this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2025
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This is a place to share greentexts and witness the confounding life of Anon. If you're new to the Greentext community, think of it as a sort of zoo with Anon as the main attraction.

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If you find yourself getting angry (or god forbid, agreeing) with something Anon has said, you might be doing it wrong.

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[–] [email protected] 170 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's what machiavellian distills into - cold pragmatism and disregard of morality. So his turn from okay guy that wanted his family to stop with illegal shit into someone much worse than his father was portrays it perfectly.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Exactly. Machiavellian doesn't mean galaxy brain.

[–] Blue_Morpho 34 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Unscrupulous is only one of the definitions.

Cunning and scheming are the other two. The Prince detailed how to gain and hold power.

It wasn't a book that said immediately shoot everyone to solve all your problems.

So the original author was expecting violence in Godfather 2 but with more planning.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You gain and hold power by killing people you don't like, look at any dictator that ever dictatored. 🙃

[–] Blue_Morpho 4 points 1 month ago

Again, yes you kill people. You don't just kill everyone immediately without a plan. Even Pol Pot had a plan.

[–] [email protected] 84 points 1 month ago

Also, knowing who to shoot and when to kill them is kind of a big deal.

The man who shot Don Vito thought he was untouchable because he was going to the meeting with a police captain.

[–] EfreetSK 33 points 1 month ago (1 children)

'CAUSE IT HAS A VALID POINT TO MAKE, IT'S INSISTED!

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The Machiavellian part was the fact he removed his rivals simultaneously without them gaining prior warning.

He was cunning like a fox to avoid detection and dangerous like a lion when action was required.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Watch Gomorrah if you want to see real power games

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I saw this movie at a press screening back then. I had to go to the bathroom from the very beginning, but I couldn't because it was so damn thrilling. My bladder still hurts today when I think about it.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

oh wow didnt know it was film, Ive only seen the series

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

The series is so good. I let a couple seasons build up, thanks for the reminder I need to get back into it.

[–] PugJesus 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I prefer Goncharov, personally

[–] Randelung 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Omg, I forgot about Goncharov! Such a good movie.

[–] affiliate 4 points 1 month ago

it’s a shame they don’t make movies like goncharov these days

[–] zoidsberg 9 points 1 month ago

They made a movie about the New Vegas casino?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

both apparently, though I've only seen the series

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago

Historically speaking, it tends to work.

And for the record, Machiavelli didn't exactly rule it out.

[–] niraj21 18 points 1 month ago

Historically speaking, it tends to work.

[–] setsneedtofeed 12 points 1 month ago

Keep it simple, stupid.

[–] Eheran 12 points 1 month ago

Huh? Was it?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Since this comment section turned into an arena discussing how to rule, here's an interesting relevant CGP Grey video title The Rules for Rulers.

[–] DogWater 3 points 1 month ago

I too thought of this video

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

The funny thing is that Machiavelli didn’t achieve shit apart from write a treatise bitching about the people in charge of where he lived.

[–] son_named_bort 8 points 1 month ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Anon once heard someone’s opinions about a movie character, decided it must be so. Having a mind locked up tighter’n Fort Knox if it were located deep inside Area 51, he was badly disappointed when the character didn’t match the wild expectations he set for himself.

[–] Duamerthrax 16 points 1 month ago

The expectations were set by someone else. For me, the memes hyped the hell out of Khan and one day I decided to watch the trek movies. Yeah, Khan did not live up to the hype. I had seen much more interesting scifi villains and space battles by then.

[–] RampantParanoia2365 13 points 1 month ago

....with a gun, I think. He shoots them with the bullets a gun fires.

[–] jaggedrobotpubes 11 points 1 month ago

It insists upon itself, Lois. It insists upon itself.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It insists upon itself

It mean it's trying to be deep, but is really just pretentious and shallow.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

can someone explain me this?

[–] prime_number_314159 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

There is a movie called "The Godfather", which depicts a fictional war between mafia families in the US. In the film, there is an older generation that operates on a kind of respect system, and attempt to keep each other reasonably balanced, in both power and money terms. A drug dealer enters the picture, and attempts to murder Michael Carleone's father (who is the Godfather). In response, Michael plans to meet the drug dealer and a corrupt police captain, sneak a gun into the meeting, and shoot them both. That plan works.

Later, the Godfather dies, Michael takes over as the head of the Carleone family, and plans assassinations of all of the older generation of every other family in a coordinated attack, during his father's funeral. That plan works too, leaving him as the most powerful survivor.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

thanks for explanation

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Just got it

[–] OmegaCloud 2 points 4 weeks ago

One of the most intelligent things you can do is to keep it simple, stupid.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago