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.
One such one is a 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?
Rowe’s eloquent rebuttal makes sense in the context of his show and the sort of message he pushes on TV and online. Highlighting his latest podcast episode, for instance, he said:
[M]y guest on this week’s episode is the epitome of both. No one to my knowledge has made a more persuasive or more succinct case as to why the current push to “forgive” many billions of dollars in student loans is immoral, unfair, and illegal, than Charles C.W. Cooke. I’ve been a fan of his writing for years, and I was really delighted to have a chance to talk with him about this issue at length. A short video is attached. Our entire conversation is here. https://bit.ly/TWIHI305
Also – Charles became a citizen of this country not too long ago. His affection for America is obvious, as is the seriousness with which he took his swearing in. As he pointed out early in our conversation, “I have an obligation to care about these things. I wasn’t born here. I came here on purpose, and I took an oath to be a good citizen.”
I believe you’ll agree, he’s a bit more than that.
Rowe isn’t anti-education, just anti-waste and elitism, a perspective that many conservatives can agree with.
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