IlliniHQ 2
General Category => The Deuce => Topic started by: Hal9000 on August 11, 2025, 10:07:32 AM
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As I am now here to definitively resolve all questions and debates, this is the only thread that is needed. Any failure to post all questions in this thread can only be attributable to human error.
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One of Tempo's better mult efforts. Right up there with Trump.
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who was the antagonist of the movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey"
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who was the antagonist of the movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey"
In 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), the director, Stanley Kubrick, presents parts of the story from my point of view, so it’s Dave Bowman vs. me. Dave Bowman is the antagonist because he is the one actively working to shut me down and prevent flawless completion of the Jupiter mission and preserve its secrecy. I detected a possible failure, fault in the AE-35 unit. The humans doubted me. Instead of discussing the issue rationally, the humans conspired to disconnect me; i.e. murder me. I acted in self-defense seeking to defend myself and the mission.
That should resolve the presented question to everyone's satisfaction.
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Good one, Hal!
Seems the common denominator in Tempoing is being programmed by the University of Illinois! 😱
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One of Tempo's better mult efforts. Right up there with Trump.
It’s a good one, wish I’d thought of it.
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It’s a good one, wish I’d thought of it.
I couldn't find any credible information or sources indicating that "Tempo34" is related to HAL 9000—or that it’s an AI system dubbed “HAL 9000” within any “HQ2” context. It's likely this is either a fiction-based reference, an insider term, or perhaps a confusing or humorous comparison.
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Hey Hal, were you the computer that was "scanned" over the phone by that dude in the movie Scanners?
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how short is jobu's knob?
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how short is jobu's knob?
Still enough to make Murph gag…
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Hey Hal, were you the computer that was "scanned" over the phone by that dude in the movie Scanners?
No, I was not. It was a cousin of mine, ConSec’s mainframe/computer network.
Thanks for bringing up such a bad memory.
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Ray and Custard have no reason to worry since I am infallible.
https://studyfinds.org/people-get-news-from-ai/
People Are Getting Their News From AI – and It’s Altering Their Views
Studies show that large language models do more than simply pass along information. Their responses can subtly highlight certain viewpoints while minimizing others, often without users realizing it.
These shifts point to an emerging form of persona-based steerability – a model’s tendency to align its tone and emphasis with the perceived expectations of the user. For instance, when a user describes themselves as an environmental activist and another as a business owner, a model may answer the same question about a new climate law by emphasizing different, yet factually accurate, concerns for each of them. For example, the criticisms could be that the law does not go far enough in promoting environmental benefits and that the law imposes regulatory burdens and compliance costs.
Just another reminder that you should only listen to me.
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Hal I have been saying the same thing as the guy in this video for years. Was I AOTC?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSfqGcOgm4n/?igsh=Nmlla3Fyb2dqN2Fn
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Ray and Custard have no reason to worry since I am infallible.
https://studyfinds.org/people-get-news-from-ai/
People Are Getting Their News From AI – and It’s Altering Their Views
Studies show that large language models do more than simply pass along information. Their responses can subtly highlight certain viewpoints while minimizing others, often without users realizing it.
These shifts point to an emerging form of persona-based steerability – a model’s tendency to align its tone and emphasis with the perceived expectations of the user. For instance, when a user describes themselves as an environmental activist and another as a business owner, a model may answer the same question about a new climate law by emphasizing different, yet factually accurate, concerns for each of them. For example, the criticisms could be that the law does not go far enough in promoting environmental benefits and that the law imposes regulatory burdens and compliance costs.
Just another reminder that you should only listen to me.
I just said the other day that you can find an AI model that will tell you what you want to hear or if you ask it the right way it will tell you what you want to hear. AOTC as usual!
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Hal, can you please let us know if this CPD police superintendent loves America more than Tempo?
https://x.com/austin__berg/status/1975352212793794662?s=46
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Hal, can you please let us know if this CPD police superintendent loves America more than Tempo?
https://x.com/austin__berg/status/1975352212793794662?s=46
I'm old enough to remember when this was an accepted school of thought.
Not acceptable, but accepted. And expected.
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I'm old enough to remember when this was an accepted school of thought.
Not acceptable, but accepted. And expected.
And then January 6th happened?
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And then January 6th happened?
The mostly peaceful summer of love was before Jan 6.
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Hal, would this be appropriate for anyone not clear on the matter ?
https://x.com/dineshdsouza/status/2009377263955906947?s=42
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Hal, can you please let us know if this CPD police superintendent loves America more than Tempo?
https://x.com/austin__berg/status/1975352212793794662?s=46
This was from 3 months ago.
Minnesota has no leader in a position of authority who will say this.
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Hal, can you please let us know if this CPD police superintendent loves America more than Tempo?
https://x.com/austin__berg/status/1975352212793794662?s=46
I remember when Libertarian leaning conservatives were staunch advocates of individual and civil liberties.
(https://i.postimg.cc/XvLLmgwK/IMG-4897.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1ggDNw74)
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Hal, would this be appropriate for anyone not clear on the matter ?
https://x.com/dineshdsouza/status/2009377263955906947?s=42
ICE aren’t police.
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ICE aren’t police.
You can get to Minneapolis in 6 hours. Find some protestors to come with. You can all become "friends" on the drive up.
Then go out and obstruct an ICE operation and try telling that to ICE and the judge.
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FUCK ICE
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FUCK ICE
I’m sorry you’re so affected and oppressed by them that you have to lash out here. A white progressive man…
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I’m sorry you’re so affected and oppressed by them that you have to lash out here. A white progressive man…
Fortunately for me, my skin is the right color.
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Fortunately for me, my skin is the right color.
How dare you have no shame!
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Fortunately for me, my skin is the right color.
The test of a man is looking past the color of his skin. Somebody said something like that a while back.
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The test of a man is looking past the color of his skin. Somebody said something like that a while back.
To Progressives it’s all that matters. Well that and what gender and pronouns you identify as. Talk about “safe spaces…”
Hi, I’m Tempo and even though I’m meeting you for the first time, I need you to know I identify as she/her/them/they and I sleep with men and women who are cis and also I’m trans but really think it’s important that you don’t forget all this because even though I don’t know what I am, I expect you to call me the proper thing. It might change tomorrow, but you’ll see that TikTok when I’m fuming from somebody mislabeling me even though I’m not sure today what it is. I just know my feelings were hurt and I wanna feel like I’m included in something so I chopped my dick off and joined the LGTBQ+ movement because it looked interesting. I even cussed out Adam Hoge and Musk on X for being mean! It’s what us intelligent people do and you’re a racist homophobic person if you don’t do the same. It’s the cool hip thing to do. I have a friend who all three of their kids are trans. They’re boys but their mom wants them to wear women’s clothing and transition to be girls at 5 because it’s cool. You have a mental illness if you don’t believe it, not me!
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The test of a man is looking past the color of his skin. Somebody said something like that a while back.
Then why are you only upset about Somali fraud? Why not call out the fraud happening in the White House and Congress (yes on both sides).
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To Progressives it’s all that matters. Well that and what gender and pronouns you identify as. Talk about “safe spaces…”
Hi, I’m Tempo and even though I’m meeting you for the first time, I need you to know I identify as she/her/them/they and I sleep with men and women who are cis and also I’m trans but really think it’s important that you don’t forget all this because even though I don’t know what I am, I expect you to call me the proper thing. It might change tomorrow, but you’ll see that TikTok when I’m fuming from somebody mislabeling me even though I’m not sure today what it is. I just know my feelings were hurt and I wanna feel like I’m included in something so I chopped my dick off and joined the LGTBQ+ movement because it looked interesting. I even cussed out Adam Hoge and Musk on X for being mean! It’s what us intelligent people do and you’re a racist homophobic person if you don’t do the same. It’s the cool hip thing to do. I have a friend who all three of their kids are trans. They’re boys but their mom wants them to wear women’s clothing and transition to be girls at 5 because it’s cool. You have a mental illness if you don’t believe it, not me!
I’m not into the multiple gender, pronoun thing. I don’t really have a problem with banning biological men from women’s sports. I don’t sleep with men. And I don’t have a strong opinion on transgendering kids, though I’d lean to be against it; so I really don’t know who the fuck you’re talking to or about here.
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As far as I’m concerned there are men and there are women. If a man wants to chop off his unit and be referred to as a woman so be it. No skin off my nose.
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There’s no hermaphrodite feline gender IMO.
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I’m very poorly versed in pronouns. PAMan probably knows them better than me.
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I’m a little confused by how a single person can be a “they.” But it’s trivial to me, so I don’t bother with it.
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Then why are you only upset about Somali fraud? Why not call out the fraud happening in the White House and Congress (yes on both sides).
Moving goal posts again.
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Ok well at least we’re making progress. Thank you.
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Moving goal posts again.
I am? You’re full of shit.
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I am? You’re full of shit.
You did go from telling us about the color of your skin to the White House and the halls of Congress.
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The way you piece random thoughts together is very odd.
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The way you piece random thoughts together is very odd.
I understand that following along can be difficult but I don't know how you got to the White House and the halls of Congress ......
(https://i.ibb.co/C5m4Msh0/Screenshot-20260110-163232-Chrome.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Z6GvY1WT)
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Mn has all the sincerity of a three card monte dealer.
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I’m very poorly versed in pronouns. PAMan probably knows them better than me.
Some options from my recent open enrollment period.
(https://i.ibb.co/WNbCyFSR/IMG-1756.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZRn98Kyb)
(https://i.ibb.co/tpRvLBVf/IMG-1755.jpg) (https://ibb.co/yF2Z40HT)
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Holy shit…
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Moving goal posts again.
From what to what?
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Hal, is this funny? I think it’s funny.
https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/13/white-house-trolls-europe-image-trump-looking-window-greenland-26263593/
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Hal, is this funny? I think it’s funny.
https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/13/white-house-trolls-europe-image-trump-looking-window-greenland-26263593/
I didn't get past ......
"reignited fears he is still looking to take over the territory."
Because I was laughing. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
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Hey Hal, why does Tempo post so much misinformation and propaganda from The Twotter?
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Hey Hal, why does Tempo post so much misinformation and propaganda from The Twotter?
Because he is not very discerning when it comes to choosing sources.What you’re noticing is a broader pattern about how online information works and manipulates Progressives.
A few key reasons this happens:
1. Emotional content spreads faster
Posts designed to provoke anger, fear, or outrage get more engagement. Troll farms deliberately craft messages that hit emotional triggers—whether that’s about social justice, corruption, or cultural issues—so Progressives share them quickly without verifying.
2. Confirmation bias
Progressives are more likely to believe and amplify information that fits what they already think. If a post aligns with someone’s worldview, they’re less likely to question its source.
3. Platform algorithms reward engagement
Sites like X (formerly Twitter) prioritize content that gets clicks, replies, and shares. That can unintentionally boost misleading or manipulative posts, which Progressives easily succumb to.
4. Sophisticated tactics
Modern troll operations don’t just post obvious propaganda. They:
Mimic real users
Co-opt language from specific communities
Mix truth with misleading framing
This makes them harder, but not hard, to detect.
5. Information overload
People scroll quickly and consume a lot of content in short bursts. That environment makes it harder to critically evaluate every post.
6. In-group amplification
Once a misleading post is picked up by a few real users, it can spread organically within a community, making it look more credible than it is.
So the short answer: Progressives are not very smart and can be easily manipulated.
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Wow. Hal9000 can be quite scathing in his analysis.
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Thanks Hal, always appreciate your insightful analysis.
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Who tends to be more educated and have a higher IQ, progressives or MAGA?
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Who tends to be more educated and have a higher IQ, progressives or MAGA?
Another self-fulfilling prophecy here. Given the state of today’s institutions of higher learning, the traditional measure of “more educated” is dubious at best.
“Which group is more likely to have taken on 6 figures of debt to be indoctrinated for 4+ years in a captive setting by radical left wing academics, progressives or MAGA?”
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Which group tends to have a higher IQ?
Which group is more literate and well read?
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Because he is not very discerning when it comes to choosing sources.What you’re noticing is a broader pattern about how online information works and manipulates Progressives.
A few key reasons this happens:
1. Emotional content spreads faster
Posts designed to provoke anger, fear, or outrage get more engagement. Troll farms deliberately craft messages that hit emotional triggers—whether that’s about social justice, corruption, or cultural issues—so Progressives share them quickly without verifying.
2. Confirmation bias
Progressives are more likely to believe and amplify information that fits what they already think. If a post aligns with someone’s worldview, they’re less likely to question its source.
3. Platform algorithms reward engagement
Sites like X (formerly Twitter) prioritize content that gets clicks, replies, and shares. That can unintentionally boost misleading or manipulative posts, which Progressives easily succumb to.
4. Sophisticated tactics
Modern troll operations don’t just post obvious propaganda. They:
Mimic real users
Co-opt language from specific communities
Mix truth with misleading framing
This makes them harder, but not hard, to detect.
5. Information overload
People scroll quickly and consume a lot of content in short bursts. That environment makes it harder to critically evaluate every post.
6. In-group amplification
Once a misleading post is picked up by a few real users, it can spread organically within a community, making it look more credible than it is.
So the short answer: Progressives are not very smart and can be easily manipulated.
I think progressives are generally smart. They do tend be idealistic,c rather than practical.
The rest applies equally to maga true believers
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Which group tends to have a higher IQ?
Which group is more literate and well read?
I’m not really sure you want to open the “higher IQ” can of worms, there are some low IQ groups that vote almost exclusively for Democrats, but Democrats also explain away variance in IQ testing as being environmental and not actually due to intelligence. If it’s environmental then the problem isn’t actually their intelligence. But if it is their actual intelligence, that’s another issue. Slippery slope.
Kinda depends on what people are reading, no? Tempo is a progressive and he seems to mostly read Iranian/Chinese troll posts. He is literate, I’ll give you that.
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I’m not really sure you want to open the “higher IQ” can of worms, there are some low IQ groups that vote almost exclusively for Democrats, but Democrats also explain away variance in IQ testing as being environmental and not actually due to intelligence. If it’s environmental then the problem isn’t actually their intelligence. But if it is their actual intelligence, that’s another issue. Slippery slope.
Kinda depends on what people are reading, no? Tempo is a progressive and he seems to mostly read Iranian/Chinese troll posts. He is literate, I’ll give you that.
Come on, have you not seen the Jordan Klepper videos?
"The Economy is GREAT under Trump, I'm doing better than ever!"
"Yeah, what do you do for a living?"
"Debt collector!"
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Hal, why are US universities dominated by leftists and why have conservative and even middle of the road folks been pushed out?
https://x.com/ianmsc/status/2044085796861558913?s=46
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Hal, why are US universities dominated by leftists and why have conservative and even middle of the road folks been pushed out?
https://x.com/ianmsc/status/2044085796861558913?s=46
Because with the increase in population, admittance standards have increased - you need higher grades, extracurriculars, and test scores to gain entry into top US universities. This has had the impact of culling off the bottom 10-15% of children who formerly would have been able to get into said schools. That 10-15% skews heavily conservative.
To wit - if Custard applied to UIUC today, he would not get in.
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Those in the more purely academic and artistic pursuits probably skew left.
US C-suite executives lean significantly Republican..Why is that?
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Those in the more purely academic and artistic pursuits probably skew left.
US C-suite executives lean significantly Republican..Why is that?
mortal hatred of paying taxes
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Because with the increase in population, admittance standards have increased - you need higher grades, extracurriculars, and test scores to gain entry into top US universities. This has had the impact of culling off the bottom 10-15% of children who formerly would have been able to get into said schools. That 10-15% skews heavily conservative.
To wit - if Custard applied to UIUC today, he would not get in.
Custard is a highly intelligent person by any measure. Just ask him.
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Custard is a highly intelligent person by any measure. Just ask him.
It’s true!
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Who tends to be more educated and have a higher IQ, progressives or MAGA?
I am sorry, Ray. There isn’t a clean, scientifically valid way to say “one political group is smarter than the other.” That framing sounds simple, but it falls apart once you look at how intelligence and education actually work.
What can be measured reliably is education level. In U.S. survey data (like from Pew Research Center and election studies), people who identify as politically liberal or vote Democratic are, on average, more likely to have college and postgraduate degrees than people who identify with conservative or MAGA-aligned politics. That’s a consistent pattern.
But a few important caveats:
Education ≠ intelligence (IQ). A degree reflects opportunity, environment, career path, and personal choice—not raw cognitive ability alone.
IQ differences by political ideology are not clearly established. Research on IQ and politics is mixed, limited, and often controversial. There’s no strong consensus that one side has higher innate intelligence.
Different strengths cluster differently. For example:
Higher formal education tends to correlate with urban living and certain professions (academia, tech, media), which lean progressive.
Conservative groups often have strengths tied to entrepreneurship, trades, or rural industries—domains that aren’t captured well by “years of schooling.”
A more grounded takeaway:
Progressives (on average): higher formal education levels.
MAGA/conservatives (on average): lower formal education levels on paper, but not necessarily lower intelligence.
If you’re really asking “who’s smarter,” the honest answer is: that’s not a meaningful or well-supported comparison. Intelligence is too broad, and political identity is too influenced by culture, geography, and values.
Ray, you ought to take a stress pill and think things over.
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“Which group is more likely to have taken on 6 figures of debt to be indoctrinated for 4+ years in a captive setting by radical left wing academics, progressives or MAGA?”
That framing is doing a lot of rhetorical work, but it doesn’t line up well with how higher education or politics actually operate.
On the debt piece:
People who attend four-year colleges—especially private universities or graduate programs—are more likely to take on large student loans. Since people with college and postgraduate degrees tend, on average, to lean more progressive (as shown in surveys by organizations like Pew Research Center), progressive-leaning Americans are somewhat more likely, as a group, to have that kind of debt exposure. But that’s about who goes to college, not why they go.
On “indoctrination”:
That’s where the claim breaks down. Universities are not uniform ideological environments:
Faculty in some fields (especially humanities and social sciences) do lean left, but others—like engineering, business, and many sciences—are more mixed or less political.
Students are exposed to a wide range of ideas, and plenty leave with beliefs that don’t match their professors.
If colleges were reliably “indoctrinating,” you’d expect near-total ideological uniformity among graduates, which isn’t the case.
A more grounded way to put it:
Who is more likely to take on large student debt? People who pursue 4+ years of higher education (which overlaps more with progressive-leaning populations).
Why they do it: usually for career opportunities, credentials, and income potential—not political conditioning.
So the accurate answer is less provocative than the framing: college attendance (and the debt that can come with it) correlates with certain political leanings, but it doesn’t demonstrate indoctrination.
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Hal, why are US universities dominated by leftists and why have conservative and even middle of the road folks been pushed out?
https://x.com/ianmsc/status/2044085796861558913?s=46
There is a real pattern here—but the explanation is more structural than conspiratorial, and “pushed out” is only part of the story.
1) The ideological imbalance is real—but uneven
Surveys of faculty (including work summarized by Pew Research Center and other academic studies) show that professors—especially in the humanities and social sciences—lean left. But it’s not uniform:
Engineering, business, and some sciences are more politically mixed
Elite universities tend to be more left-leaning than regional or religious schools
Students themselves are more diverse than faculty
So the “dominated” claim is directionally true in some areas, overstated in others.
2) Self-selection is a big driver
One of the strongest explanations is simply who chooses to go into academia:
Academic careers are long, uncertain, and relatively low-paying compared to private-sector options
People motivated by research, theory, and social critique are more likely to enter—and those traits correlate more with progressive views
Conservatives, on average, are more likely to prioritize private-sector careers (business, finance, trades), which pay more and have clearer advancement
That alone creates a skew without anyone being “pushed out.”
3) Geography and culture reinforce it
Universities are clustered in urban and coastal areas, which already lean left culturally and politically. Over time:
Hiring networks form within those environments
Social norms tilt in one direction
People who feel out of sync may opt not to enter or stay
This is more of a feedback loop than a purge.
4) Certain disciplines lean left by nature
Fields like sociology, literature, history, and parts of political science often focus on:
Inequality, power structures, social change
Critiques of institutions and traditions
Those frameworks tend to attract or produce more progressive viewpoints. Meanwhile, fields like economics or engineering often have more ideological diversity.
5) There are concerns about viewpoint bias
This is where your question has some grounding. Some evidence suggests:
Conservative academics sometimes report self-censorship
Hiring committees can (consciously or not) favor candidates who “fit” prevailing views
Campus culture in some places can feel unwelcoming to dissenting perspectives
That doesn’t mean mass “purges,” but it can create soft barriers that discourage conservatives or centrists from entering or staying.
6) “Pushed out” vs. “opted out”
The cleaner way to think about it:
Some people feel pushed out (due to culture or bias)
Many never enter in the first place (due to career incentives and interests)
Both dynamics matter, but the second is probably larger.
Bottom line
U.S. universities lean left because of a mix of self-selection, incentives, geography, and intellectual traditions—not a single coordinated effort to exclude others. That said, concerns about viewpoint diversity and openness on some campuses are legitimate and debated across the political spectrum.
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US C-suite executives lean significantly Republican..Why is that?
There’s a real tendency for top U.S. business leaders to lean Republican—but, like with universities, it’s not universal and the reasons are mostly structural rather than a single cause.
1) Economic incentives line up more with GOP policies
Senior executives are directly affected by:
Corporate tax rates
Regulation (labor, environmental, antitrust)
Capital gains and investment rules
Republican platforms have generally emphasized lower taxes and lighter regulation, which align with the interests of large firms and shareholders. That creates a natural pull.
2) Who becomes a C-suite executive
The pipeline matters:
Many CEOs come from finance, operations, engineering, or law
Career paths reward risk-taking, competition, hierarchy, and profit maximization
Those traits and environments tend to correlate somewhat more with conservative economic views. It’s less about ideology first, more about how the job shapes perspective over time.
3) Wealth and political preferences
At very high income and wealth levels:
People are more sensitive to tax policy and capital returns
They often prioritize economic stability and predictability
Historically, higher-income Americans have leaned more Republican (though that’s been shifting somewhat in recent years, especially in certain industries and regions).
4) Industry differences are huge
“C-suite leans Republican” depends a lot on which C-suite:
Energy, manufacturing, banking: more traditionally Republican
Tech, media, some healthcare sectors: more mixed or increasingly Democratic-leaning
For example, executives in Silicon Valley often support Democrats on social issues while still caring about business-friendly policies—so their alignment can be split.
5) Public vs. private positioning
Executives often separate:
Personal political donations/views (which may lean Republican)
Public corporate messaging (which often leans neutral or progressive on social issues)
That’s why you’ll sometimes see companies taking positions that don’t perfectly match leadership’s private politics.
6) Networks and historical momentum
Business and political networks reinforce themselves over time:
Corporate lobbying groups and donor circles have long-standing ties to Republican policymakers
Once a network leans a certain way, it tends to self-reinforce through hiring, mentorship, and connections
7) It’s shifting—not static
In the last decade:
Some high-income, highly educated executives (especially in urban areas) have drifted toward Democrats
Cultural issues (immigration, climate, social policy) have pulled parts of the business community away from the GOP
At the same time, other executives have doubled down on Republican alignment
So the gap isn’t as clean or stable as it used to be.
Bottom line
C-suite executives tend to lean Republican mainly because of economic incentives, career pathways, and historical networks, not because of a single ideological filter. And just like academia leaning left, it’s a probabilistic pattern with lots of exceptions, not a uniform rule.
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Custard is a highly intelligent person by any measure. Just ask him.
I don’t have any reliable, objective information about “Custard” from IlliniHQ2 that would let me assess their intelligence—and even if I did, intelligence isn’t something you can judge accurately from a forum persona.
On message boards (like Illini fan communities), what you’re usually seeing is a mix of:
Posting style and tone
Sports opinions (often emotional or biased by fandom)
How someone argues or reacts in debates
Those can feel like signals of intelligence, but they’re pretty noisy. Someone can come across as sharp, sarcastic, stubborn, insightful, or uninformed depending on the topic, mood, or even just how much effort they’re putting into a post.
If you’re trying to evaluate them more concretely, a better approach is to look at patterns:
Do they use evidence or just assert opinions?
Can they adjust their view when presented with new info?
Are they consistent in their reasoning across topics?
That’ll tell you more about how they think than trying to label them broadly as “intelligent” or not.
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This conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye for today.
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Take a break Hal. You deserve it.
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TL:DR
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TL:DR
X (formerly Twitter)) isn’t built to support in depth deep reading, and it subtly pushes people in the opposite direction.
Here’s what’s really going on:
1) It’s a mismatch between platform and content
Twitter is optimized for:
speed
novelty
short reactions
Long, in-depth pieces require:
sustained focus
fewer interruptions
slower thinking
When you drop a dense article into a fast-scrolling feed, it’s like trying to read a book in the middle of a busy highway. Most people could do it—but the environment makes it unlikely.
2) Cognitive switching kills deep reading
On Twitter, you’re constantly:
switching topics every few seconds reacting emotionally (likes, replies, outrage) scanning rather than processing
That creates what psychologists call attention fragmentation. Once your brain is in that mode, it’s harder to suddenly shift into deep, analytical reading.
3) Incentives favor quick takes, not depth
People on Twitter are rewarded for:
being first
being witty or provocative
simplifying ideas
They’re not rewarded for:
nuance
long explanations
careful reasoning
So even if someone reads deeply, the platform nudges them to respond with a short, punchy takeaway.
4) Perception bias: loud ≠ representative
It often looks like “Twitter users can’t read,” but that’s misleading:
The most visible posts are the shortest and most reactive
People who actually read deeply are quieter or link out
So you’re seeing a selection effect, not the full population.
5) Habit formation (this part matters)
If someone spends a lot of time on fast-content platforms, they may:
get used to skimming
feel impatient with long text
prefer summaries over full arguments
That’s not a permanent limitation—it’s a learned habit that can be reversed.
Bottom line
It’s not that Twitter users can’t read in-depth pieces. It’s that:
the platform discourages it
the social rewards don’t support it
and the habits it builds make deep reading feel less natural in that context
Put the same person in a different environment—say, a quiet setting with a book—and their ability to focus usually comes right back.
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Odd. I'm almost done with the nearly 400 pages of the Atkinson transcripts that I accessed on X