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If it's just about politics then I think it's odd that people who think Elon is a Nazi would buy a car from a country which is actually a nationalist socialist

by brikym 1y ago

If it's just about politics then I think it's odd that people who think Elon is a Nazi would buy a car from a country which is actually a nationalist socialist dictatorship and effectively controls all the companies. I don't know if buying from one of the South Korean chaebol companies is any better either. If it's about function or form then I think the new Teslas are getting uglier with light bars and busy styling vs the old clean and minimal look.

aniviacat 1y ago
I think people generally aren't very attentive on issues like this, and Musk would have been fine had he stuck to merely saying political stuff. I think it's the Nazi salute where he really fucked up. Because even people that don't read (aka: most people) will look at an image of a Nazi salute and instantly have a strong opinion. As long as JinPing doesn't do a Nazi salute, most people won't care much about what the Chinese government is doing. The lesson of the story: Don't do controversial things in a way that makes a good cover page image.
- kibibu 1y ago
  Also the openly supporting AfD didn't sit very well. It's not like it's in the past either, only a couple of weeks ago he publicly claimed that Trump is a child rapist, but notably seemed to have zero qualms cosying up to him anyway as long as he got to play DOGE saviour.
- Zigurd 1y ago
  For a self-avowed Marxist-Leninist, Xi Jinping has a remarkably positive image in the West. I suppose most people don't think about how weird is Marxism-Leninism in the modern world. For example, the military is led by the Communist Party. Xi also appears to be far more serious about party orthodoxy than recent predecessors. China's neighbors tend to think much less positively about China and Xi. They can't afford to be uninformed.
detaro 1y ago
Unsurprisingly, many people care more about their local politics than those far away. Elon has loudly promoted far-right parties and talking points in my home country. (and of course Tesla and all the other brands do business in China anyways, a Tesla bought in Europe might very well come from Shanghai still afaik)

by brikym 1y ago

aniviacat 1y ago

I think people generally aren't very attentive on issues like this, and Musk would have been fine had he stuck to merely saying political stuff. I think it's the Nazi salute where he really fucked up. Because even people that don't read (aka: most people) will look at an image of a Nazi salute and instantly have a strong opinion. As long as JinPing doesn't do a Nazi salute, most people won't care much about what the Chinese government is doing. The lesson of the story: Don't do controversial things in a way that makes a good cover page image.

kibibu 1y ago
Also the openly supporting AfD didn't sit very well. It's not like it's in the past either, only a couple of weeks ago he publicly claimed that Trump is a child rapist, but notably seemed to have zero qualms cosying up to him anyway as long as he got to play DOGE saviour.
Zigurd 1y ago
For a self-avowed Marxist-Leninist, Xi Jinping has a remarkably positive image in the West. I suppose most people don't think about how weird is Marxism-Leninism in the modern world. For example, the military is led by the Communist Party. Xi also appears to be far more serious about party orthodoxy than recent predecessors. China's neighbors tend to think much less positively about China and Xi. They can't afford to be uninformed.

detaro 1y ago

Unsurprisingly, many people care more about their local politics than those far away. Elon has loudly promoted far-right parties and talking points in my home country. (and of course Tesla and all the other brands do business in China anyways, a Tesla bought in Europe might very well come from Shanghai still afaik)