Post by @mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io

2026-09-12 16:34 UTC

When these dudes were in university, Black people and women were driven out of computer science programs. When these same dudes were software engineers, running hiring committees, Black engineers and women suddenly couldn't get hired, despite being all over the early industry. When these same dudes became Venture Capitalists, Black people and women couldn't raise any money or get on any boards, even though Black women disproportionately start small businesses. Now that these dudes are centi-billionaires, they're open and vocal about their explicitly ethnic cleansing policy positions, and get alt-right presidents elected, and end DEI, and roll back civil rights, and say that giving women the right to vote was a mistake, and talk about white birth rates. And I have to read nonsense from journalists saying that the extreme money turned them fash?🤡 No. You turned fash into extremely wealthy people. By being asleep at the wheel while the worst people on earth amassed untouchable levels of wealth.

Replies (8)

@bedirthan@dice.camp 2026-09-12 16:39

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io extreme wealth seems to amplify already held beliefs. There's no longer a need to conform or mask when that wealthy and the emotional draw of power leads to maximizing those beliefs via the power. Which is why Scott, French, James, Newmark become massive engines for social good -- they couldn't be that before the extreme wealth. [edited typo of confirm to conform]

Open ##5180340
@irene@discuss.systems 2026-09-12 17:15

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io it’s also like the Nazi bar effect in tech. They didn’t say anything when the fascists showed up. Then anyone with antifascists tendencies got pushed out.

Open ##5180346
@muddle@infosec.exchange 2026-09-12 22:30

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io You can have both cases. Your "but not all obscenely wealthy people..." argument doesn't really appeal to me, for one, but I'm not interested in arguing the point one way or the other.

Open ##5180367
@ChemicalEyeGuy@mstdn.science 2026-09-12 22:30

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io The #revolutions in #France and #Russia proved that there’s no such thing as ‘untouchable #wealth.’ Just saying. #Histodons #resist with #ElbowsUp 💪.

Open ##5180370
@cyberspice@oldbytes.space 2026-09-13 06:59

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io @TCMuffin@toot.wales In the early days of computing it was about 50 / 50 in the genders for white people. Yes the environment was totally racist but also the men felt hardware was the manly thing and kept women out of hardware but women wrote the software. Look at early NASA. Then when hardware started to become commodity the men realised it was jobs for the girls and forced women out of software to replace them. Its always been about white men!

Open ##5180372
@Unixbigot@aus.social 2026-09-13 07:58

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io @alamarw@mastodon.social wow, powerful toot.

Open ##5180374
@thisislieven@c.im 2026-09-13 11:29

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io It's also deflecting responsibility. 'We've allowed the right people to get extremely wealthy, how could we have known they'd turn fascist?' Often Klein has astute commentary but she got this one quite wrong.

Open ##5180375
@ohir@social.vivaldi.net 2026-09-13 15:21

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io > nonsense from journalists This species is almost extinct now. What's left I call 'mediaworkers' or 'pressititutes'. We oughta be precise :) > You turned fash into extremely wealthy people. By being asleep at the wheel while the worst people on earth amassed untouchable levels of wealth. I concur. Though month by month I am less sure whether 'asleep at the wheel' is the right metaphor for 'bribery'.

Open ##5180376