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Civics and industry co-exist in a healthy society. Musk has consistently demonstrated that he has no civic sense and, when injured, will randomly lash out at wh

Civics and industry co-exist in a healthy society. Musk has consistently demonstrated that he has no civic sense and, when injured, will randomly lash out at whoever the hecklers around him tell him to lash out at. That's not a quality that's worth celebrating, regardless of how much innovation he might enable. We can and should expect better of people, especially extraordinarily wealthy and powerful ones.

WalterBright 3y ago
> he has no civic sense What about the civic sense of proving that great electric cars can be made at a profit, space launch costs can be cut 90%, and Starlink can enable communications by people who live under oppression? Doesn't actually doing things that matter to the human race matter far more than saying comforting words and avoiding giving offense?
- woodruffw 3y ago
  I don't think any of these things imply civic sense. At best, it shows a man with decent business acumen. At worst, he's an opportunist and a reactionary who has substantially degraded the level of political and social discourse of the country he lives in. Of the things you've highlighted, Starlink has perhaps the strongest case for being evidence of civic sense. But that case is a potential one; in practice, Starlink (and Musk's vision) has yet to impress[1][2]. [1]: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/elon-musks-refusal-to-provide-starlink-support-for-ukraine-attack-in-crimea-raises-questions-for-pentagon https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/elon-musks-refusal-to-p... [2]: https://www.space.com/starlink-electronics-hum-disturbs-radio-astronomy https://www.space.com/starlink-electronics-hum-disturbs-radi...
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    > I don't think any of these things imply civic sense. I recommend a biography of Musk. He makes his electric car patents freely available, to advance the transition to electric cars. He started SpaceX with the purpose of making humans a multi-planetary species. He's repeatedly bet his entire fortune on these goals. He's civic minded where it counts. And he's delivered results. As for business acumen, he takes financial risks any other businessman would consider to be insane. Hard to get more civic-minded than that.

WalterBright 3y ago

> he has no civic sense What about the civic sense of proving that great electric cars can be made at a profit, space launch costs can be cut 90%, and Starlink can enable communications by people who live under oppression? Doesn't actually doing things that matter to the human race matter far more than saying comforting words and avoiding giving offense?

woodruffw 3y ago
I don't think any of these things imply civic sense. At best, it shows a man with decent business acumen. At worst, he's an opportunist and a reactionary who has substantially degraded the level of political and social discourse of the country he lives in. Of the things you've highlighted, Starlink has perhaps the strongest case for being evidence of civic sense. But that case is a potential one; in practice, Starlink (and Musk's vision) has yet to impress[1][2]. [1]: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/elon-musks-refusal-to-provide-starlink-support-for-ukraine-attack-in-crimea-raises-questions-for-pentagon https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/elon-musks-refusal-to-p... [2]: https://www.space.com/starlink-electronics-hum-disturbs-radio-astronomy https://www.space.com/starlink-electronics-hum-disturbs-radi...
- WalterBright 3y ago
  > I don't think any of these things imply civic sense. I recommend a biography of Musk. He makes his electric car patents freely available, to advance the transition to electric cars. He started SpaceX with the purpose of making humans a multi-planetary species. He's repeatedly bet his entire fortune on these goals. He's civic minded where it counts. And he's delivered results. As for business acumen, he takes financial risks any other businessman would consider to be insane. Hard to get more civic-minded than that.