HACKER Q&A
📣 breck

Anyone else see PG and Trump as foils?


This is pretty random, but we just watched "Stranger than Fiction" and I was thinking, if we are living in a literary sim, who would the foil to DT be? The best I could come up with is PG.

Both benefitted greatly from and became masters of social media BUT:

- DT contributed nothing to Twitter

- PG invented/funded/advised Reddit and HN (and even coded the latter)

Both billionaires BUT:

- DT inherited his wealth and barely kept it via screwing over other people

- PG accumulated his wealth through making things and helping others

Both intelligent BUT:

- DT lies prolifically and avoids thinking about people or issues more than skin deep

- PG spends months critically trying to write true essays

Both hugely successful BUT:

- DT has an insatiable desire for fame and adoration

- PG leaves YC to go live quietly in the countryside


  👤 adamsea Accepted Answer ✓
Since Trump puts self over country/other people, in this case his foil would be country and other people over self, or at least trend that way. So IMHO it depends if PG is spending his time and money to oppose Trump, IMHO. At a moment like this genuine foils would be in active opposition to one another.