5 ms·

Why Do We Tolerate Elon Musk's Racist Commentary?

16 points by cdrnsf 3mo ago

root-parent 3mo ago
Because you elected a convicted rapist as President?
andsoitis 3mo ago
[flagged]
- JohnFen 3mo ago
  His rhetoric is pretty clear-cut and unambiguous. > you’re gonna have to explain the diversity of the workforce of their companies Why? That has nothing to do with whether or not he's racist. But if you want an answer, he would take an enormous legal risk if he engaged in racist hiring policies too much, regardless of his personal worldview.
  - andsoitis 3mo ago
    > His rhetoric is pretty clear-cut and unambiguous. Can you substantiate by giving maybe 2 quotes from him that are unambiguously racist. > Why? That has nothing to do with whether or not he's racist. But if you want an answer, he would take an enormous legal risk if he engaged in racist hiring policies too much, regardless of his personal worldview. But what about the employees themselves? You're claiming that he is clearly, unambiguously very racist. Explain then why so many non-"whatever" people work for his companies? What's wrong with them? We can also extend and ask, what about the people who associate with him very closely, like e.g. Jensen Huang or Antonio Gracias who is a close friend of his, a board member of SpaceX, and a trusted financial confidant? How do you explain their association if it is so clearcut and unambiguous?
    - JohnFen 3mo ago
      My point is that his worldview could not be more obvious to me, just from hearing what he says, seeing what other messages he approves of, and seeing what he does. If you have a different opinion, that's fair. I'm expressing mine. That many people are willing to work for companies they have ethical disagreements with is not a new or surprising thing. The reasons are varied, but typically boil down to money or working on something they are particularly interested in. Different people make different tradeoffs. > what about the people who associate with him very closely, like e.g. Jensen Huang or Antonio Gracias who is a close friend of his, a board member of SpaceX, and a trusted financial confidant? What about them? This phenomenon is also nothing new. It goes back as far as we can see. Again, the reasons are varied. Sometimes even self-serving. That some people are willing to work for him or associate with him isn't evidence for or against his being racist any more than "having a black friend" means you're not racist against blacks.
      - andsoitis 3mo ago
        Thanks. I’m glad we can talk about it.
- Zigurd 3mo ago
  It's very clear cut. He's a white supremacist. He believes in the myth of a white genocide. That's a white supremacist myth. "I fathered children with a woman who's half Asian" is Elon's special version of "some of my best friends are..." As for workforce diversity his employees sued him over racism.
  - andsoitis 3mo ago
    > He believes in the myth of a white genocide. That's twisting the actual thing he said, which is different, and which was: that a major political party in South Africa, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is actively promoting genocide of white South Africans, because its leader, Julius Malema, chants "Kill the Boer" at his rallies. Watch Malema chant it and judge for yourself: 0:23mins in https://www.facebook.com/TimesLIVE/videos/watch-in-closing-julius-malema-sings-kill-the-boer-outside-the-east-london-magis/2510783452715999/ https://www.facebook.com/TimesLIVE/videos/watch-in-closing-j... "Boer" / farmer refers to South Africans of Dutch descent. I should point out that this is more than 30 years since Apartment has ended and the country has had black majority rule AND democratic, inclusive elections since 1994. I think it is pretty vile, dangerous, and counts as hate speech in my books. What do you think?
    - Zigurd 2mo ago
      I think you think Elon's paranoid delusions justify your own similar delusions.
PaulHoule 3mo ago
The question is what exactly we're supposed to do about it.
- andsoitis 3mo ago
  [flagged]
- Zigurd 3mo ago
  Rejecting his products is something everyone can do. Rejecting his overpriced shares is something everyone in a position to do so can do.
deleted 3mo ago
[deleted]
pmpmpmpm 3mo ago
Because we (Americans) enjoy it, it’s entertaining, and fundamentally we hate (or at the very least are troubled by) people who we perceive are getting some benefit we aren’t. Americans in particular are also heavily propagandized so they tend to accept racist ideas as normal vs unifying along class lines and pushing back as a large group. Racism makes us very easy to rule:)
beardyw 3mo ago
The thing he fears most is being ignored. Just do it.

16 points by cdrnsf 3mo ago

root-parent 3mo ago

Because you elected a convicted rapist as President?

andsoitis 3mo ago

[flagged]

JohnFen 3mo ago
His rhetoric is pretty clear-cut and unambiguous. > you’re gonna have to explain the diversity of the workforce of their companies Why? That has nothing to do with whether or not he's racist. But if you want an answer, he would take an enormous legal risk if he engaged in racist hiring policies too much, regardless of his personal worldview.
- andsoitis 3mo ago
  > His rhetoric is pretty clear-cut and unambiguous. Can you substantiate by giving maybe 2 quotes from him that are unambiguously racist. > Why? That has nothing to do with whether or not he's racist. But if you want an answer, he would take an enormous legal risk if he engaged in racist hiring policies too much, regardless of his personal worldview. But what about the employees themselves? You're claiming that he is clearly, unambiguously very racist. Explain then why so many non-"whatever" people work for his companies? What's wrong with them? We can also extend and ask, what about the people who associate with him very closely, like e.g. Jensen Huang or Antonio Gracias who is a close friend of his, a board member of SpaceX, and a trusted financial confidant? How do you explain their association if it is so clearcut and unambiguous?
  - JohnFen 3mo ago
    My point is that his worldview could not be more obvious to me, just from hearing what he says, seeing what other messages he approves of, and seeing what he does. If you have a different opinion, that's fair. I'm expressing mine. That many people are willing to work for companies they have ethical disagreements with is not a new or surprising thing. The reasons are varied, but typically boil down to money or working on something they are particularly interested in. Different people make different tradeoffs. > what about the people who associate with him very closely, like e.g. Jensen Huang or Antonio Gracias who is a close friend of his, a board member of SpaceX, and a trusted financial confidant? What about them? This phenomenon is also nothing new. It goes back as far as we can see. Again, the reasons are varied. Sometimes even self-serving. That some people are willing to work for him or associate with him isn't evidence for or against his being racist any more than "having a black friend" means you're not racist against blacks.
    - andsoitis 3mo ago
      Thanks. I’m glad we can talk about it.
Zigurd 3mo ago
It's very clear cut. He's a white supremacist. He believes in the myth of a white genocide. That's a white supremacist myth. "I fathered children with a woman who's half Asian" is Elon's special version of "some of my best friends are..." As for workforce diversity his employees sued him over racism.
- andsoitis 3mo ago
  > He believes in the myth of a white genocide. That's twisting the actual thing he said, which is different, and which was: that a major political party in South Africa, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is actively promoting genocide of white South Africans, because its leader, Julius Malema, chants "Kill the Boer" at his rallies. Watch Malema chant it and judge for yourself: 0:23mins in https://www.facebook.com/TimesLIVE/videos/watch-in-closing-julius-malema-sings-kill-the-boer-outside-the-east-london-magis/2510783452715999/ https://www.facebook.com/TimesLIVE/videos/watch-in-closing-j... "Boer" / farmer refers to South Africans of Dutch descent. I should point out that this is more than 30 years since Apartment has ended and the country has had black majority rule AND democratic, inclusive elections since 1994. I think it is pretty vile, dangerous, and counts as hate speech in my books. What do you think?
  - Zigurd 2mo ago
    I think you think Elon's paranoid delusions justify your own similar delusions.

PaulHoule 3mo ago

The question is what exactly we're supposed to do about it.

andsoitis 3mo ago
[flagged]
Zigurd 3mo ago
Rejecting his products is something everyone can do. Rejecting his overpriced shares is something everyone in a position to do so can do.

deleted 3mo ago

[deleted]

pmpmpmpm 3mo ago

Because we (Americans) enjoy it, it’s entertaining, and fundamentally we hate (or at the very least are troubled by) people who we perceive are getting some benefit we aren’t. Americans in particular are also heavily propagandized so they tend to accept racist ideas as normal vs unifying along class lines and pushing back as a large group. Racism makes us very easy to rule:)

beardyw 3mo ago

The thing he fears most is being ignored. Just do it.