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"An ode to passive/aggressive and hyper defensive writing" Did this remind anyone else of when the smartest kid in the room was forced to apologize for somethi

"An ode to passive/aggressive and hyper defensive writing" Did this remind anyone else of when the smartest kid in the room was forced to apologize for something and you got the classic non apology apology? Keep building great cars Elon and changing the world. Understand that we understand that there will be (I almost said bumps in the road) and that no one expected you to be perfect in every way from the very beginning. Trust someone close to you to help write these things. "When you're doing something as new as we are with Tesla you're going to draw an outsized amount of scrutiny. Even though these fires were both in extreme circumstances, and that fires are sadly a regular occurrence for all vehicle makers, as a brand new concept it's not good enough for us to say 'We're as safe as any other comparable high end vehicle' We have to go a step further. And so today I'm announcing......" I mean I'm just throwing something together quickly but I'm trying to put some substance here vs sounding randomly snarky.

veidr 13y ago
But really, yours doesn't sound as good as his. His made me kinda want to buy a Tesla.
- jusben1369 13y ago
  He is one heck of a car salesman.
threeseed 13y ago
Yes which is childish and pathetic. Car safety should never, ever be joked about. People's lives are at stake.
- moron4hire 13y ago
  John Cleese doesn't agree: “Too many people confuse being serious with being solemn.” He expands: Now I suggest to you that a group of us could be sitting around after dinner, discussing matters that were extremely serious like the education of our chil- dren, or our marriages, or the meaning of life (and I’m not talking about the film), and we could be laughing, and that would not make what we were discuss- ing one bit less serious. Solemnity, on the other hand, I honestly don’t know what it’s for. I mean, what is the point of it? The two most beautiful memorial services that I’ve ever attended both had a lot of humor and it freed us all and made the ser- vices inspiring and cathartic. But solemnity, it serves pomposity and the self- important always know, at some level of their consciousness, that their egotism is going to be punctured by humor. That’s why they see it as a threat. and as an example: “Graham Chapman, co-author of the "Parrot Sketch", is no more. He has ceased to be. Bereft of life, he rests in peace. He's kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed his last, and gone to meet the great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky. And I guess that we're all thinking how sad it is that a man of such talent, of such capability for kindness, of such unusual intelligence, should now so suddenly be spirited away at the age of only forty-eight, before he'd achieved many of the things of which he was capable, and before he'd had enough fun. Well, I feel that I should say: non- sense. Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard, I hope he fries. And the reason I feel I should say this is he would never forgive me if I didn't, if I threw away this glorious opportunity to shock you all on his behalf. Any- thing for him but mindless good taste. (He paused, then claimed that Chapman had whispered in his ear while he was writing the speech): All right, Cleese. You say you're very proud of being the very first person ever to say 'shit' on British television. If this service is really for me, just for starters, I want you to become the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'.”
  - slig 13y ago
    And here's the video of Cleese reading the eulogy at Chapman's memorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek
nknighthb 13y ago
I'd be pretty damn actively aggressive if someone was trying to make me apologize for manufacturing a car that kept its occupant safe in a 110mph crash.
- jusben1369 13y ago
  I think that's how he feels. And yet they've decided to add the titanium plate. Which is why maybe someone else should (help) write these.
  - nknighthb 13y ago
    Who? A PR drone who would say much while communicating nothing, and do so in the most boring, robotic manner possible? Normal people don't spend their time thinking about how much more they would like it if an executive's statements conformed to the PR industry's self-serving standards.
  - r00fus 13y ago
    Why? I think it sounds better directly from him. The industry is full of non-personal appeals. One that's personal and stays personal even if it's a bit defensive, is just more authentic and appealing. Besides who reads these? I doubt a large percentage of potential buyers do - mostly likely already fans of Tesla, who probably agree with Musk anyway.
yetanotherphd 13y ago
It sounds like you are jealous of Musk's intelligence, and so you write something that puts down smart people and talks down to them in a patronizing way. Why else would you lump all smart people together, and claim they have some psychological issues that you (not so smart maybe, but much more mature), can help with?
- jusben1369 13y ago
  The error you made is taking "Do you remember that smart kid in school" and reading it as "This is the only way smart people in school ever apologize" Quite different. For the record I am neither jealous or enamored with Musk. Like all people he has his strengths and weaknesses. His are magnified as is common with people who have his drive and impact on the world.

veidr 13y ago

But really, yours doesn't sound as good as his. His made me kinda want to buy a Tesla.

jusben1369 13y ago
He is one heck of a car salesman.

threeseed 13y ago

Yes which is childish and pathetic. Car safety should never, ever be joked about. People's lives are at stake.

moron4hire 13y ago
John Cleese doesn't agree: “Too many people confuse being serious with being solemn.” He expands: Now I suggest to you that a group of us could be sitting around after dinner, discussing matters that were extremely serious like the education of our chil- dren, or our marriages, or the meaning of life (and I’m not talking about the film), and we could be laughing, and that would not make what we were discuss- ing one bit less serious. Solemnity, on the other hand, I honestly don’t know what it’s for. I mean, what is the point of it? The two most beautiful memorial services that I’ve ever attended both had a lot of humor and it freed us all and made the ser- vices inspiring and cathartic. But solemnity, it serves pomposity and the self- important always know, at some level of their consciousness, that their egotism is going to be punctured by humor. That’s why they see it as a threat. and as an example: “Graham Chapman, co-author of the "Parrot Sketch", is no more. He has ceased to be. Bereft of life, he rests in peace. He's kicked the bucket, hopped the twig, bit the dust, snuffed it, breathed his last, and gone to meet the great Head of Light Entertainment in the sky. And I guess that we're all thinking how sad it is that a man of such talent, of such capability for kindness, of such unusual intelligence, should now so suddenly be spirited away at the age of only forty-eight, before he'd achieved many of the things of which he was capable, and before he'd had enough fun. Well, I feel that I should say: non- sense. Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard, I hope he fries. And the reason I feel I should say this is he would never forgive me if I didn't, if I threw away this glorious opportunity to shock you all on his behalf. Any- thing for him but mindless good taste. (He paused, then claimed that Chapman had whispered in his ear while he was writing the speech): All right, Cleese. You say you're very proud of being the very first person ever to say 'shit' on British television. If this service is really for me, just for starters, I want you to become the first person ever at a British memorial service to say 'fuck'.”
- slig 13y ago
  And here's the video of Cleese reading the eulogy at Chapman's memorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek

nknighthb 13y ago

I'd be pretty damn actively aggressive if someone was trying to make me apologize for manufacturing a car that kept its occupant safe in a 110mph crash.

jusben1369 13y ago
I think that's how he feels. And yet they've decided to add the titanium plate. Which is why maybe someone else should (help) write these.
- nknighthb 13y ago
  Who? A PR drone who would say much while communicating nothing, and do so in the most boring, robotic manner possible? Normal people don't spend their time thinking about how much more they would like it if an executive's statements conformed to the PR industry's self-serving standards.
- r00fus 13y ago
  Why? I think it sounds better directly from him. The industry is full of non-personal appeals. One that's personal and stays personal even if it's a bit defensive, is just more authentic and appealing. Besides who reads these? I doubt a large percentage of potential buyers do - mostly likely already fans of Tesla, who probably agree with Musk anyway.

yetanotherphd 13y ago

It sounds like you are jealous of Musk's intelligence, and so you write something that puts down smart people and talks down to them in a patronizing way. Why else would you lump all smart people together, and claim they have some psychological issues that you (not so smart maybe, but much more mature), can help with?

jusben1369 13y ago
The error you made is taking "Do you remember that smart kid in school" and reading it as "This is the only way smart people in school ever apologize" Quite different. For the record I am neither jealous or enamored with Musk. Like all people he has his strengths and weaknesses. His are magnified as is common with people who have his drive and impact on the world.