OK, Trump is elected. Trump patronize Musk. This shows how far American democracy has deteriorated. What kind of dialogue is possible with a society that supports such a regime?
Musk is a Nazi. Just look at his progression starting back about a year before he bought Twitter. The only reason he bought Twitter was so that he could have an unfiltered megaphone to shout his repugnant views. His eugenics are clear in his offer of sperm to women so they can have his 'superior' offspring.
Who else gets a squicky feeling when something like this is followed by the Tiktok sting? Would be like seeing AOC give a rousing speech, then have it punctuated with a Fox News logo.
Like okay even if we give him the extreme benefit of the doubt, like so so much it's silly. Even if Musk himself just fucked up .... twice ... even then, the crowd did it back and they loved it.
I'm not really big on throwing the Nazi label around, but you'd think he would have some reaction to the backlash like: "no obviously I'm not a nazi. And I completely condemn any nazi and their actions and beliefs. I got caught up and unintentionally did a motion that looks like a nazi salute. Sorry for any miscontrusion and pain this may have caused " seems pretty straightforward
I really don’t know this, yes we all know he did a Nazi salute, I don’t know what’s going to happen, besides everyone left starts fighting them right online. Is America gonna have a civil war which Europe will join to have something to eliminate the far right? While other parts of the world doing their own things? Or they really gonna grow into Nazi and make the world a war zone again? America and Europe is now on competition with China, if civil war the chinas gonna grow stronger for sure.
If things keep going this way, Musk will eventually learn what a lot of people in Russia have learned: his wealth won’t protect him from someone with total power. In fact, Trump or someone else might decide “why the fuck should I listen to you? I can just have you killed and take everything.” Ask some of the Russian oil bosses how shit has worked out for them. You’ll need a seance.
I see many posts here and on Reddit covering this topic. There are always comments which include photos of others (that is, Democrats) doing a similar gesture…as if to say, “See? It’s not just Musk!” in defense of what he did. (There’s one on this post of Tim Walz.) Here’s the thing…a sign is just a sign. A swastika is just a symbol. Signs, symbols, and gestures are given meaning by the people using them and their intent.
Musk and Walz are worlds apart. No sane, rational person would ever look at Tim Walz and think, “That guy is a fascist.” On the other hand, it takes almost no imagination to think of Musk as a fascist. There is no doubt in my mind Musk knew what he was doing. It’s a test. Let’s flash that salute and see what happens. As predicted, many people ran to his defense. Those that called him out were marginalized. This is only starting. You’re going to see more and more of this as time passes.
There are people with valid reasons to call Bush, Kamala, Obama, Clinton, and others who were photographed doing the same salute "fascists" though, depending on your beliefs and political leanings. Agreed that it's less of a stretch with Musk, but I think if you give the benefit of the doubt to politicians you like, the opening position should be to extend that same courtesy to politicians with whom you don't agree.
I'm not one to throw the Nazi tag around easily and would've given the benefit of the doubt to someone else, but considering Musk's increasingly far-right rhetoric and open support for AfD, it was a deliberate Nazi salute, no question about it.
If you accidentally do such a move and it ends up getting that much attention you usually clarify that it wasn't meant as a hitler salute and also condemn the nazis, their crimes and neo nazism. In a position as musk you probably also donate to ausschwitz museum or so, just to get things clear. He didn't do any of this. This speaks volumes. Instead he "cracks nazis jokes". He also has a team that for sure gives him advice. So: 100% intended. No doubt about that.
Muskrat is the largest influencer in the world. His following of millions of people proves how far his influence goes. Every action he makes is almost immediately seen, and yet we get crickets. The crickets are the damning evidence of his complacency to his new label. Even his couple of remarks at AOC calling him out isn't a call against Nazi rhetoric. From this election forward, for me, if you label yourself a Republican, you are a Nazi. If you follow Muskrat, you are a Nazi. No discussion.
Somehow people forgot he tweeted a year ago "this is the truth" in response to a tweet saying that jews hate white people and that jews cause all the world's problems.
The context puts an additional nail in the coffin. Without the context it’s also a Nazi salute. The coffin was nailed shut the moment he locked he ended his gesture. Twice.
If you know what a Sieg Heil looks like then you know it's not quite exactly what Musk did. Hand is supposed to point straight ahead, not to the side. He did it like that to keep a shred of deniability, he's reluctant to go full Nazi just yet. So yes, I would definitely want context first if it were someone else. People who are quick to yell Nazi have contributed to this situation where anyone leaning conservative will automatically dismiss it as overreaction, which benefits actual Nazis.
We like to look at individual actions, but you can see patterns in families because that's how you grew up and it created the mold of "these are the values that are important to my primary caretakers, so I must follow them to survive". It takes active work to go against that training
It is important to clarify that it has nothing to do with being awkward and just sending his heart to the crowd, the fact he grew up in a fascist family and social environment is yet another clue, besides his support for far right parties in europe, that he absolutely did a fully deliberate nazi salute.
I like to think it was deliberate, but he was doped up on ketamine and partially indecisive in the moment as to whether it was a good idea or not, but could not fully hinder the impulse and did it "badly." (Cos' his is kinda out to the side or whatever.) Musk nazi saluted badly.
I’m socially awkward. I don’t pick up on normal social cues or body language, slightly autistic. I have never done a Nazi salute, accidentally or otherwise.
Cognitive dissonance can be hard. My disappointment was quick when he called that rescue diver a "pedo" for not liking his idea to rescue those kids in Thailand, and it only has gone down since. He _is_ awkward and probably on the autism spectrum, but the increasingly awful things he says are _not_ from a lack of social awareness.
Speaking as a person diagnosed with autism who has some real social issues, I am not a Nazi and 100% that is not an excuse for me to be one. Even if he is socially awkward, autistic, and strange, it does not make anything he is doing more OK.
I'm not on spectrum, but it's been making me so angry that this is the excuse. It's defamation against those with autism. I am mentally ill and make a point of taking responsibility for my actions, even if my illness was a contributing factor. I assume lots of neurodivergent folk do the same. We could all teach Elon a thing or two about that practice.
I'm socially awkward but I've still never thrown out a nazi salute on a stage in front of television cameras. That's not something you do on accident or because you thought it was funny.
He was trolling...and adding salt to the wound. Enjoying being so high on the hog that he can throw these disgusting signs and cause chaos with people going he did it/no, he didn't...when he really did. He really believes he's above reproach or supervision.
He has a long history of never admitting a mistake. Something as politically and socially innocuous as making a stupid demand of his Tesla engineers has gone on this long without him walking it back or admitting his mistake. He insisted that visible light cameras, instead of a more fit for purpose technology like LIDAR, be exclusively used in the FSD tech. He was told by engineers it was wrong, but he responded that it was the only choice because "people have eyes". If he can't admit that...
Nah dude. You can tell a lot about a person by who they defend. Your friend is acting antiracist to you. In private, around others, he is laughing at you, and drawing up plans to destroy you.
This is all nazis do. They infiltrate, and destroy.
Musk has a big fellowship, and for some reason, these people still refuse to acknowledge his doings. In Germany he supports fachists openly, endorsed them again and again. Asks people to vote for them in the upcoming election, yet no-one wants to blame him. The amount of excuses I've heard in the past few weeks is ridiculous
Yes, agreed on all levels. It is frustrating, to say the least. Musk's support for the AfD is a huge red flag that they can't see. I'm pretty sure that they're in the minority - based on feedback from people in my life - and this place has been overwhelmingly anti nazi-salute-Musk which is wonderful
I'm not rich or connected, I don't have speech writers and handlers that make sure I don't do anything stupid. And even I know that what Musk did was a nazi salute and a dog whistle for the far right.
Its par for course on Dog Dung Fairways. More full faced lies. Muck is like a child believing someone is dumber than him or too spoiled to ever fear getting punished. Instead of trying to catch another lie, someone should ask, "Is it you don't do the hair or grow the mustache because your hair costed too much and you cant grow one?"
Whenever people try to make an excuse for him I always wonder if they'd even be upset if they knew for certain it was a Hitler salute. My guess is not really.
His grand parents did not go to apartheid south africa for the weather. He supports vocally and financially far right parties in europe. He's allied with trump. What do people need? He could wear the armband with the swastika and some imbeciles would still tell us some bs like "maybe he is Buddhist, that's where it comes from you know"
I think this what gets me, all roads of everything this man has done or does lead to racist piece of shit. He has had no behavior in his past that has earned him the benefit of doubt. All this has done is affirmed what smart people know, dog whistled to the rest of the nazis in the party, and allowed idiots to try to debate his intentions with it. The sign is on the fucking wall and its a fucking swastika.
I agree that people can be on the spectrum and still be shitty people. Being neurodivergent is not an excuse for personal accountability. Believing so cheapens the struggles of those people on the spectrum who aren't steaming piles of shit.
To explain where he's coming from: He uses the word in the way 4chan uses it. Weaponized autism. It's a 'meme'. But the way Musk uses it is to obfuscate what he's doing. Internally he's 'trolling'. But it's all done in an 'ironic way' and if you fall for it, you're the dumb one for taking him seriously. But, he means it even if he says he doesn't. The worst of 4chan delight in this type of behaviour and Elkon Brusque is most definitely one of the worst of 4chan. It's all entirely intentional.
But, people see right through him, as long as they aren't his fans. "I was only pretending to be stupid!" Used to be the standard reply to people behaving like Musk does. Because they're actually really fucking stupid.
You can be on the spectrum and fully aware of your actions, like I am, you can be very smart and be on the spectrum too but elon is not an example of this.
Agreed. Unless someone greatly struggles with functioning, the "oh he doesn't know any better" excuse falls flat, especially in an adult. Even if he was on the very edge of being non verbal, man has had 53 years to learn how to mimic and mask when on the public stage. He knew this wasn't acceptable, and he knew what he was doing. Coupled with the fact that he has literal Nazis and Nazi collaborators very close on his family tree, there's no question as to him being aware of the context.
lovepangolins
OK, Trump is elected. Trump patronize Musk. This shows how far American democracy has deteriorated.
What kind of dialogue is possible with a society that supports such a regime?
draconyum
Sureuright
If anyone would know a naZi, it would be them.
icannotthinkofanyrationalname
Musk is a Nazi. Just look at his progression starting back about a year before he bought Twitter. The only reason he bought Twitter was so that he could have an unfiltered megaphone to shout his repugnant views. His eugenics are clear in his offer of sperm to women so they can have his 'superior' offspring.
plus1forzoom
The irony that this is posted via TikTok makes me laugh.
ouhhmytralalamydingdingdong
I mean, let’s say it and keep saying it, Fuck Elon Musk in the face with fist drenched in Ebola and rusty nails full of tetanus.
ThatHurts
Who else gets a squicky feeling when something like this is followed by the Tiktok sting? Would be like seeing AOC give a rousing speech, then have it punctuated with a Fox News logo.
MadHatter69
Yeah, that sound reminds me of stupid goofy shit like videos of people falling down or animals being cute, not serious stances of politicians.
UncleRat
Musk is, first and foremost, a con man, like the Rapist In the Whitehouse and every billionaire. He was saluting his caste.
Slickdoodle
Showing that we just need a few castekets.
lonelyrangerofthedreams
cellardoor42
I want to upvote this way more than once.
RealScienceMan
Like okay even if we give him the extreme benefit of the doubt, like so so much it's silly. Even if Musk himself just fucked up .... twice ... even then, the crowd did it back and they loved it.
Fjorkvar
I'm not really big on throwing the Nazi label around, but you'd think he would have some reaction to the backlash like: "no obviously I'm not a nazi. And I completely condemn any nazi and their actions and beliefs. I got caught up and unintentionally did a motion that looks like a nazi salute. Sorry for any miscontrusion and pain this may have caused " seems pretty straightforward
Slickdoodle
Of course. That is, if he weren't a Nazi.
Hummelkoenigin
as an Austrian Im upvoting this.
SpecialIdiot
As a French guy living in Belgium: yeah. Basically what he said.
FentuckyCriedKhicken
I really don’t know this, yes we all know he did a Nazi salute, I don’t know what’s going to happen, besides everyone left starts fighting them right online. Is America gonna have a civil war which Europe will join to have something to eliminate the far right? While other parts of the world doing their own things? Or they really gonna grow into Nazi and make the world a war zone again? America and Europe is now on competition with China, if civil war the chinas gonna grow stronger for sure.
Ozyie
The irony is the tik tok logo at the end. Possibly the biggest tool of mass surveillance this century lol
trinxter
The Volksreich is coming. Musk however will always only want plutocracy, even if he claims it is fascism.
jzbstl
If things keep going this way, Musk will eventually learn what a lot of people in Russia have learned: his wealth won’t protect him from someone with total power. In fact, Trump or someone else might decide “why the fuck should I listen to you? I can just have you killed and take everything.” Ask some of the Russian oil bosses how shit has worked out for them. You’ll need a seance.
shorey66
I'm honestly all for musk actually falling out a window
SixSixxtySix
Mikhail Khodorkovsky for example...
pandemicmodedad
He's already started by limiting him in the Whitehouse. The people starting calling him president which trumps ego can't tolerate.
Mansoor68729
But strangely, the victims of Hitler, Israelis don't consider it Nazi salute, Cf: Netanyahu.
Hummelkoenigin
I dont think he can speak for the victims, sorry.
TorSverre
Hear, hear! ... oh, and fuck TitKok
gummbunn
I think it's futile to continue to argue over his intentions. Let's judge him solely on the effect of his actions. The neo nazis got the message.
StellarJay77
It doesn't matter if he meant it or not. The only thing that matters is that Nazi's think he meant it.
mksu
People who toy with fascism belong in prison. They are not fit to exist in society with the rest of us.
SterlingArcherSecretAgent
We don't often see billionaires in prison :-/
beez428
We saw one snuffed in the street, I'm cool with that in lieu of prison.
SterlingArcherSecretAgent
That is also rare though.
SirSmurfalot
It was a deliberate Nazi salute, no question about it. Let's not mince words here. Call a spade a spade. Elon Musk is a nazi cunt.
Orc6000
Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. Those who do study history are doomed to watch the majority of idiot humans make it happen.
Hootykai
Perhaps a mini-series on how to deal with Nazis and how to dispose of their bodies.
pierrelaplace
I see many posts here and on Reddit covering this topic. There are always comments which include photos of others (that is, Democrats) doing a similar gesture…as if to say, “See? It’s not just Musk!” in defense of what he did. (There’s one on this post of Tim Walz.) Here’s the thing…a sign is just a sign. A swastika is just a symbol. Signs, symbols, and gestures are given meaning by the people using them and their intent.
pierrelaplace
Musk and Walz are worlds apart. No sane, rational person would ever look at Tim Walz and think, “That guy is a fascist.” On the other hand, it takes almost no imagination to think of Musk as a fascist. There is no doubt in my mind Musk knew what he was doing. It’s a test. Let’s flash that salute and see what happens. As predicted, many people ran to his defense. Those that called him out were marginalized. This is only starting. You’re going to see more and more of this as time passes.
rudejohn
There are people with valid reasons to call Bush, Kamala, Obama, Clinton, and others who were photographed doing the same salute "fascists" though, depending on your beliefs and political leanings. Agreed that it's less of a stretch with Musk, but I think if you give the benefit of the doubt to politicians you like, the opening position should be to extend that same courtesy to politicians with whom you don't agree.
jetact12
Yes. Except he just gave every neo nazi in this country permission to hassle, persecute and attack all minorities.
SomeOldF
tomtomtomFR
Elon Titler
ingarf
And dont mentions his man boobs
dontfloatmygoat
His Titlers, you mean?!
MadHatter69
His Nazitties
jetact12
Lol. Stealin it
HobbstheTiger
Adolf Titler and Mango Mussolini. Perfect
davcam
JoeyJoeJoeSeniorShabadoo
I'm not one to throw the Nazi tag around easily and would've given the benefit of the doubt to someone else, but considering Musk's increasingly far-right rhetoric and open support for AfD, it was a deliberate Nazi salute, no question about it.
StellarJay77
Whether he meant it or not is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that Nazis think he meant it.
TheWombatStrikesAgain
Exactly. It being a nazi salute is entirely consistent with the normal behavior of a man who empowers nazis, defends nazis, and talks like a nazi.
schlummi
If you accidentally do such a move and it ends up getting that much attention you usually clarify that it wasn't meant as a hitler salute and also condemn the nazis, their crimes and neo nazism. In a position as musk you probably also donate to ausschwitz museum or so, just to get things clear. He didn't do any of this. This speaks volumes. Instead he "cracks nazis jokes". He also has a team that for sure gives him advice. So: 100% intended. No doubt about that.
MyVerySmarterUserName
E x a c t l y. His silence on the topic speaks volumes
Micah1966
A person who emulated him and gave that salute in a social media post has now been fired from her job. OF COURSE it's a nazi salute.
PerrinAybara564
Muskrat is the largest influencer in the world. His following of millions of people proves how far his influence goes. Every action he makes is almost immediately seen, and yet we get crickets. The crickets are the damning evidence of his complacency to his new label. Even his couple of remarks at AOC calling him out isn't a call against Nazi rhetoric. From this election forward, for me, if you label yourself a Republican, you are a Nazi. If you follow Muskrat, you are a Nazi. No discussion.
Shaodyn
If it had been an accident, he'd have been quick to clear up the misconception. But he didn't do that.
Tychodin
Somehow people forgot he tweeted a year ago "this is the truth" in response to a tweet saying that jews hate white people and that jews cause all the world's problems.
MyVerySmarterUserName
The context puts an additional nail in the coffin. Without the context it’s also a Nazi salute. The coffin was nailed shut the moment he locked he ended his gesture. Twice.
Mansoor68729
And yet Netanyahu doesn't agree with you. He doesn't consider it a Nazi salute.
dontrike
"This obviously evil guy doesn't think this evil salute is evil." You don't say.
katolu
Who the fuck cares what Bibi thinks?
wetqueef
You would have seen anyone else give a Hitler salute, and not even deny or apologize for it, and be like… I dunnnno guys.
JoeyJoeJoeSeniorShabadoo
If you know what a Sieg Heil looks like then you know it's not quite exactly what Musk did. Hand is supposed to point straight ahead, not to the side. He did it like that to keep a shred of deniability, he's reluctant to go full Nazi just yet. So yes, I would definitely want context first if it were someone else. People who are quick to yell Nazi have contributed to this situation where anyone leaning conservative will automatically dismiss it as overreaction, which benefits actual Nazis.
wetqueef
You’re being deliberately obtuse give it up
wetqueef
Also, and I’ll try to find this, but have you not seen the video of Hitler and musk doing the gesture side-by-side? They are identical.
LincLoud
Thank you. It isn't one thing, it is a collection of events and actions
armandraynal
Also fascism runs in the family, his grand parents did go to apartheid south africa for the weather.
sakasiru
Meh, let's not judge people by what their ancestors did. He is responsible for his own actions and there's more than enough to criticise.
greentights
We like to look at individual actions, but you can see patterns in families because that's how you grew up and it created the mold of "these are the values that are important to my primary caretakers, so I must follow them to survive". It takes active work to go against that training
armandraynal
It is important to clarify that it has nothing to do with being awkward and just sending his heart to the crowd, the fact he grew up in a fascist family and social environment is yet another clue, besides his support for far right parties in europe, that he absolutely did a fully deliberate nazi salute.
Slickdoodle
That's a pretty aggressive "sending".
TheMindEntropic
I like to think it was deliberate, but he was doped up on ketamine and partially indecisive in the moment as to whether it was a good idea or not, but could not fully hinder the impulse and did it "badly." (Cos' his is kinda out to the side or whatever.) Musk nazi saluted badly.
TheMindEntropic
Weird that this is downvoted. Who did? Supporters of Musk or critics of Musk?
AnOceanOfStars
If it salutes like a nazi, says nazi things, and allies with nazis... something tells me it's exactly a nazi.
mindstorm8191
Musk has not come out and said it wasn't supposed to be a Nazi salute. He hasn't apologized for giving a Nazi salute.
He's a Nazi
1874CheeseBeerFootball
My energy magnified when a friend said, "He's just awkward, socially awkward" nah man
BloodyDisappointment
Your friends a fucking nazi.
XXXSpork
I’m socially awkward. I don’t pick up on normal social cues or body language, slightly autistic. I have never done a Nazi salute, accidentally or otherwise.
Hexidimentional
The awkwardness is fake, when he unmasked as adrian dittman there was none of the stutter or awkwardness, he pretends to be awkward.
darthnerdus6236
No one seems to be denying he is exactly the kind of person that would do it...
SavageDrums
He's a dipshit loser, but he's also a Nazi, and that's the way more important bit.
ByThePowerOfSCIENCE
Cognitive dissonance can be hard. My disappointment was quick when he called that rescue diver a "pedo" for not liking his idea to rescue those kids in Thailand, and it only has gone down since. He _is_ awkward and probably on the autism spectrum, but the increasingly awful things he says are _not_ from a lack of social awareness.
eleanorugby
Dude, Hitler was socially awkward. Look at him. Tiny, angry dude in a big coat who stares at peoples noses.
MarcoPoloOnPollo
I'm furious that I'm seeing so many people try to explain it away by saying he's on the spectrum. Fuck them and fuck Nazis.
Cloudraker
That's because being a nazi is a very awkward thing to be
JabesMcJabesface
Speaking as a person diagnosed with autism who has some real social issues, I am not a Nazi and 100% that is not an excuse for me to be one. Even if he is socially awkward, autistic, and strange, it does not make anything he is doing more OK.
Evadare
I'm not on spectrum, but it's been making me so angry that this is the excuse. It's defamation against those with autism. I am mentally ill and make a point of taking responsibility for my actions, even if my illness was a contributing factor. I assume lots of neurodivergent folk do the same. We could all teach Elon a thing or two about that practice.
DarkBusterBaron
I'm socially awkward and autistic I don't do nazi gestures.
HighSorcerer
I'm socially awkward but I've still never thrown out a nazi salute on a stage in front of television cameras. That's not something you do on accident or because you thought it was funny.
TheBlueMuppet
From Imgur somewhere: "That's not social awkwardness, that's National Social awkwardness."
Bigcurly2000
Friend?
Fhant
I hope "former" friend
1874CheeseBeerFootball
Yes. A friend who's helped me out in the past. Not a racist bone in his body, and yet there it is.
smitmp02
You sure about the no racist part?
1874CheeseBeerFootball
Yes
cakeycakes
A socially awkward Nazi is still a Nazi.
brianglass10
He intended to play this both ways. He knew what he was doing.
LucyMei
He was trolling...and adding salt to the wound. Enjoying being so high on the hog that he can throw these disgusting signs and cause chaos with people going he did it/no, he didn't...when he really did. He really believes he's above reproach or supervision.
1874CheeseBeerFootball
Agreed 100%
gummbunn
This!
jtwood
As someone else said to me, the opportunity for him to admit it was a mistake has come and gone. He knows what he did, and he meant it.
ThatHurts
He has a long history of never admitting a mistake. Something as politically and socially innocuous as making a stupid demand of his Tesla engineers has gone on this long without him walking it back or admitting his mistake. He insisted that visible light cameras, instead of a more fit for purpose technology like LIDAR, be exclusively used in the FSD tech. He was told by engineers it was wrong, but he responded that it was the only choice because "people have eyes". If he can't admit that...
idiotsonfire
Your "friend" is either complicit, stupid, or a Nazi.
WigglyBlondeNoodle
That doesn't sound like a friend to me, at least I hope not.
1874CheeseBeerFootball
A friend who's an avowed anti-racist. It is a strange situation, for sure.
BloodyDisappointment
Nah dude. You can tell a lot about a person by who they defend. Your friend is acting antiracist to you. In private, around others, he is laughing at you, and drawing up plans to destroy you.
This is all nazis do. They infiltrate, and destroy.
Nogris
Musk has a big fellowship, and for some reason, these people still refuse to acknowledge his doings.
In Germany he supports fachists openly, endorsed them again and again. Asks people to vote for them in the upcoming election, yet no-one wants to blame him. The amount of excuses I've heard in the past few weeks is ridiculous
1874CheeseBeerFootball
Yes, agreed on all levels. It is frustrating, to say the least. Musk's support for the AfD is a huge red flag that they can't see. I'm pretty sure that they're in the minority - based on feedback from people in my life - and this place has been overwhelmingly anti nazi-salute-Musk which is wonderful
MadamPuddifoot
That's not a friend, what the fuck. Why are you friends with Nazis?
ThrowAwayAcct0000
I'm not rich or connected, I don't have speech writers and handlers that make sure I don't do anything stupid. And even I know that what Musk did was a nazi salute and a dog whistle for the far right.
GitchyGitchyOohLaLa
Its par for course on Dog Dung Fairways. More full faced lies. Muck is like a child believing someone is dumber than him or too spoiled to ever fear getting punished. Instead of trying to catch another lie, someone should ask, "Is it you don't do the hair or grow the mustache because your hair costed too much and you cant grow one?"
MaterialisticWorm
Whenever people try to make an excuse for him I always wonder if they'd even be upset if they knew for certain it was a Hitler salute. My guess is not really.
Etherealvalentine
That's a "friend" who is dangerous and cannot be trusted.
Sticklebrickk
I just pull out the old "So the richest person on earth can do whatever he wants without repercussions?" That tends to shut them up real fast.
ardtay
Ok, so a socially awkward nazi is still a nazi.
armandraynal
His grand parents did not go to apartheid south africa for the weather. He supports vocally and financially far right parties in europe. He's allied with trump. What do people need? He could wear the armband with the swastika and some imbeciles would still tell us some bs like "maybe he is Buddhist, that's where it comes from you know"
danlei
If it steps like a goose...
JemIsTrulyOutrageous
I think this what gets me, all roads of everything this man has done or does lead to racist piece of shit. He has had no behavior in his past that has earned him the benefit of doubt. All this has done is affirmed what smart people know, dog whistled to the rest of the nazis in the party, and allowed idiots to try to debate his intentions with it. The sign is on the fucking wall and its a fucking swastika.
Gilgamech
It's possible to be socially awkward and still be a jerk. That said, I don't believe he's half as spectrum as he has claimed to be.
bananaspitz
He is most certainly NOT spectrum. One of my kids works with people on the spectrum. Muskie was high as a fecking kite.
WiiShaker
I agree that people can be on the spectrum and still be shitty people. Being neurodivergent is not an excuse for personal accountability. Believing so cheapens the struggles of those people on the spectrum who aren't steaming piles of shit.
farfie
To explain where he's coming from: He uses the word in the way 4chan uses it. Weaponized autism. It's a 'meme'. But the way Musk uses it is to obfuscate what he's doing. Internally he's 'trolling'. But it's all done in an 'ironic way' and if you fall for it, you're the dumb one for taking him seriously. But, he means it even if he says he doesn't. The worst of 4chan delight in this type of behaviour and Elkon Brusque is most definitely one of the worst of 4chan. It's all entirely intentional.
farfie
But, people see right through him, as long as they aren't his fans. "I was only pretending to be stupid!" Used to be the standard reply to people behaving like Musk does. Because they're actually really fucking stupid.
airen
You can be on the spectrum and fully aware of your actions, like I am, you can be very smart and be on the spectrum too but elon is not an example of this.
beoluves
And if he weren't, why the fuck is he running so many companies and shadowing USA's president.
ThatHurts
Agreed. Unless someone greatly struggles with functioning, the "oh he doesn't know any better" excuse falls flat, especially in an adult. Even if he was on the very edge of being non verbal, man has had 53 years to learn how to mimic and mask when on the public stage. He knew this wasn't acceptable, and he knew what he was doing. Coupled with the fact that he has literal Nazis and Nazi collaborators very close on his family tree, there's no question as to him being aware of the context.