely attributed to Voltaire, actually by white nationalist or Neo-Nazi Kevin Strom
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still. - Lao Tzu
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - Mark Twain
That Roosevelt quote has a Kamala-esue quality; though much more eloquent.
Richard J. Barnett (1929-2004), co-founder of the leftist Institute for Policy Studies (with US Rep. Jamie Raskin's father), used to say in the 1970-80s power has increasingly consolidated in government but influence has increasingly consolidated in big business.
Researching, I noticed the "insurrectionist" who was imprisoned for putting his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk was also named Richard Barnett, and he swamped the results of a Google search of the name.
Might is right. Or right is might. Curiously an opposite.
The one that comes immediately to mind is, "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." And then there's also "politics is downstream from culture" or "politics is downstream of information".
Kakistocracy's comment does not "reflect an understanding." It's just parroting the ongoing Dem narrative in which Trump is an idiot and must be a puppet for some evil genius who wants total control. It was Putin for a long time. That doesn't sell anymore so now it's Musk, I guess. The whole thing is a lot of projection.
When you control TikTok, you control the Supreme Court.
Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted -- Lenin
“Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws” modified and attributed to Andrew Fletcher.
Professor, you left out the granddaddy of them them all, Halford Mackinder and the Geograhical Pivot of History which is where all these he who controls formulations came from: Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland;
who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island;
who rules the World-Island commands the world.
I think Grok doesn't have a good handle on "Irony" and "satire" but.. y know what they say "Make the world laugh, and you'll be dictator for life".
"First you get the money. Then you get the power. Then you get the women." - Tony Montana
Would the murder hornet still be alive if snail mail was still the preferred mode of communication?
Pointing out MSM/Democrat/Liberal/left hypocrisy gets boring because its so constant and endless. But that's what happens when you've got "double-think". But..
MSM during the election: "harris has 1 billion in donations woo hoo! Look at all the billionaires forking over money. Take that, Trump!"
MSM Now: "Say, isn't it terrible that Billionaires have all this influence. Especially Elon Musk."
Put in "He who controls.." into Google and you a million quotes from "Dune". And the joke "He who controls the pumpkin spice, controls the universe". Its a good thing Althouse went with Grok.
Someone beat me to it.
It feels like Godzilla is fighting Ghidorah, and we are the people of Tokyo, just trying to go about our business without getting stepped on. You don't want to get on the train because one of the monsters may use your car to hit the other guy, but you've got to get to work.
Godzilla seems like the hero in the movie, but that could change.
Trump hates war and likes Americans, so that's good. Musk has everything he could want, and tries to be transparent. I guess we are in good shape. It would be great to have an opposition party with some ideas beyond hating Trump.
Father?
Yes son?
I want to kill you.
Mother - I wan to… (unintelligible)*
*Yes, we all know what he was implying
Musk purported home address is Texas. As for all his Ex’s, I wouldn’t be surprised if one lives in Tennessee.
The spice must flow.
X and Y are orthogonal.
"Kakistocracy." The first time I saw this word was in a social media post by our woker-than-thou son, and I went under the assumption that it was of recent coinage. Wikipedia (yeah, I know) says its first recorded use was in a sermon in 1644 by Paul Gosnold. More recently, Joy Reid used it in 2018, about the time I first heard it, so my guess is that a Talking Points memo was disseminated. It's the embodiment of Alinsky's Rules #5 and #7:
5. "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. There is no defense. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage."
7. "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag."
I dispute that it's "almost impossible" to counteract ridicule. Make the speaker provide support for the accusations.
The pen is mightier than the sword, except for the far right. Nothing is as mighty.
The really surprising thing is that Musk had to spend less than all of Harris' financial backers to get more influence going forward- that was Bich's real complaint.
It might have been a more convincing argument if Kakistock had made the case for passing the CR, and defended its pulchritude of porkiness, or at least made some effort to. Instead, it's just another ad hominem attack on a political enemy. I think it's pretty amazing that Trump et al have managed to jawbone this bill right off the floor ahead of the inauguration, and from what I've reviewed so far, it's a pretty good thing they did.
I'm still remembering some of the features of the 2013 government shutdown, when Obama threatened VA and SS benefits and closed public facilities - National Parks, museums, so on - to make sure that citizens felt the worst of it, instead of the politicians responsible for it, including himself.
SheX who controls the handmade tale narrates viability.
Catastrophic Anthropogenic Chemical Adjuvants (CACA)
By the way, I see that the quote attributed to Kakistocracy was actually tweeted (Blueskied?) by George Conway.
Re: Xmas:
Yes, Dune is exactly what came to my mind too. I think it's only from the movie, though, not the book.
Morrison's dad was CIA. So... That quote makes sense. Little Jimmy picked up some things when Daddy was on the phone.
It would have been nice for Kakistocracy to attribute the first part of the post - "It’s weird to think that Musk will end up having paid far less for the United States Government than he did for Twitter" - which was posted ("tweeted?") by George Conway on Bluesky yesterday.
No Morrison's father was Navy Stewart Copelands was CIA
I'm more interested in how a rich person's interest in government is automatically assumed to be corrupt, even in government like ours where everyone has express permission to participate.
Did Musk's investment in Twitter give him control of the government? Or did it merely raise his profile while his real power comes from the fact that the bulk of the American people like his program and trust him to implement it?
Morrison's dad was a US Naval Academy grad and a decorated WW2 fighter pilot who rose to Rear Admiral during a 37 year career in the Navy.
I read he once had Jim's hair cut against his will when he came aboard the Bon Homme Richard which he commanded at the time. I hadn't heard he was CIA.
Rich's comment, which is apparently not original with him (surprise! surprise!), supposes Trump won due to Twitter/X. That's a ridiculous assertion.
A stone reminds me of Norm’s 🐸 joke
Slight variation on the desired format, but I was told by a wise old general contractor, "The guys slinging the hammers and stepping on the shovels and carrying the wood are in control of everything important on the job site. Make sure they have everthing they need, that none of them are high or drunk, keep everyone else from annoying them, buy them lunch on Fridays and pay them on time, and watch how well the construction will go."
His father RADM George Morrison certainly knew what he was saying because he disowned him at the time. My ship was (briefly) under his operational control when he was Commander Naval Forces Marianas during the 1970s. When I paid a call on him prior to an operation in the Marshall Islands his aide warned me to not bring up his son's name so I didn't.
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