I think that’s likely all it was. But, I also think it’s a little too convenient that Trump is done with Elon now that the dirty work has been done to line up manufactured support for their billionaire tax break bill. At risk of getting a little conspiratorial, it’s possible Trumps team actually planned to use Elon to do all the worst damage so they could cut him loose, after the fact, then blame him for the worst of the fallout.
Bigger than that, I think Musk finally realized that Trump only holds up his end of deals as long as it’s advantageous for him. The rest of us have known that for as long as we’ve known Trump, but hey, being a totally legit super genius has its downsides, right? Anyways, Trump promised him a buffet of corruption, then got cold feet when he saw musks appetite. Even more than that, they’re two self-appointed kings of their own worlds, both with the emotional intelligence/maturity of a very traumatized teenager. With their levels of obvious insecurity, their arrangement was never going to work. I’m just glad their break up is as juicy as I thought it would be. :)
Nah, it was a Monday. They were watching the new 90 day fiance
I think you’re completely right, and I also think they’re work-shopping ways to make their live service concept work. In other words, mature gamers wholly rejected live service money grab games as a concept, and the corporations have decided that instead of accepting that and moving on, they’re going to try to jam as many slightly tweaked iterations down our throats as they can until something sticks. IMO, this is the product of companies being run by golden parachute hopping capitalist predators.
What you’re complaining about are symptoms of the flaws in our societal systems. Neo-liberalism is primarily about unfettered individualism. A system that prioritizes individualism and competition will tend to breed tribalism, dogma, and contempt. What do you gain by complaining about the symptoms?
Imo, we all hate the current political paradigm. We can’t fix rage and frustration by raging at the rage. Until we all move onto something better, the only thing we can do (as individuals) is educate ourselves enough to better engage in these conversations - with thoughtful arguments, patience, kindness, and verifiable information. Be the change you wish to see.
This is what I keep telling my family. They’re all right wingers and the political conversations tend to end with “well I just don’t like how much you let it affect you…” (because they can’t refute any of my arguments with informed arguments of their own).
Like, no, I won’t dig my head in the sand “for my own sanity”. To check out, when politics affects every aspect of our lives, is insanity. Especially if you’re a minority living in a pre-authoritarian oligarchy like the US.
But also, please use deodorant and stop being so rude to American visitors in paris. I get that a lot of us are shitty tourists, but some of us are just regular people who are there for work (and not paid as well as you’d think to be there for that work).
Edit: said France when I meant Paris cause I’m a stupid American ;)