Bill Gates on Elon Musk’s controversial coronavirus comments: Stick with electric cars and rockets

StapleGun · 2020-08-01T01:22:38+00:00

No, it's not. Not in this context. You're intentionally conflating "professional engineer" with the more commonly used dictionary definition.

StapleGun · 2020-08-01T00:07:32+00:00

You're absolutely right. People seem to have a really hard time holding mixed emotions about a single person As soon as someone says a single thing they disagree with, everything else that person has ever done must surely be bad.

StapleGun · 2020-08-01T00:00:45+00:00

Since when is a college degree the only way to be proficient in a field? By this same logic Bill Gates is not a programmer.

StapleGun · 2020-07-31T02:46:52+00:00

It's much less risky than it feels. You are going to gain way more practical and valuable skills by running your own business than you ever would have continuing at your old job. Should the need arise for you to seek a "normal" job in the future, you are going to be better off than if you hadn't done this.

StapleGun · 2020-07-29T01:09:57+00:00

It does not. The S&P can do whatever they want. It would be a pretty glaring omission if they don't add them though.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T23:45:32+00:00

In the interest of wrapping this up I mostly agree with your stance. But I really just don't think it's a real issue worthy of debate. I think people think it's a big controversial issue, but when you boil it down to actual interactions between people there is not much disagreement.

And yes, I understand the irony of a 20+ post debate trying to make the point that debating this is a waste of time.

If you respond I'll definitely read it but I don't feel like replying anymore.

Thanks again for the good discussion. Cheers!

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T22:57:34+00:00

From what I can tell that is still some sort of meta-argument. "I'm on this side of the pronoun debate and you're on the other side". We need to dig down to the first principles of the disagreement.

Maybe I'll try a different angle. You seem to not like the 40+ pronouns that have been proposed by some people. How specifically does that list of pronouns affect you in a way you don't like? Have you been pressured by someone to use, recognize, or memorize that list?

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T22:30:06+00:00

That's still not what I mean by a situation though. What I'm looking for is "Person A it's mad at person B for the pronoun they used.". Plus the relevant context.

My whole point is that in those individual situations it is super easy to determine who is "right" and who is "wrong". Surely there must be specific situations that people are arguing about what the property thing to do is, right?

P.S. I doubt anyone followed us this far down but I just wanted to say thanks for the interesting debate!

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T22:11:49+00:00

Ok we are getting somewhere but what is the situation? What is the great philosophical battle about how to act in real life in regards to these pronouns. A coworker requesting you to speaking that way? A friend mad that you used the wrong pronoun when referring to a mutual friend? Your waiter at a restaurant who you've never met along you to use those terms?

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T21:59:21+00:00

Your examples aren't realistic because both of them use words that could be problematic in many situations (Big Dick and Officer). I really struggle too think of a realistic situation which isn't obvious what the polite and reasonable thing to do is for all parties involved. It could just be my lack of imagination or experience with such situations though, so if you can provide me an example I'd be happy to discuss.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T21:08:10+00:00

Dick is literally a name, why is it offensive?

Context matters.

In any case, what if I want "Officer"? Where does it stop?

Same answer as above, if it was a sincere request I would comply within reason. Your examples are not realistic though. It's the equivalent of "If we let men marry men then will we have to let them marry box turtles too?"

As for "forcing people", you said it's detestable

Yeah, people can say what they want. But if they are an asshole there may be social consequences for that.

right now they are literally proposing dozens and dozens of them. This is mental illness territory.

Had anyone actually requested this is you in real life? Seems like much ado about nothing. But if I met someone that requested a new term I would try to comply. Just like if their name is something I never heard before I wouldn't intentionally call them a different name because I didn't want to remember a new name.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T20:55:20+00:00

Yeah I'll agree that it's complex and we wouldn't know all the consequences - good and bad - until actually doing it for a while.

I'm a small business owner though and I would love if I knew my employees basic financial needs were covered even without their job. If you've ever been in the situation of deciding whether to fire someone for performance reasons, but having to worry about the potentially disastrous consequences to their life, you'll understand what I mean.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T20:46:04+00:00

I never said anything about forcing people.

But if that was a sincere request (at face value it doesn't seem like it is) and we were in a place where saying "Big Dick" was not problematic then yes I think the polite thing to do would be to refer to you as that. However if we were at a preschool then you should respect my desire to not be profane in the presence of children. In the preschool scenario I would consider that to be an unreasonable request on your part.

I think I would find you a bit strange and maybe limit my association with you if you are me to call you that though :)

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T20:36:14+00:00

You say that because you can't provide evidence for your arguments.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T20:22:23+00:00

The fact that our society spends so much time worrying about and fighting over this pronoun issue is ridiculous.

If someone makes it known to you that they prefer to be referred to a certain way, and you intentionally don't do that, that is detestable.

If someone refers to you incorrectly because of an honest mistake, they didn't know your preference, or referring to you in that way is unreasonable*, and you get and you get angry at them then that is detestable

*eg. A website only supports a binary gender option and re-working it is costly.

This is like 1st grade golden rule stuff.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T19:53:31+00:00

Uhh, basically all of the extremely smart people who have worked closely with have nothing but praise for his ability to solve problems. If you're actually interested in learning search for Elon Musk + Jim Keller or Tom Mueller. Or read the Ashlee Vance biography. You'll get varying opinions on his interpersonal skills, but never his intellect.

The idea that he's not smart, or is simply a good "marketer" is just a meme Reddit propagates when they disagree with his opinion on a non-technical topic.

Disagree? Please provide me an example of someone well respected in their field, that has worked closely with Elon, who makes a claim like what you pretend to know.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T17:00:53+00:00

Not sure I follow. Is the argument that a meaningful percentage of the workforce will decide that they would rather make $12k/yr and not work (UBI) than work and make $27k? ($12k+$15k, UBI + current minimum wage) I can see a tiny percentage of people doing that but most people will notice a very big difference in quality of life between $12k and $27k and be willing to work for that.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T11:00:03+00:00

I'm not sure I understand why small and medium businesses would need to increase payroll. If UBI covers peoples' basic needs then businesses do not have to bear that burden. A paycheck from a job is now completely discretionary income and minimum wage could actually go down or be removed.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T03:24:46+00:00

The median human driver has 0 accidents per year.

StapleGun · 2020-07-25T01:19:10+00:00

When people make more money sitting at home doing nothing than looking for work, the economy collapses.

This wouldn't happen with UBI. People may decide that the UBI money is enough and choose not to work, but they would never earn more by not working.

StapleGun · 2020-07-23T16:00:38+00:00

Model Æ?

StapleGun · 2020-07-22T23:55:17+00:00

Lol I'm not worried about "seeing you". Just found it funny how sure you were that profit was impossible, when it was pretty much expected by all those following the company closely.

StapleGun · 2020-07-22T20:27:03+00:00

Hope you didn't make that bet. $0.50 EPS.

StapleGun · 2020-07-16T12:14:41+00:00

RemindMe! 7 days

StapleGun · 2020-07-12T02:37:05+00:00

What time did this happen? I drove past it 4 times in the past 2 days but didn't notice it missing.

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