I got caught on a thing on twitter. As usual, I write for myself.
R. Scott Bakker has taught me to seek for eloquence.

Yes, I can criticize him on this platform because he makes a tiny sacrifice necessary to reap what he wants: BELIEVERS. He’s a businessman and knows what it means negotiating power.
And because he breeds believers and has lots of money, he can also survive the many mistakes he’s doing. He’s not simply seizing more power, he’s securing it.
He’s crafting a path to power and money THROUGH belief. And what belief is stronger and casts a wider net than “truth”?

That’s why he wants to shape twitter that way.
He needs to WEAPONIZE truth. Make it into a tool he can seize and wield like a sword, taking swings with a sense of moral superiority.
Moral superiority that you yourself have surrendered already to him… for free.

But of course he cannot control who posts on twitter. Not without turning into an OBVIOUS tyrant, and he doesn’t want that.
No, he wants to posture as a SAINT. As a PROPHET. Hope for humanity.

He understood, by observing the myth of cryptocurrencies, that even the success of businesses is lead by beliefs, rather than truth.
By perception rather than knowledge. That success is fabricated rather than found.
He also understood that to protect his businesses he needs a strong political support. And by closely observing Trump he understood that by projecting an image of success he can make that success true, through the belief and projection of the people looking at him.
That’s why he’s courting Right Wing politicians to have a strong presence on Twitter. Why he’s spreading a welcome mat to their feet. Appearing almost deferring to them, leaving the stage to them: because he wants them to DEPEND on him. So that he will exact favors from them, when the time will come. He’s positioning his pawns for future use.

It’s a long game, the path to power.

He has deliberately polarized the platform politically, as much as he could. So that people who disagreed would leave on their own will, just out of sheer disgust for what he says.
Causing what could be described as a “spontaneous” political alignment. Making sure to tip the scales by making the presence of opponents intolerable. Because for many, even staying on the platform would signify support. His words so despicable to make the choice to leave very easy. Even when for those who left that choice was never on the table. It was a sudden, unprecedented shift that was forced.

All the while securing an even stronger support from those who stayed and were on his side. Not anymore just of mild sympathy and appreciation for his business activities, but transformed into belief. Into necessity.
An higher function to “save humanity” from the “virus of woke.” His language has become pure virtue signaling because, again, he wasn’t simply seeking supporters, he needed BELIEVERS.
Because it is by instilling beliefs that he’ll be able to make all these people act for him. That’s how he goes from having a momentary, fickle favor, to POSSESSION of these people.
Same as Trump drove his faithfuls to the brink of sedition. No matter who “won” the elections, when who won the elections also becomes a belief. A wish, a desire. A conviction. A hunger. And then a sense of perverted justice and vengeance.

But you know what? Same as Elon would do, we can generalize: the problem posed to humanity as a whole in present times isn’t anymore mere politics. Power has moved smoothly from politicians to corporations. From puppet to puppeteer.
And corporations are even more so outside the control of easily manipulated democracy. The real problem we have aren’t men (not women) like Elon Musk, Trump, Putin, Xi Jinping, or Kim Jong Un (all five joined by their nationalistic egoism).
The real problem is the protracted control of power done by these caricatural, small, childish men. Parodies of villains in a King’s novel.

Somewhat as using The Lord of the Rings as a metaphor: power is ALWAYS toxic. No matter who wields it.

The only antidote is not allowing these men keep their power for too long. No matter how successful or unsuccessful they’ve been. No matter whether you agree with them, and made them into your hope.

For those men I mentioned, their time is LONG overdue. For Musk, he’s had a good run. Time to retire and take care of his kids. He certainly has enough money to do that.