Widespread, toxic belief is the idea that rich and powerful people are essentially playing characters, and what they say isn't what they think. As if they're disciplined actors who really believe something else, but maintain a character in public in a crafty manipulation.
They're not.
Thread.
Nicholas Grossman
And while I'm retweeting Nathan, I would desperately like everyone on Bluesky to read & internalize this thread of his. The fact is, people generally say what they think. There's no secret Straussian cabal manipulating things. People aren't lying for money. They believe the things they say.
David Roberts
So one I would emphasize that these kinds of people talk the same behind closed doors as they do in public. What was, in fact, the striking thing was how much a rich or powerful person talk like they tweet.
