4 ms·

The Tesla protests are getting bigger – and rowdier

50 points by bfelbo 2y ago

bhouston 2y ago
I prefer non violent responses personally. I think boycotts are better than actually burning down places or vandalizing them. If you condone violence that often leads to a further reactionary breakdown in society, a downward spiral, where as boycotts don’t. Boycotts and non violent protests also remove the ability to turn it back on the protests and say they are the one who are unreasonable. But introducing violence and vandalism can discredit the protests.
- michaelt 2y ago
  Yeah, these protests will lead to a reactionary downward spiral, leading to protesters storming the Capitol building trying to hang the Vice President, 4 years in the past :)
  - bhouston 2y ago
    You are demonstrating exactly my point. If violence is normalized then it justifies more violence on both sides.
    - silverquiet 2y ago
      I've never been able to square the easy access and vast private ownership of firearms in the US with the ideal of non-violence. It's an outlier in the developed world for being a rather violent place; perhaps it is just how the country works.
    - smitty1e 2y ago
      Boss, if conservatives had an actual violent bone on offer, the results would have long since been unspeakable. The peddlers of violence deal in propaganda and all the negative social follies of our day, as well. Sow peace.
- eesmith 2y ago
  That's only half of what MLK Jr's observed: > I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view. I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. > But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. > And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- Zigurd 2y ago
  Your opponents aren't thinking that way. They will do whatever they can get away with. I'm not sure what this means, but they seem honestly shocked when other people think that way.
- nsingh2 2y ago
  I would argue violence of a kind is already normalized, just towards the working class and the poor. Not the fist-to-face kind, but one that's institutionalized. Also I would carefully consider coverages like this. Even if the vast majority of protests are peaceful, media coverage will be biased towards any altercations that happen.
tacker2000 2y ago
He has alienated his green/liberal former fanbase, and his new one doesn't really like EVs...
- esalman 2y ago
  His current biggest fan just had one delivered. I see some ring wing celebrities buying too. It remains to be seen at what point his hillbilly fans start replacing f150s with cybertrucks.
croes 2y ago
> Boston man was arrested for slapping stickers of Musk making a Nazi-like salute on Tesla vehicles. What’s exactly the crime?
- lambdaba 2y ago
  vandalism
- tetromino_ 2y ago
  Obviously vandalism. He was putting stickers on random people's vehicles, damaging their paint.
- bhouston 2y ago
  That is a minor one and probably only warrants a warning or a misdemeanour. There is significantly more serious actions going on and they are becoming more frequent: https://news.sky.com/story/tesla-charging-stations-set-on-fire-as-backlash-against-elon-musk-intensifies-13321909 https://news.sky.com/story/tesla-charging-stations-set-on-fi... https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-dozen-teslas-torched-outside-french-dealership-authorities https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-dozen-teslas-...
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- plsdont 2y ago
  In most jurisdictions, damaging, destroying, defacing or otherwise affecting other people's property is usually considered an interference in their right to enjoy their property. This is usually described as vandalism or 'criminal mischief' in court and is a class A or B misdemeanor but for Teslas, since they're expensive to repair, this could amount to a felony. Hope that helped, and I'm happy to answer follow ons.
  - xracy 2y ago
    It's wild to me that this is a crime. To be clear, I understand that it is, but I don't want us to engage with the letter of the law, I want to engage with the spirit of "does it make sense that putting a sticker on something is a crime" This is literally something I see 5-year-olds do (put stickers on property) Like, I get there's risk to the paint of the vehicle, but we're talking about putting a sticker (light adhesive) on a vehicle. And describing that this could rise to a felony. This is an example that at least 4 people think obviously rises to the level of a felony. Spray paint, I get, yes vandalism. Stickers, baffle me. Also, what does it say about your vehicle, that removing a sticker from it takes off the paint. What a time to be alive.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
pavlov 2y ago
Yesterday Trump was begging MAGAs to buy Teslas on Truth Social. He called it an “illegal boycott” that Tesla’s sales are collapsing. At this point nobody’s surprised that the president has no idea about how laws work. Myself I got a “Happy Teslaversary!” message on their app that turned out to be a survey. I was happy to give them a bit fat zero on NPS. Fraud company selling expensive features that will never work.
- bhouston 2y ago
  Yeah. Calling it an illegal boycott is going too far. It is not even organized for the most part just a natural partisan reaction to extreme partisan behavior by the very prominent/vocal face of the company. This was 100% predictable and has actually been growing since the Twitter takeover.
  - JohnFen 2y ago
    Even if it were entirely organized, it still wouldn't be illegal.
Pigalowda 2y ago
The country’s citizens who aren’t part of the two personality cults are becoming violently opposed to the extra legally acting billionaire who is high on ketamine cutting up the 80 year old system that made him extraordinarily wealthy? Greed brings Americans together. That’s what makes America great. Only a small market correction and no official Q1 data and swing suburbia is starting to notice. Any further erosion of wealth or actual recession and Republicans are fucked.
- ttyprintk 2y ago
  Under Joe Biden, people who wanted to complain about the economy often mistook their own feelings for “recession”. If you asked them to point to two consecutive quarters of negative growth, they’d look at you like you’re changing the subject. I expect we’re going to see a lot more Sharpies used in econometrics if the same decisions and personalities are still involved in Q3.
  - ttyprintk 2y ago
    In fact, April 30 at 8:30 AM, we’ll see which definition of GDP they promote. Lutwick hints that he’d like the sum of all domestic transactions except for those with the government on one or both sides.
- walls 2y ago
  Which is the second personality cult, out of curiosity? There's nobody in the world that democrats would treat like Trump, for so many reasons.
  - Pigalowda 2y ago
    Trump/Musk. Trump is a catastrophic disaster. Just wait for Q1 and Q2, little boy. Go watch some YouTube.
- Zigurd 2y ago
  Analogous to Brexit, possibly more destructive.
josefritzishere 2y ago
Tesla was always a fraud machine. If there is a car company that deserves a exponential loss of share value it is Tesla. Their stock was wildly over-valued even when they were moving units.
kjsingh 2y ago
Ya you should have figured that out, Sherlock

50 points by bfelbo 2y ago

I prefer non violent responses personally. I think boycotts are better than actually burning down places or vandalizing them. If you condone violence that often leads to a further reactionary breakdown in society, a downward spiral, where as boycotts don’t. Boycotts and non violent protests also remove the ability to turn it back on the protests and say they are the one who are unreasonable. But introducing violence and vandalism can discredit the protests.

michaelt 2y ago
Yeah, these protests will lead to a reactionary downward spiral, leading to protesters storming the Capitol building trying to hang the Vice President, 4 years in the past :)
- bhouston 2y ago
  You are demonstrating exactly my point. If violence is normalized then it justifies more violence on both sides.
  - silverquiet 2y ago
    I've never been able to square the easy access and vast private ownership of firearms in the US with the ideal of non-violence. It's an outlier in the developed world for being a rather violent place; perhaps it is just how the country works.
  - smitty1e 2y ago
    Boss, if conservatives had an actual violent bone on offer, the results would have long since been unspeakable. The peddlers of violence deal in propaganda and all the negative social follies of our day, as well. Sow peace.
eesmith 2y ago
That's only half of what MLK Jr's observed: > I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view. I'm absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. > But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. > And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
Zigurd 2y ago
Your opponents aren't thinking that way. They will do whatever they can get away with. I'm not sure what this means, but they seem honestly shocked when other people think that way.
nsingh2 2y ago
I would argue violence of a kind is already normalized, just towards the working class and the poor. Not the fist-to-face kind, but one that's institutionalized. Also I would carefully consider coverages like this. Even if the vast majority of protests are peaceful, media coverage will be biased towards any altercations that happen.

tacker2000 2y ago

He has alienated his green/liberal former fanbase, and his new one doesn't really like EVs...

esalman 2y ago
His current biggest fan just had one delivered. I see some ring wing celebrities buying too. It remains to be seen at what point his hillbilly fans start replacing f150s with cybertrucks.

croes 2y ago

> Boston man was arrested for slapping stickers of Musk making a Nazi-like salute on Tesla vehicles. What’s exactly the crime?

lambdaba 2y ago
vandalism
tetromino_ 2y ago
Obviously vandalism. He was putting stickers on random people's vehicles, damaging their paint.
bhouston 2y ago
That is a minor one and probably only warrants a warning or a misdemeanour. There is significantly more serious actions going on and they are becoming more frequent: https://news.sky.com/story/tesla-charging-stations-set-on-fire-as-backlash-against-elon-musk-intensifies-13321909 https://news.sky.com/story/tesla-charging-stations-set-on-fi... https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-dozen-teslas-torched-outside-french-dealership-authorities https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250303-dozen-teslas-...
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
plsdont 2y ago
In most jurisdictions, damaging, destroying, defacing or otherwise affecting other people's property is usually considered an interference in their right to enjoy their property. This is usually described as vandalism or 'criminal mischief' in court and is a class A or B misdemeanor but for Teslas, since they're expensive to repair, this could amount to a felony. Hope that helped, and I'm happy to answer follow ons.
- xracy 2y ago
  It's wild to me that this is a crime. To be clear, I understand that it is, but I don't want us to engage with the letter of the law, I want to engage with the spirit of "does it make sense that putting a sticker on something is a crime" This is literally something I see 5-year-olds do (put stickers on property) Like, I get there's risk to the paint of the vehicle, but we're talking about putting a sticker (light adhesive) on a vehicle. And describing that this could rise to a felony. This is an example that at least 4 people think obviously rises to the level of a felony. Spray paint, I get, yes vandalism. Stickers, baffle me. Also, what does it say about your vehicle, that removing a sticker from it takes off the paint. What a time to be alive.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

pavlov 2y ago

Yesterday Trump was begging MAGAs to buy Teslas on Truth Social. He called it an “illegal boycott” that Tesla’s sales are collapsing. At this point nobody’s surprised that the president has no idea about how laws work. Myself I got a “Happy Teslaversary!” message on their app that turned out to be a survey. I was happy to give them a bit fat zero on NPS. Fraud company selling expensive features that will never work.

bhouston 2y ago
Yeah. Calling it an illegal boycott is going too far. It is not even organized for the most part just a natural partisan reaction to extreme partisan behavior by the very prominent/vocal face of the company. This was 100% predictable and has actually been growing since the Twitter takeover.
- JohnFen 2y ago
  Even if it were entirely organized, it still wouldn't be illegal.

Pigalowda 2y ago

The country’s citizens who aren’t part of the two personality cults are becoming violently opposed to the extra legally acting billionaire who is high on ketamine cutting up the 80 year old system that made him extraordinarily wealthy? Greed brings Americans together. That’s what makes America great. Only a small market correction and no official Q1 data and swing suburbia is starting to notice. Any further erosion of wealth or actual recession and Republicans are fucked.

ttyprintk 2y ago
Under Joe Biden, people who wanted to complain about the economy often mistook their own feelings for “recession”. If you asked them to point to two consecutive quarters of negative growth, they’d look at you like you’re changing the subject. I expect we’re going to see a lot more Sharpies used in econometrics if the same decisions and personalities are still involved in Q3.
- ttyprintk 2y ago
  In fact, April 30 at 8:30 AM, we’ll see which definition of GDP they promote. Lutwick hints that he’d like the sum of all domestic transactions except for those with the government on one or both sides.
walls 2y ago
Which is the second personality cult, out of curiosity? There's nobody in the world that democrats would treat like Trump, for so many reasons.
- Pigalowda 2y ago
  Trump/Musk. Trump is a catastrophic disaster. Just wait for Q1 and Q2, little boy. Go watch some YouTube.
Zigurd 2y ago
Analogous to Brexit, possibly more destructive.

josefritzishere 2y ago

Tesla was always a fraud machine. If there is a car company that deserves a exponential loss of share value it is Tesla. Their stock was wildly over-valued even when they were moving units.

kjsingh 2y ago

Ya you should have figured that out, Sherlock