Nikola Goddamn Tesla

[East Coast Hustle]

http://theoatmeal.com/blog/tesla_response

Going by this whiny response, I'm guessing it wasn't satire.

"I'M JUST AN ARTIST MISTER FORBES MAN, YOU CAN'T TAKE ME SERIOUSLY/WHY AREN'T YOU TAKING MY CARTOON ABOUT TESLA SERIOUSLY???"

I thought the response was funny, too.  BTW, you people need to definition of the word "satire". Comedy by exaggeration is not the same thing as satire. There was nothing even vaguely "satirical" about that comic, and nobody claimed it was satire. It was HYPERBOLE. That is different from satire.

Oh, I know what satire is. I thought he might have been satirizing the whole "cult of tesla/Edison is electric Hitler" narrative, but apparently he was DEAD SERIOUS, as evidenced by his response full of obvious butthurt. Which is, of course, the funniest part of all.

[Cain]

How can Edison be a great humanitarian if he electrocuted kittens?  Kittens are human too!

[East Coast Hustle]

I bet Jonas Salk tested his vaccine on animals. What a jerk.

[Salty]

I love the part where he says "NONONO you're just arguing semantics!"
No, dude, Forbes man argues what you SAID.

Also, is it full of immutable FACTS about the god that is Tesla
Or is it just a silly comic teehee?

I still can't tell. One thing for sure is this:
If communication of an idea is a goal then that particular comic isn't so much a blowjob for Tesla, or a funny exaggeration of commonly held conceptions regarding these men, it's simply a failure, a dud. Because if you have to explain it that much, and that poorly, then...well...you know, it's not a very good joke.

[Cain]

You just don't appreciate his GENIUS Alty.  If's not his fault if you're too busy herping and derping to understand the finer, more subtle points of his thingy.

[Doktor Howl]

Pretty sure this wins.

For a genius, Tesla was a bit of a dumbass.

[East Coast Hustle]

I friggin love Tesla. For his quirks and failures as much as his brilliance. He wasn't just a man of science, he was a man of SCIENCE. I just don't understand the need for being a fan of Tesla and being a fan of Edison to be mutually exclusive.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Well, he WAS batshit crazy and celibate.

But frankly, I still think that the people who are angrily debating a webcomic because it's full of exaggeration are... well, probably kind of autistic.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am not a fan of Edison not because I admire Tesla but because I don't really admire people whose only skills are marketing. It's just not what I have a hardon for. Also because he was a huge dick. I mean, there are a lot of nicer people I could admire, like Sam Walton. Edison wasn't a scientist, so why should he be up there with Lise Meitner in my pantheon of admirable scientists? Maybe if I was an MBA I would admire the shit out of him.

[Bruno]

The  similarities between the Edison/Tesla rivalry and the Dolan comics is almost eerie.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

My dad's a systems engineer, he builds awesome new things. My entire life has been spent watching him and the brilliant people he works with getting fucked over by people like Edison. Hating Edison isn't just about picking a side in a luchador match a hundred years ago, it's about what we as a culture choose to recognize as genius. Edison was a CEO, like the comic said. He was a successful CEO, even doing some things that would get him recognition in his time as being a nicer boss than some of the other assholes. But the fact remains that a lot of what he did was profit off of other people's genius without giving them proper recognition or reward. His approach to invention was "what can I sell?" and his concern was the bottom line. That's why he fought AC, that's why he was a patent troll. I look at him and I see dozens of CEOs, venture capitalists, and board members who have consistently taken great work away from people close to me and then kicked them to the curb. Yes, it's projection. I'm not gonna feel bad about it though, because both people involved have been dead for decades, and I don't think they care much how we use the memory of their conflict.

[AFK]

Also, you don't hear about Tesla in history class.  It's another example of how you have to fit a certain mold to become a part of the lexicon of American Heroes.  That, of course, isn't Edison's fault, it lies with those who write the history books.

[East Coast Hustle]

Actually it's probably Tesla's fault for being born Belgian.

[East Coast Hustle]

I am not a fan of Edison not because I admire Tesla but because I don't really admire people whose only skills are marketing. It's just not what I have a hardon for. Also because he was a huge dick. I mean, there are a lot of nicer people I could admire, like Sam Walton. Edison wasn't a scientist, so why should he be up there with Lise Meitner in my pantheon of admirable scientists? Maybe if I was an MBA I would admire the shit out of him.

So....fuck the guy who brought innumerable life-altering technologies to the market and contributed to a vast improvement in the base quality of life for billions of people, but a hearty "hell yeah" for the guy who invented Wal-mart?

[Faust]

I am not a fan of Edison not because I admire Tesla but because I don't really admire people whose only skills are marketing. It's just not what I have a hardon for. Also because he was a huge dick. I mean, there are a lot of nicer people I could admire, like Sam Walton. Edison wasn't a scientist, so why should he be up there with Lise Meitner in my pantheon of admirable scientists? Maybe if I was an MBA I would admire the shit out of him.

So....fuck the guy who brought innumerable life-altering technologies to the market and contributed to a vast improvement in the base quality of life for billions of people, but a hearty "hell yeah" for the guy who invented Wal-mart?

Pretty much fuck the Industrial age and everything spawned since. Especially Tesla and Edison.

Faust,
Currently searching for a solution to a hardware/software bug for the 9th hour.