Carlin had a way with words. This is a great observation, and it's about much more than driving. Whether we're talking about politics, religion, work, hobbies, or anything else, it's easy to criticize those who don't behave exactly as we do, with exactly the same level of enthusiasm. It's easy to excuse our imperfections by making them out to be the bad guys.
Again, this is not simply partisan. Zuckerberg was a villain ten years ago, and he's a villain today.
Yes, he's been philanthropic, and he's pledged to donate 99% of his Facebook shares to charity. That is genuinely amazing, and it deserves genuine praise. To be sure, it's a hell of a lot more money than I'll ever donate to charity. Still, what does it matter if he destroys the world in the process? Will his philanthropy even begin to clean up the mess he's created? Surely not. He's done far more than $200 billion worth of harm to society. Try putting a dollar amount on political extremism, a problem his company has massively exacerbated.
Mark Zuckerberg is a villain, and like all villains, he thinks he's doing good for the world. He's not.
“In the beginning, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers; later on, mountains are not mountains and rivers are not rivers; and still later, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers.”
I can't remember where I heard this, even though I heard it very recently. The speaker claimed it was a Jewish proverb. I can't find much information about the quote online, but this blog post (archived) similarly calls it a Yiddish saying.
I enjoy movies movies like Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, and now A Complete Unknown. On another level, they bother me. They're called “biopics,” but they're more hagiography than biography. Sometimes I call them “hero worship movies.” The acting is often exceptional, and they can be fun, but I dislike that they portray their subjects as perfect, saintly figures. It's too much. Watching them feels like developing cinematic diabetes.
New paperback copies are cheap on Amazon, and I was able to buy 9 before they cut me off. That's right, they won't let me buy any more. I thought about asking the publisher for a bulk discount or even a donation, but I'd rather vote with my money and send a signal to the market: publish more books like this!