[PragmaticPulp]

This man is seriously unwell. This wasn't just normal politics - This was deep conspiracy theory nonsense. The fact that he thought others would appreciate the message is further proof that he is in the midst of a serious crisis. He has completely lost touch with reality.

Unfortunately, being a wealthy ex-CEO and ex-pat living in another country, away from his former social circles, has likely removed all social support and peer group balance against his decline. When you're that wealthy, you can afford to surround yourself with people who won't challenge your ideas or suggest that maybe you're not well. The yes-men don't want to risk being ostracized by saying the wrong thing, so they go along with it.

I hope someone can talk him into getting the help he needs. That doesn't excuse what he said, obviously, but I doubt this issue will resolve on its own.

[cardosof]

Thank you for this humane point of view instead of just making fun or getting enraged.

[RC_ITR]

Literally the late-life story of Tony from Zappos - https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-death-of-zappos-tony-hsieh-...

Hopefully this case will turn out better than Tony's tragedy, but it is also important to remember, just because Bateman is mentally ill doesn't mean he should get a pass for spreading hateful and harmful ideas. You can be mentally ill (paranoid even) without developing a hatred for a particular marginalized group.

[happytoexplain]

I agree with everything you said and it was all thoughtful, with the one caveat that I think this exact style of writing and object of concern is now in the realm of the "normal" political spectrum. Yes, that may mean that being emotionally/mentally unwell is a part of the "normal" political spectrum, though small - but it seems to be true.

[cycrutchfield]

> Unfortunately, being a wealthy ex-CEO and ex-pat living in another country

Puerto Rico is another country?

[abnercoimbre]

Is that where he is currently living? Puerto Rico is proper American territory and they're all American citizens there, so I definitely wouldn't call it another country (source: I'm Puerto Rican.)

[cycrutchfield]

Per the article that’s where he established residency, in order to avoid paying taxes.

[abnercoimbre]

Unsurprising. Crypto millionaires retire there too. It's a tax haven thanks to not being a state -- plenty of loopholes you can leverage.

[moneywoes]

I thought there was an exit tax when you move there

[abnercoimbre]

First I've heard of it! I haven't checked the relevant literature in a while. Even so it might still be a net gain for them. Puerto Rico is susceptible to great hurricane tragedies, however (recall Maria.)

[zozbot234]

> This wasn't just normal politics - This was deep conspiracy theory nonsense.

It's 2022 - Qanon-level nonsense is very much "normal politics" at present, however much we wish it weren't.

[hodgesrm]

Vitriol against Jews has been around since the Middle Ages at the very least and pops up in almost every culture I can think of. The Nazi leadership were obsessed by it, just to name one obvious example. I'm generally very optimistic about humanity, but this is really our heart of darkness.

[dukeofdoom]

btw, "Heart of Darkness" is a great book. Did you read it?

[hodgesrm]

Many times. Also saw the movie. (Apocalypse Now)

[emilsedgh]

I am Jewish and I have a Jewish cousin who thinks more stupid things. Jews are out to get us! And they have been trying to do so since Moses! They want to sacrifice people for gods because gods like the smell of burning blood!

Last time I met this person was 2 years ago. He was obsessed with Trump. Back then I thought in 10-15 years he is gonna be into many conspiracy theories but this time i met him he sounded completely insane.

And I hate that for this guy everyone is saying its because he is rich. There is plenty of dumb conspiracies that people in the US are believing en masse across all classes and ages. Its sad that we can just sit around and do nothing.

[krapp]

>This wasn't just normal politics - This was deep conspiracy theory nonsense.

A woman who believes Jewish space lasers create widlfires was elected to the House of Representatives on behalf of a movement that believes the Democratic Party is a secret cult of Satanic pedophiles. A movement following a President who, among other things[0], believed Barack Obama was a secret Kenyan Muslim Marxist extremist who founded Al Qaeda.

This is what normal is now. This is the Overton Window starting to move right from talk radio scale crazy after 9/11 and not stopping even when it hit the batshit insanity of QAnon. Mere anti-semitism is quaint in comparison to what the mainstream believes nowadays, and so common as to be banal. This guy was just stupid enough to say the quiet part out loud.

Oh, and of course it's tied in to vaccinations because... of course it is.

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_conspiracy_theories_pr...

[tomjen3]

>that believes the Democratic Party is a secret cult of Satanic pedophiles

With Jeffery Epsteins deep connections, I wouldn't think it strange if both parties are full of pedophiles.

[throwawayboise]

Yeah I've never heard of him but saw that he was retired as CEO and wondering how old he is. Could be a sign of dementia or Alzheimers. Something has gone wrong in his head.

[tyingq]

>Could be a sign of dementia or Alzheimers

He appears to be pretty young, see the photo at the top: https://forward.com/fast-forward/480359/david-bateman-entrat...

So, perhaps some other kind of mental illness. It was telling that he basically doubled down with a sort of "sorry, sorry, but it's still a Jewish plot" in his apology.

Edit: He's likely 42 or 43, based on some old (2002/2003) stories about founding the company after dropping out of BYU.

[cbfrench]

Although, being young doesn’t entirely exclude certain forms of dementia (namely, frontotemporal dementia). See, e.g.: https://www.wired.com/story/lee-holloway-devastating-decline...

It seems likelier he’s just adopted (or felt emboldened to give voice to) extremist views. But it’s also possible that some mental disturbance is behind the behavior.

[throwawayboise]

Ah well, I guess not then. I imagined someone a lot older. Some form of schizophrenia perhaps.

[anigbrowl]

There's an entire subculture that promotes and amplifies this kind of thing for political ends. Is it really so hard to believe that maybe the guy is just a closet nazi? It's not that uncommon for people to make very bad decisions about internet activity under the influence of alcohol or recreational/abused prescription drugs.

[tyingq]

He did double-down in his "apology", which is a bit unusual.

[RickJWagner]

My first thoughts were to suspect serious drug use.

This guy needs help. I'm kind of surprised nobody in the article suggested it.

[fundad]

Racism isn’t a disease

[q1w2]

I'm not going to join on the outrage/mental illness bandwagon based on the media's interpretation of an email they are not releasing.

I'm guessing that the email is indeed anti-semitic, and I'm guessing that the media doesn't want to legitimize anything he's saying by publishing the entire email.

...but I'm not going to throw stones without seeing the evidence myself. This is the trade-off. Unfortunately, the media knows full well that accusations alone are all it takes these days - evidence is optional.

[zenexer]

There's a screenshot of part of it in the OpenGraph image for the FOX 13 article: https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ba27103/21...

That same portion is copied verbatim into the article.

And if that's not enough, someone copied his recent Instagram activity to Twitter: https://twitter.com/elisenicscott/status/1478470250307981324 I'm no doctor, but those are not the ramblings of a mentally sound individual.

[q1w2]

Again - we are judging him on an email he sent. ...yet that email is nowhere. All we have is the media's impressions of an email they have not released.

Your links ALSO do not disclose the original email this is all about.

I'm not going to judge this guy without the actual evidence. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills being the only one in this thread demanding to see the evidence against him.

[zenexer]

1. The first link contains, at minimum, a significant portion of the original email.

2. The individual in question has resigned without releasing the full email.

3. The individual's statement on the matter is nearly as bad as the portion of the email we've seen.

4. The second link shows a pattern of similar behavior.

> I'm not going to judge this guy without the actual evidence.

There appears to be a treasure trove of evidence against this individual, and no attempt has been made by anyone to dispute it. It's rare that we get this much evidence. If you really want the full email, just ask the people who received it--they sound as though they're eager to hand it to anyone who's interested.

[dukeofdoom]

This is a tactic the soviets used. They would call someone mentally ill, and take them away to the mental word.

Interestingly enough, without casting any judgment on the claim. Canada put a doctor that claimed a rise in vaccine related still births in the mental hospital recently, and treated him with psychotic medication.

https://www.factcheck.org/2021/12/scicheck-doctor-makes-fals...

https://jessicar.substack.com/p/dr-mel-bruchet-did-you-know-...