९ डिसेंबर, २०२२

"Twitter has long been referred to as a 'hell site,' but the weeks that followed Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company marked a nadir for social media..."

"... or perhaps a climax, depending on how prone you are to Schadenfreude. The majority of discourse on the platform focussed on the platform itself and its theoretically impending doom. The situation called to my mind Théodore Géricault’s 1819 painting 'The Raft of the Medusa' which pictures the aftermath of an infamous shipwreck with the few living sailors struggling to climb up a mound of corpses on a decaying raft. In this case, no one was coming to the rescue, especially given that Twitter’s content moderation and safety staffs had been decimated by layoffs."

Writes Kyle Chayka in "The Year in Apps I Gave Up On/In 2022, the entire Internet began to feel something like a dying mall populated only by stores we don’t want to visit" (The New Yorker).

How does the Twitter situation look in your head? Please express yourself metaphorically, citing a work of art — e.g. "The Raft of Medusa":

Background story (from Wikipedia): 

On 2 July, [1816, the French frigate Méduse] ran aground on a sandbank off the West African coast, near today's Mauritania. The collision was widely blamed on the incompetence of [Captain Hugues Duroy] De Chaumereys... Efforts to free the ship failed, so, on 5 July, the frightened passengers and crew started an attempt to travel the 100 km (60 mi) to the African coast in the frigate's six boats.

Although the Méduse was carrying 400 people, including 160 crew, there was space for only about 250 in the boats. The remainder of the ship's complement and half of a contingent of marine infantrymen intended to garrison Senegal—at least 146 men and one woman—were piled onto a hastily built raft, that partially submerged once it was loaded.

Seventeen crew members opted to stay aboard the grounded Méduse. The captain and crew aboard the other boats intended to tow the raft, but after only a few miles the raft was turned loose.

For sustenance the crew of the raft had only a bag of ship's biscuit (consumed on the first day), two casks of water (lost overboard during fighting) and six casks of wine.

According to critic Jonathan Miles, the raft carried the survivors "to the frontiers of human experience. Crazed, parched and starved, they slaughtered mutineers, ate their dead companions and killed the weakest."

After 13 days, on 17 July 1816, the raft was rescued by the Argus by chance—no particular search effort was made by the French for the raft. By this time only 15 men were still alive; the others had been killed or thrown overboard by their comrades, died of starvation, or had thrown themselves into the sea in despair.

The incident became a huge public embarrassment for the French monarchy, only recently restored to power after Napoleon's defeat in 1815.

९० टिप्पण्या:

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

As usual Munch’s The Scream is the most apt capture of Progressive reaction to sunlight and truth.

Sid म्हणाले...


Delacroix's Liberty Leading The People, of course!

iowan2 म्हणाले...

Metaphorically?

Your great sunrise pictures. Dawning. New beginning. Yesterday is done. Fresh Start.

Achilles म्हणाले...

The Storming of the Bastille.

Achilles म्हणाले...

10 years into the future...

The Coronation of Napoleon.

retail lawyer म्हणाले...

R. Crumb's cartoon depicting a Jewish family seeing it raining swastikas, saying, "Mien Gott! Swastikas falling from outten da sky."

tim in vermont म्हणाले...

https://www.lambiek.net/artists/image/r/rockwell_norman/rockwell_thegossips.jpg

Enigma म्हणाले...

Hey Althouse, that's also the cover art from one of the 1980s most interesting pop albums: The Pogues "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_Sodomy_%26_the_Lash


The old Twitter must be likened to Bosch's hell panel from "The Garden of Earthly Delights." There was way, way, way too much despair, smoke-and-mirrors, broken promises, porn, and anarchy for other comparisons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland

chuck म्हणाले...

Fake distress. Twitter looks much the same as before and brings nothing much to mind. The rending of garments in some quarters does add a fillip of entertainment.

Wince म्हणाले...

After 13 days, on 17 July 1816, the raft was rescued by the Argus by chance—no particular search effort was made by the French for the raft.

The painting seems to depict the moment the castaways saw their rescue ship on the horizon.

So, yeah, the painting reminds me of the "hell site" Twitter at the moment of rescue by Elon Musk.

khematite म्हणाले...

Elon Musk Contemplating a Bust of Jack Dorsey

Mr Wibble म्हणाले...

Dogs Playing Poker

Inga म्हणाले...

The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Bryullov.

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
~ Gordon Pasha म्हणाले...

Last stand if the 44th Foot at Gandamak

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

He stole my "Dead Mall" metaphor.

Hieronymus Bosch comes to mind. Maybe James Ensor as a lesser, Belgian Munch. Dali.

But isn't that playing their game and accepting the terms of the article?

Lem the artificially intelligent म्हणाले...

Jesus walking on water to the rescue.

link to a “Jesus art” search

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

It is fascinating that Democrats react to sunlight exactly like vampires do.

Lyle म्हणाले...

Piet Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie".

Aggie म्हणाले...

"How does the Twitter situation look in your head?"

Better.

Metaphorically, compare the city of Pittsburgh in 1978 to the city today.

Carol म्हणाले...

There must be a painting somewhere of Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple.

Anyway, something like that.

Lem the artificially intelligent म्हणाले...

He stole my "Dead Mall" metaphor.

I’m looking for reliable information on wether or not people leaving Twitter is outpacing new people signing up. I can’t find any.

Rumors of Twitter dying have a desired narrative bent to them. Wish-casting.

Howard म्हणाले...

The Scream by Edvard Munch expressing the libtard anguish.

cf म्हणाले...

I think of Hercules changing the course of a river in order to clean out the Augean stables.

This is one man's story. A singular man.

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA10ieCQ.img

Big Mike म्हणाले...

The Peaceable Kingdom, by Edward Hicks. What else?

wildswan म्हणाले...

There'll be bluebirds over / The white cliffs over Dover/ Tomorrow/ Just you wait and see

Song by Vera Lynn /WW II vintage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovfQjR3iU-A

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

If Authoritarian leftists cannot feel safe and secure inside leftist Tech Oligarch's narrative hive-mind web-chambers - they will go away mad.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

Left wing SNL Joy Behar media: Twitter is dying!

]Reality - Twitter is gains 1.6 million in one week.

Meade म्हणाले...

“When the contest of the bow begins, none of the suitors are able to string the bow, except [Elon] who wins the contest. Having done so, he proceeds to slaughter the [censors] — beginning with [Gadde] whom he finds [shadow-banning wine] from his cup – with help from [Matt, Bari] and the slaves Eumaeus the swineherd and Philoetius the cowherd. [Elon] has now revealed himself in all his glory (with a little makeover by Athena); yet Penelope [the People of the Light] cannot believe that her husband has really returned – she fears that it is perhaps some god in disguise, as in the story of Alcmene – and tests him by ordering her slave Eurycleia to move the bed in their bridal-chamber. [Elon] protests that this cannot be done, since he made the bed himself and knows that one of its legs is a living olive tree [and vows, “Rather would that I forever lie sleepless alone upon cold hard tile.] Penelope finally accepts that he truly is [Elon], a moment that highlights their homophrosýnē (ὁμοφροσύνη, "like-mindedness"). Homer implies that from then on [Elon] would live a long and happy life together with Penelope and Telemachus, wisely ruling his kingdom, and enjoying wide respect and much success.”

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Absolutely fascinating to read the first 20 comments- I had two paintings in mind to post on how it looks to me today, and two for how I expect it to look in the future, and three of the four are mentioned above by Sid and Achilles above. The only one not mentioned was Ruben's "Prometheus Bound".

Sheridan म्हणाले...

Washington Crossing the Delaware

Stephen म्हणाले...

Not the greatest work of art but one of the oldest: Hercules cleaning the Augean Stables. Destroying the stables/Twitter is relatively easy. Cleaning-and-restoring is Herculean.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

"It is fascinating that Democrats react to sunlight exactly like vampires do."

Nah, more like roaches.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

And several other great choices above. You should be proud of your commentariat today, Althouse.

Lilly, a dog म्हणाले...

I think of it as Goya's "Saturn Devouring His Son."

Kate म्हणाले...

Lovely, Meade. Everything in life has already been said by the Greeks.

Also, who in their right mind would name a ship after Medusa?

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

Great answers! Thanks.

I found that Crumb comic here: https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/2lm35h/mein_gott_swastikles_falling_from_outen_der_sky/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Ron Winkleheimer म्हणाले...

There must be a painting somewhere of Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=BAvs0uYX&id=7D54194036019D42751284D67963EFB1A867792F&thid=OIP.BAvs0uYX71FCzpNbKZ0N3AHaHS&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2fad%2f33%2fdc%2fad33dc4d12a94a914d0d60755750a867.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.040becd2e617ef5142ce935b299d0ddc%3frik%3dL3lnqLHvY3nWhA%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=599&expw=608&q=%2bjesus+money+lenders+temple+throw+out+caravaggio&simid=608004233911158392&FORM=IRPRST&ck=120AD9EBECA20C3FFD7919E0B02638D2&selectedIndex=15&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

Ron Winkleheimer म्हणाले...

Remember, whenever someone asks, "What would Jesus do?" throwing over tables and scourging people with a whip is a possibility.

Omaha1 म्हणाले...

Sheridan posted my answer, "Washington Crossing The Delaware"

tastid212 म्हणाले...

Winslow Homer's "To the Rescue"

https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2013/05/22/to-the-rescue/

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"its theoretically impending doom"

Progs love their theory.

It would be nice to hear an actual prog defense of pre-Musk shenanigans, other than the mere fact that they served the political cause. What exactly justified the laptop filtering, the Baker interference, the righty shadow banning, etc. etc? Come to think of it, what justified the intelligence officials' laptop disinformation deflection, the MSM silence on the NY Post disclosures, and Hunter's actual business dealings? I mean, if the tables were turned, not that they could be, progs would be screaming, right?

Meade म्हणाले...

Thanks, Kate. Glad you enjoyed it.

gahrie म्हणाले...

American Progress

gahrie म्हणाले...

It is fascinating that Democrats react to sunlight exactly like vampires do.

Unfortunately we live in a world in which most people under 30 will not understand this comment because they think vampires sparkle in the sunlight.

Interested Bystander म्हणाले...

From the perspective of conservative politicians and writers: Harvey Bell's smiley face.
Have a nice day!

David53 म्हणाले...

Since Twitter is referred to as a hell site maybe something from Dante’s Inferno is appropriate.

href=“www.florenceinferno.com/minos-the-infernal-judge/”Minos Judging Sinners

Iman म्हणाले...

The Left loved loved loved Twitter until they couldn’t control it.

wildswan म्हणाले...

Twitter just increased its potential market by 50% - not a formula for failure. Then, too, it's very clever to use Taibbi and Bari Weiss to start getting the story out. They are known leftys (but honest about free speech.) A free market can sell to the whole market and selling is the way to profit.

Two-eyed Jack म्हणाले...

Lyle said...
Piet Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie".

Hung upside down.
That changes everything.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Gustave Doré's illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy, also come to mind, though they aren't anywhere near as hellish as Bosch's paintings.

There's also Steve Bell, whose New Statesman covers were disgusting and hellishly repellent.

But I doubt that Twitter resembles anything hellish. Learn to recognize when writers are just indulging in their own fantasies and not taking the trouble to investigate what's happening in the real world.

Paddy O म्हणाले...

Without a doubt Mondrian's Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow.

The outsized red block is now finding new strength, with the Blue block still present but in the corner, and the yellow representing the former Twitter employees and politicians who are now on the run. Most of Twitter, indeed the part I spend most of my time with, isn't changed, mostly neutral and filling most of the space but without getting into the political positioning.


Paddy O म्हणाले...

https://www.piet-mondrian.org/composition-ii-in-red-blue-and-yellow.jsp

PM म्हणाले...

Balthus "Guitar Lesson"
Twitter has been a manipulated and manipulative site from its beginning in 2006.

FullMoon म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
FullMoon म्हणाले...

would like to contribute, but I left twitter when (important famous person) left.

Harold म्हणाले...

I don't notice any difference in twitter, the people I follow still seem to be tweeting and whatnot. Some made reference to mastadon pages or whatever but I don't feel the need to create a profile there since they still post on twitter. The reports of it crashing and going off line in the 'near' future seem to have been overblown and the supply of NAZIs on twitter does not seem to be keeping up with demand.

Kay म्हणाले...

I choose Bridget Riley’s Blaze 4, which represent the way I feel like twitter a major time suck.

effinayright म्हणाले...

From the prog POV:

Guernica

(especially the guy on the right)

https://tinyurl.com/3fhcurdf

Michael K म्हणाले...

I never used Twitter and the metaphor I would use is "1984."

Lem the artificially intelligent म्हणाले...

Mine would have been better if I’d said “Musk walking on water”.

I forgot Kanye fancies himself as (the black?) Jesus.

Lem the artificially intelligent म्हणाले...

I see I’m not the only one looking at Musk as “the one”, the savior.

It’ll be chocolate and orgasms as long as we don’t look for the signs of his… crucification 🫣

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Let’s try using newscphotos from 1945. Start with the Marines raising flag our on Suribachi in February so B-29s could deliver Little Boy and Fat Man to the Empire of Japan in August so that Empire up and surrendered on the USS Missouri in September, to the dumpy little VP made President since April, and who was also from Missouri. In one year our New Empire replaced two old Empires. That’s also a better human suffering image than this lost at sea hell. That was outdone In 1945 alone by the US Navy many times in WW II from single to 10 man pilots never found to 800 man ship’s crews eaten by the sharks.

Hence Existentialism Philosophy and UN globalists met the baby boomers.

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

As for Twitter, you ain't seen nothing yet. Citizen Musk has big plans. He will fight back and win.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

"Long been referred to as a Hell site"
Did the "journalist" quote anyone from any time, or is this line just thrown out there with no support?

Mrs. X म्हणाले...

Titian Abraham and Isaac

rastajenk म्हणाले...

That's a good one, Michael K. Maybe Apple's 1984 ad, with Elon as the sledgehammer-wielding infiltrator, is appropriate for this thread.

DAN म्हणाले...

It's wishful thinking but I'd say Pieter Bruegel's "The Fall of Icarus into the Sea", wherein no one seems to notice.

https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/painting-of-the-week-pieter-bruegel-the-elder-landscape-with-the-fall-of-icarus/

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son” with Musk starring as Saturn and Tesla (more precisely, Tesla stockholders) as the son.

Narr म्हणाले...

Since I don't use Twitter and know 95% of what I know about Twitter from reading comments here, I'll go with something by Magritte.

PM म्हणाले...

rastajenk @12:40
Funny how the underdog of 1984 is now the overlord.

Drago म्हणाले...

Earnest Prole: "Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son” with Musk starring as Saturn and Tesla (more precisely, Tesla stockholders) as the son."

How would that reflect stock splits? Shouldn't "the son" suddenly (Tesla stockholders) find itself with a twin, then a triplet?

Butkus51 म्हणाले...

I go with the Garden of Eartly Delights by Bosch. Its a safe choice. It pretty much covers everything

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

That Norman Rockwell illustration where the White male stands up and speaks at some political meeting. Free Speech!!

Scott Patton म्हणाले...

"Kate said...

Lovely, Meade. Everything in life has already been said by the Greeks.

Also, who in their right mind would name a ship after Medusa?
12/9/22, 9:29 AM "

Sorry ~OT but my Uncle served in the USN on the Medusa in WWII

I will appropriate an excerpt for use as an appropriate metaphor.
"Medusa was the first U.S. Navy ship designed as a fleet repair ship for major repairs beyond the fighting ship’s own capabilities"

Narr म्हणाले...

"Who in their right mind . . .?"

French. Pay attention.

Narr म्हणाले...

Just kidding, Kate, Scott.

Medusa is a fine name for a ship. I'm sure the RN had some too.

Robert Cook म्हणाले...

"That Norman Rockwell illustration where the White male stands up and speaks at some political meeting. Free Speech!!"

Yes, at a public hall. Twitter and other social media are not public halls, but privately-owned businesses. The owners of social media that allow completely free speech--if there are any--are to be admired, but it is a mistake to assume they fall under any constitutional requirements of free speech. In short, if you get thrown out of one bar for offending the owners (and/or other barflies), go to another bar to air your opinions

Kirk Parker म्हणाले...

Kate,

No sane person thinks the French were in their right minds in that era.

Kirk Parker म्हणाले...

Scott Patton,

Your uncle's Medusa was not the first USN ship of that name. The Civil War-era coastal monitor USS Nantucket was briefly renamed the Medusa (for a mere 2 months!)

There has got to be a story behind this, but alas the wiki page makes no mention of it beyond the mere fact of the dates of renaming and the re-renaming.

Fredrick म्हणाले...

Caravaggio: Judity Beheading Holofernes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Beheading_Holofernes_(Caravaggio)

Misinforminimalism म्हणाले...

H. W. G. Hayter, Cleansing the Augean Stable, 1832

https://herculesproject.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2019/03/AugeanStable_HHno15.jpg

And yes, the particular circumstances of that cartoon are apropos.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

This is easy:

Manet's Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_D%C3%A9jeuner_sur_l%27herbe

Elon is cutting through the fusty rules of the past and challenging us with a bright, free future where each of us can choose content for ourselves.

dbp म्हणाले...

Nighthawks at the diner, but with thought bubbles--each containing a miniature Bosch.

Lance म्हणाले...

Some interesting suggestions. My first thought was Munch, but that seemed too obvious. My second thought was "American Gothic".

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

Note in the Wikipedia article about "Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe", Manet said the painting was valued at 25,000 francs in 1871 but later was valued at 1/10th of that, 2,600 francs...just like Twitter!

Also, I misstated my point above. Elon is challenging us with a bright, free future where each of us can evaluate content for ourselves...just like Manet and "Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe".

Elon, though flawed, is a national treasure. Lift a glass to three honest liberals--Musk, Taibbi, and Weiss.

Michael म्हणाले...

Any of many paintings of John III Sobieski of Poland and his Winged Hussars charging down the Kahlenburg (sp?) in 1683 to smash the Turkish camp, raise the second seige of Vienna, and save our civilization. Musk, of course, is Sobieski.

effinayright म्हणाले...

Robert Cook said...
"That Norman Rockwell illustration where the White male stands up and speaks at some political meeting. Free Speech!!"

Yes, at a public hall. Twitter and other social media are not public halls, but privately-owned businesses. The owners of social media that allow completely free speech--if there are any--are to be admired, but it is a mistake to assume they fall under any constitutional requirements of free speech. In short, if you get thrown out of one bar for offending the owners (and/or other barflies), go to another bar to air your opinions
***************

Count on Cook entirely missing the POINT, which was... ***the government*** was feeding Twitter instructions and misinformation to encourage them to stifle Free Speech.

The government is not allowed to use non-governmental parties to do things forbidden it by the Constitution, including censoring free speech.

btw, Twitter was a publicly - traded business beginning in 2013, until Musk bought it. Meta is also a corporation.

Those companies were also given special dispensation by the federal government (Section 230) , which "protect(s) technology companies and businesses from being held liable for what users publish on their platforms." Thus they held themselves out as public platforms.

So your analogy to conversations in bars is utterly out-of-whack.

And no bullshit, please, about how the forbidden actions happened during the Trump administration. They were done in secret, and with the aid of "deep state" actors, including the "intelligence community", Democrats and their aids in Congress, and the FBI, who were all hostile to Trump. Twitter's and Facebook's CEOs both perjured themselves before Congressional committees when they denied what we know now what they did.

You didn't hear them making analogies to bar conversations.



Sean म्हणाले...

How about the "This is fine." comic.

Hell everything these days is summarized by that comic panel