this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2024
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[–] burgers@toast.ooo 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (5 children)

man i just spent like an hour in the bathtub reading further into this and belly laughing

i will say though that i think the guy who sold mike lindell the 'data' that he's referring to in the challenge might actually be a genius lol. this is apparently the third or fourth time he's identified someone who needs some kind of technological hail mary and then he just shows up and is like "i have.. the data". he sold proof that obama faked his birth certificate and also sold a bunch of completely bogus software to the pentagon during the post-9/11 defense industry boom such as software that "decodes" al jazeera broadcasts into secret al qaeda messages. an employee of his testified that he doesn't even have an IDE installed on his computer. he's literally made tens of millions of dollars off of this grift and despite being basically constantly legally embattled for the past 20 years has apparently not suffered any consequences. i wish him a long and successful career being the smartest dumb guy in the room

mike lindell actually comes away from this looking almost sympathetic because he is so, so clearly a moron whose conception of data is like, a PS1-era spinning icon of a CD-ROM. it's very hard for me to guess whether or not he was acting in good faith: on the one hand, the logical thing to do with proof of election tampering is not 'announce a five million dollar challenge for someone to prove that i don't have it', but on the other hand, it doesn't make any fucking sense to do that if you don't think you have proof either. either way i would love to know how much money he paid for it (by the way, the data is: a text file with a list of IP addresses in mainland china, a PDF with a 'graphic depiction of voting machines', and many terabytes of gibberish binary files timestamped to several days before the challenge was set up). look at this quote the guy is literally zoolander stupid

“I said, ‘Wow!’ This would absolutely explain what I couldn’t explain!” Lindell recalled in an interview. “It was done with computers! I knew that was the only explanation."

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Wait...there is money in manufacturing false data to sell to these fascists?

[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

The votes were IN the computers all along?

Smartmaticsonite... I was WAYYY off!

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My favorite part is that the lawsuit is being brought by a Trump voter.

[–] ours@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

"Let them fight!"

[–] cultsuperstar@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

What's hilarious is that they all seem to have proof of all these things, but they never release any of it.

[–] Pandantic@midwest.social 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The fact that he did a “prove me wrong” instead of a “here’s the proof” tells me, at minimum, had a suspicion that the proof had no merit.

[–] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

No, he admitted at some point the "5 mil to prove me wrong" was a publicity stunt to drum up media coverage of his conference.

He thought it was impossible to prove a negative, but in this case the data was so clearly unrelated to any election, much less election fraud, the judge found that the confrence go-er had proved him wrong.

[–] slickgoat@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (3 children)

What I find fascinating is the total number of numbskulls and cartoon villains, all collected under the Trump banner, and that lunatic mob may very well take government.

What's the hell wrong with American voters?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

They are in a conservative news bubble or they don't pay much attention to things that don't directly affect them and attribute those that do to the wrong party. Or they're just greedy or racist. Or stupid.

Take your pick, mix and match.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

What’s the hell wrong with American voters?

Rage at a system that doesn't work and dreaming of being a person who doesn't have to apologize for anything. There is a reason why crime movies, games, and TV shows are so popular. It isn't that most people want to be going around murdering all day, it is they want to be able to.

[–] LowtierComputer@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

My coworker is going to vote for Trump because gas prices went up in the last 4 years.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

thats not why he's voting for trump

[–] mortemtyrannis@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 months ago

Well that’s the public reason they are voting for Trump.

The private reason is that they are a boot licking fascist.

[–] el_abuelo@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think you need to be intentionally naive, or just an absolute shitbag, to want to vote for lower gas prices at the cost of increased human suffering. Let alone whether it's something Trump could even deliver.

[–] Passerby6497@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

Also, consider what was going on 4 years ago: COVID. Gas prices went up because people are using their vehicles again , and because of that, oil isn't in the negatives and gas prices rise.

[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"But the pillow executive moved forward with an appeal anyway."

God damnit... I truly hope that history looks back on this period of time as the outrageously ridiculous and overwhelmingly disappointing failure that it is. Fuck, man... God damnit, this is so FUCKING stupid.

[–] bcron@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

History will probably unveil one of the largest psychological operations ever perpetrated by foreign actors in order to dismantle a hegemony and it'll be clear as day. In a couple decades everyone will act at though it was totally obvious that in less than 10 years the 'common sense' rural folk decided to worship someone with used car salesman ethics and elect his entourage of unqualified nincompoops, none of which have enough intuition to start a lawnmower

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

"Less than 10 years" isn't giving Rupert Murdoch the blame he deserves. Repubs have been working on this for decades.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ya'll should watch some of his 'broadcasts'.

Not, like, the whole things.

Tommy Campbell's YT channel does basically recaps of the stupidest shit the stupid MAGA clowns do and... well Mr. Lindell features quite often.

Lindell is basically the most perfect stereotype for a loser idiot boomer that lucked his way into being a business owner, and he is of course astoundingly technically incompetent.

There are at this point running gags with a number of words that he seemingly is incapable of pronouncing correctly, the guy produces moron clips at such a rate Im surprised he isnt a number of widely used meme formats.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

incapable of pronouncing correctly

Lonely bookish kids, grown men who do not listen to anyone else, ESL adults who had to pick up the language without help. Take a guess which one of the three he is.

[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Alex, I'll be forgoing your 3 options and asking instead "What is an obviously still using cocaine addict?"

He might have graduated from the rock to the powder, but at this rate he'll either be incarcerated or back to the rock soon.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What is with angry men and cocaine? It's like a chicken and egg problem.

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago

Hey now, I'm an angry man because of my horrible ADHD and my inability to just do things

I don't even like cocaine!

[–] Infynis@midwest.social 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There are two kinds of Republicans—billionaires and suckers

He proves he's a sucker, because a real fascist would know never to ask to be proven wrong

[–] dogsnest@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

FINO

Fascist In Name Only.

[–] Skanky@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

How does one prove that someone does not have something?

[–] Khanzarate@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

I'm not sure but the mandatory arbitration lindell himself put in said to pay the guy, so it was as rigged as lindell could get it without it being illegal, and they still felt it was well-proven, and lindell should pay.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 0 points 2 months ago

I have no idea why this man is in the American news cycle so much. I guess "talks a lot of bollocks" is enough these days.

He always looks like he should be dictator of a small South American country. Not a real one, obviously, they'd decorate the nearest tree with him, but the sort of dictator who ends up there through a series of zany mishaps in the kind of shit sitcom that Paramount+ might greenlight. With a really uninspired title as well, like El Presidente.

[–] b3an@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

He cries into his own lumpy pillows at night

[–] secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

you've clearly never used one of his pillows

[–] Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You are so sure of yourself.

And yet...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/334945864341

[–] secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (2 children)

this is unfair exploitation of mental illness.

Mike Lindell is an American hero with a story of success, making a great pillow everyone loved and making himself wealthy in the process

his religious delusions are a form of either mental illness or partial handicap and he shouldn't be stripped of everything because of that

his belief that the election was rigged AND he had the secret proof (that would hold up to court scrutiny) was clearly a religious delusion and if you think otherwise you don't understand how cults and mental illnesses intertwine

in a just world, this deal should be something he doesn't have to honor because he offered this "prove me wrong" thing to the public when he was clearly out of it

what about all the people he employed? the people he made happy with a decent pillow? we as a society have failed by allowing the religiously delusional to enter into any sort of unusual contracts at all. yes, the amish should be allowed to sell grain and the menonites should be allowed to sell delicious jams, but should we really allow right wing religious maniacs to enter into complex contracts?

no, of course not

this man should be given ALL his money back, and an apology from society for exploiting him. this man worked hard in life and doesn't deserve this

[–] Smokeless7048@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I mean, the options seem to be "this man is mentally ill, he needs to enter adult conservatorship" or "this man is an adult, who made a contract, and is being held to a contract"

He doesnt seem to be so far gone he needs a conservator, so his contracts are valid.

[–] secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

there needs to be some sort of space between "this person needs a conservator and can't have any rights" and "this is a logical rational person who can contractually give away 5 million dollars because he's filled with religious delusions"

[–] abigscaryhobo@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It sucks, but there is a lot of precedent in the US for "you are allowed to be as stupid with your money as you want, as long as you're sane."

He may have delusions around his religion or beliefs, but he has the rights to have those delusions and beliefs, and if he wants to place bets on his beliefs because he holds them that strongly then he can. If someone else spots him as a mark and takes advantage of him, sure it was dumb of him, and they may not be in the cleanest moral area, but that's America, learn your lesson and move on.

You go to New York and some guy sells you a newspaper that helps raise money for charity and the homeless for $5 and you believe him then find out it's a free paper all over the city, that's life.

We can protect you when you don't know any better, but when you bet everyone in the room that you can fly and you can't? That's a hard bet to make buddy, and a harder bill to pay.

[–] secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The reality is he is an older American and 5 million dollars is a lot, it's not a 5 dollar bill. This is exploitation and society is only allowing it because he's a right wing religious idiot.

[–] RunningInRVA@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The guy held a contest for $5M. Why are you defending him for not paying out? He is supposed to be credible, no?

[–] secretlyaddictedtolinux@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

No one of even mild to low intelligence thinks Mike Lindell is a credible person.

This is a person who had a positive attitude and made a lot of money making pillows, then got older. He is religious and religion and aging affected his brain, especially because he's clearly not that bright to begin with as evidenced by his religious beliefs. Plenty of people do well in society without being that intelligent because they have a positive attitude.

Stripping this person of 5 million dollars is a form of laissez-faire elder abuse wrapped in the artifice of polite society and it's blatantly vile.

Just because he's a disgusting right-wing religious idiot doesn't mean that elder abuse is acceptable, and intelligent people in society should have the decency to prevent this sort of thing from happening.

[–] modifier@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 months ago

Mmmm except whatever shibboleths you may utter against "right-wing religious idiots", comments like yours help those idiots and others like them by giving them a sort of 'cognitive plausible deniability' to get up to whatever evil shit they've been getting up to and worse.

Like it's so obviously minimizing real evil - the evil UNDERNEATH shit like this 'innocent little contest', genius - under a shield of "d'aww shucks those pesky white nationalists are up to their hijinx again, those silly knuckleheads".

So in that context, you talking about 'disgusting right-wing idiots' comes off as a real fellowkids moment for you.

[–] modifier@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I genuinely can't tell if the downvotes are because people think you're serious, or because people think you're joking, or because people can't tell if you're serious or joking.

[–] Daxtron2@startrek.website 2 points 2 months ago

Its hard to tell sometimes because I have seen diatribes almost exactly like that, but completely serious.