Mastodawn

Cory Doctorow Mar 9

Even if rich people were no more likely to believe stupid shit than you or me, it'd still be a problem. After all, I believe my share of stupid shit (and if you think that none of the shit you believe in is stupid, then I'm afraid we've just identified at least one kind of stupid shit you believe in).

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/03/09/autocrats-of-trade/#witness-the-firepower-of-this-fully-armed-and-operational-battle-station

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Cory Doctorow Mar 9

The problem isn't whether rich people believe stupid shit; it's the fact that when a rich person believes something stupid, that belief can turn into torment for dozens, thousands, or millions of people.

Here's a historical example that I think about a *lot*. In 1928, Henry Ford got worried about the rubber supply chain.

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Mad Engineering

@pluralistic I mean, it's arguably what killed the Roman empire. Rich Romans got fancy indoor plumbing, made of lead for easy maintenance. The lead leeches onto the water, giving them a strange line on their gums and a tendency to believe idiotic nonsense.

hot tran*sexual menace Mar 9

@madengineering @pluralistic actually it is probably not the lead plumbing as limescale buildup limits the lead concentration in the water.

The bigger problem in terms of exposure were pewter plates and pots, especially in combination with fruits or acidic drinks.

hot tran*sexual menace Mar 9

@madengineering @pluralistic or the fact they intentionally used lead acetate as a wine sweetener (which continued in europe until mid 18 century)

Mad Engineering Mar 9

@missqarnstein @pluralistic Looking further into this, I see articles about how "sapa," better known as lead acetate, was used as a sweetener.

Thank you for your assistance in understanding the chemistry involved, miss Qarnstein. Chemistry is my weakest science.

The Penguin of Evil Mar 9

@madengineering @pluralistic Until Trump I assumed all the discussions of Nero were hyperbole 8)

ferricoxide Mar 9

@etchedpixels @madengineering @pluralistic

As I posted elsewhere, "if there are future historians, I wonder if they will wonder if Trump literally golfed while the world burned."

Tom Forsyth Mar 9

@ferricoxide @pluralistic @etchedpixels @madengineering The world would be in a much much better place if all he had done was played golf for 4 years.

Colm Donoghue Mar 9

@madengineering @pluralistic
The Roman empire ended when the Ottomans conquered it in the 15th century, long after their plumbers did the initial work.....

Mad Engineering Mar 9

@ColmDonoghue The empire conquered in the 1400s did call itself Roman to anyone that asked, yes, but it didn't speak the same language or have the same customs or religion as the original.

Advanced Persistent Teapot Mar 9

@madengineering @ColmDonoghue the Empire of Theseus!

@ColmDonoghue @madengineering @pluralistic still takes that long to find a plumber

Jim Rootham Mar 10

@ASprinkleofSage @ColmDonoghue @madengineering @pluralistic
Now even longer in Manchester.

David S. Reed Mar 9

@madengineering @pluralistic How come when the rich died out, Rome didn't become a socialist paradise?

Mad Engineering Mar 9

@DavidReed @pluralistic They didn't die, they just developed a real bad case of crazy decision, which made it a really big problem for everyone who wasn't rich also.

Your boss has commanded you to cover the parking lot on gasoline to keep the dragons away.

@madengineering @pluralistic The Romans knew about lead poisoning and to avoid it in drinking water. They preferred clay pipes over lead for drinking water, wherever possible. To the extent that lead poisoning was a problem, it was more likely because of the preparation and widespread consumption of must (grape juice) reduced to a half or a third volume in copper or lead containers.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/Encyclopaedia_romana/wine/leadpoisoning.html

Lead Poisoning and Rome

Microblog Castellano Mar 9

@clayfoot
Thank you for the reference. I had a great time reading about wine in Rome.
@madengineering @pluralistic

Mad Engineering Mar 9

@clayfoot @pluralistic
Til.

Alexander Goeres 𒀯 Mar 10

@Clayfoot
The Romans knew about lead poisoning and to avoid it in drinking water.
this is just not true. they were using lead to sweeten wine. and lead pipes whenever they needed pipes within their buildings ...

#^https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defrutum

Defrutum – Wikipedia