Technobullsh*t

Bullsh*ters have always loved grand visions. Immortality is a good example. How many gallons of snake oil have been sold with promises of eternal youth. Or as cures for all ills.

Bullsh*ters gravitate to grand visions because we as humans love them. We want to believe we can transcend earthly limitations and reach the heavens above.

And bullsh*ters also recognise that anyone who attempts to debunk their bullsh*t will be cast as the “destroyer of dreams”. The negative nancy talking down the brave visionary.

So bullsh*ters of all kinds always portray themselves as the rebel-visionary-up-against-the-system. Because such people do exist, and we need them, so if the bullsh*ter can inhabit that identity they are very difficult to challenge.

Hence people like Graham Hancock, a top class bullsh*ter. Ha can’t just make factual observations, or write a paper. He has to manufacture this faux battle with the “establishment” to sell his Ancient Apocalypse bullsh*t.

This week I’m writing the first draft of a longform essay on the relationship between science fiction and what I am calling Technobullsh*t, the ideas born in science fiction that bullsh*ters have repurposed as a source of top quality bullsh*t.

Here’s an illustrative example. Not only did L Ron Hubbard  use ideas from scifi to make his bullsh*t religion of Scientology, but he was aided in flogging his bullsh*t by John W Campbell with numerous articles and other exposure via Astounding magazine.

This isn’t unique. UFO magazines in the 80s and 90s sold their subscriber details to various scam marketing schemes, the rational being that anyone gullible enough to believe in UFOs would likely buy anything. You see UFOs being used for exactly that kind of targeting today.

And at the heart of my narrative on Technobullsh*t is, of course, Elon Musk. Who has hopped from one visionary scifi narrative to another to flog his various businesses.

Even a year ago I think most people would have resisted the idea that Elon is a bullsh*ter. But watching him romance the orange fake billionaire, who once bottled and sold pure ethanol as Trump Cologne, I think most people are coming to the conclusion that Elon is full of sh*t.

And history will demonstrate that you can bullsh*t by calling your heavy launch vehicle Starship, but real starships will never exist.

Except in dreams.