#kissinger

This week marks two years since the death of my friend and mentor, Henry Kissinger. Genesis—our book about AI and humanity’s future—was his final project. For much of his career, the former Secretary of State focused on preventing catastrophe from one dangerous technology: nuclear weapons. In his final years, he turned to another. When we wrote Genesis alongside Craig Mundie, we felt…

another known historical That Fucking Guy™ has passed away and just like with Kissinger I am seeing people assuming that any politician making a statement about his death basically wanted to give him a rimjob. listen:

a LOT of older people and especially politicians are still living in a different version of the world than the under-40 crowd, with different cultural norms around politeness.

it shows up in politics more than most places because politicians in national office in the US tend to be older and because politics is a very image and optics-focused field.

there is an expectation to acknowledge major events like the deaths of well-known statesmen, even if you don't like them, especially if you are the de facto leader of your party (president or most recent presidential candidate).

here are three things to keep in mind when you read a politician's statement in this sort of situation:

Just because a statement was made doesn't actually mean it is positive. You need to read the actual words.

Just because the actual words have a veneer of positivity does not mean they are actually praising the guy. Are the things said about the deceased specific or something that could be said about any Joe Schmoe inside the Beltway? Does the person making the statement talk about their own personal relationship with the guy or are they very general and vague? Are they ACTUALLY saying positive things about him, or just basically saying nothing in such a neutral tone that it's easy to read it as positive if you're John Q. Public who loved this guy and might let it get in the way of you voting for the politician giving the statement?

If you need a point of contrast that really shows what a positive eulogy from a politician looks like, read this:

Amused by the implication that Philip was the Duke of Edinburg, TX (Edinburgh, Scotland spelled thusly)

If they're not trying to gargle the dead guy's balls at least this hard, they probably don't give a shit about him (or actively hate him; Biden's statement on Kissinger was openly seething if you read between the lines even a little bit) and are just making the statement because they kind of have to.

P.S. do you know any good hangover cures

Of course you're invited to the wedding, Henry!

In terms of a hangover cure, read below the cut (it gets a little nasty):