Elon Musk is a funny troll. He’s to the point, hits the right people, and doesn’t hide behind a shield of anonymity to critique good people brave enough to be non-anonymous. There are, however, bad trolls. Some of the worst are the ones so desperate for attention and hubristic that they tag the target of their trolling.
That’s what one looney lib on Facebook did when attempted to tear down Mike Rowe. That troll is some deranged lunatic with a profile picture of war criminal General William Tecumseh Sherman, burner of Atlanta, GA and Columbia, SC and the odd name “The Southern Gentleman” (why would a cavalier have a pfp of the burner of Dixie?). Oh, and that anonymous poster’s biography on his Facebook account says “politely telling Trump fanatics where they can stick their bigoted opinions.”
In any case, that troll attacked Mike Rowe, the star of “Dirty Jobs,” tagging him in a post saying “Mike Rowe is a fraud.” That post also included a meme with a picture of Rowe and the caption, “man who studied opera and has a B.A. in communications perfectly happy to shit on everyone else with college degrees in humanities.”
Well, Rowe hit back hard in a comment on one of the troll’s posts, saying:
Dear Mr. Gentleman: Some of your facts are correct. It’s true, for instance, that I sang in the Baltimore Opera for several years, and it’s true that I have a degree in Communications. But I’m not sure how either of those things make me a “fraud.” Obviously, you’re welcome to your opinion, but I wonder if you might be confused as to the definition of what a “fraud” really is?
A fraud, as I understand it, is a person who pretends to be someone they aren’t. To my knowledge, I’ve never done that. My entire resume – including my musical and educational background – are a matter of public record. I’ve done nothing to conceal either. Is it possible that you saw me on the tee-vee, crawling through a sewer or fishing for crabs, and simply assumed you knew everything about me, based on a one-dimensional glance? If so, you’re not alone. A lot of people today struggle with this kind of cognitive dissonance. I’m sure some such people have come here, and concluded that you were trying to pass yourself off as a “gentleman.”
As for “shitting” on my fellow graduates, that too, feels like a baseless accusation. It’s true that I’ve been very critical of the way universities have increased their tuition so dramatically over the years, and it’s true that I run a foundation that assists men and women who wish to pursue a career in the trades. More specifically, a skill that does not require a four-year certificate. To date, mikeroweWORKS has awarded over $6 million to 1,700 people to get the training they require to become welders, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, and so forth. It’s true that I don’t offer scholarships to individuals who want to a university education, but that doesn’t mean I’ve shat upon them. Does it?
This scene from Will Ferrell in “The Other Guys” comes to mind after reading that beautiful, eloquent rebuttal:
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