Elon Musk - news and discussion

[editor]

It was a fucking Nazi salute and this clip explains why:

 

[Lotte]

The whole Roman thing is a massive part of what the far right chatter about now - they see themselves as new ceasars - a new empire - keikus maximus etc - fascism dressed in a toga

And yet they also go on about how the Roman Empire fell because of the gays or whatever.

 

[Lord Camomile]

It was a fucking Nazi salute and this clip explains why:

 

[Whagwan]

Fucking insulting to see Autism mentioned so frequently as a reason.

I'm autistic and have never mistakenly made a Nazi salute.

 

[klang]

Fucking insulting to see Autism mentioned so frequently as a reason.

I'm autistic and have never mistakenly made a Nazi salute.

On purpose?

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

00:00 "YAAAAAAS. This is what victory looks like."

I mean, typical Musk, taking credit for other people's achievements. That's his MO. You'd think he'd been elected and inaugurated President, not Trump.

Although Musk did buy/corrupt the election/election process, so maybe he has a point.

And given he's ineligible to run for US President himself it's the closest he's going to get to that kind of victory.

Or is it.


I'm reminded of a couple of things:

Firstly, what Putin did, when he couldn't stand for a third consecutive four-year term. He effectively installed Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev as Russian President, they switched places. And while Medvedev was President he changed the constitution so that presidents would be in office for six years.

And then Putin resumed power - although some might argue he'd never conceded real power, just the title - for a third (non-consecutive) term, albeit for six-year terms this time round.

And then Putin changed the Russian Constitution to allow himself to run for two more terms.


Trump's previously already threatened to run for a third term, which isn't currently allowed under the US constitution.

So watch this space.


Secondly, on the one hand, Donald-from-Scottish-German-immigrant-background-Trump hates immigrants. (Oh, the irony.) The Muslim ban. They're rapists, they're criminals. Send them back. Build a wall. Etc.

Except when convenient.

Eg, his business operations focus on hospitality and property development companies, two sectors that rely heavily on immigrant labour, the latter through subcontractor construction companies.

And more recently his comments in favour of HB1 visas. Which are important to Elon Musk's businesses.

So this just goes to show that Trump and his principles are for sale to the highest bidder. He'll spout anti-(Black, Muslim, Hispanic, Latinx)-immigrant* rhetoric, because that's ultimately part of what he believes in, ie white supremacy.

But if Trump's prepared to change his attitudes towards work visas and who can do what jobs, depending on who's whispering in his ear and donating to money to his campaigns, what's the betting that Trump during his third term of office decides to play kingmaker and change the US constitution to say that any US citizen can be President, you don't have to be born there? And pave the way for a South African-born US President Elon Musk?

I mean, I hope I'm wrong. But the despot playbook is out there.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Fucking insulting to see Autism mentioned so frequently as a reason.

I'm autistic and have never mistakenly made a Nazi salute.

Ditto.

Sorry for any offence/upset caused for not addressing that in my original post. I did raise my eyebrows when I read it and should have addressed it.

 

[Whagwan]

On purpose?

Only this morning whilst demonstrating to people in the office the difference between a Nazi salute and throwing your heart out to the crowd.

 

[elbows]

fascists and language/symbols is an interesting one. They are often, yes, playing games. But that, ah only joking, stuff is not new to them. Its all so very very funny. And they mean every word.

I have reasons to suspect that if the sequence and timing of history had been different, some people would have spent years thinking that Hitler was 'just trolling'.

 

[Serge Forward]

Off topic q: Is a raised fist (like the black power one made by Tommy Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico '68 Olympics) now meant to indicate general rebelliousness/support for people power these days, or is it still specifically a black power salute?
eg Wolfie Smith's salute is one example of its use outside of the US civl rights
(I'm not suggesting Musk made it at all - it just made me think of a gesture I made recently that I probably shouldn't have )

I think the clenched fist goes back a bit further than Tommy Smith.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Musk done a Nazi salute at the inauguration of his mate as president of the USA. That is shocking enough. What is really scary, like really fucking frightening is news orgs such as CNN are too afraid of these cunts to report the truth about it, they are reporting, to coin a Trumpism that he created in his last stint, Alternative Facts, otherwise known as 'bollocks'. - The news orgs have been wholly corrupted by these fuckers. Russia and China are grinning like Cheshire cats today.

 

[Lord Camomile]

What is really scary, like really fucking frightening is news orgs such as CNN are too frightened of these cunts to report the truth about it, they are report, to coin a Trumpism that he created in his last stint,

Offhand, don't suppose anyone can recall similar instance from recent(ish) political history where news orgs did call it out for what it was? Just for 'contrast and compare' purposes, like.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Elon Musk responds to backlash over gesture at Donald Trump rally

The billionaire says his critics "need better dirty tricks" after a gesture likened to a Nazi salute.

www.bbc.co.uk

You would have to be mad to not think that looked suspiciously like a nazi salute. Surely if it was a genuine mistake, Elon's response would have been to have looked at it and gone, "sorry, caught up in the moment. I know it looks a bit like a nazi salute, but I would never do that, that would be wrong because the nazis were bad"
. . . but he didn't.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Offhand, don't suppose anyone can recall similar instance from recent(ish) political history where news orgs did call it out for what it was? Just for 'contrast and compare' purposes, like.

They seem more than happy to do so when it's football wankers doing it.

 

[Lotte]

"He's just raising his hand, guys!"

 

[Lord Camomile]

They seem more than happy to do so when it's football wankers doing it.

Ooh, good point! Di Canio, for one. Though I guess he was openly a fascist, so that would have given them more comfort, anyway.

You would have to be mad to not think that looked suspiciously like a nazi salute. Surely if it was a genuine mistake, Elon's response would have been to have looked at it and gone, "sorry, caught up in the moment. I know it looks a bit like a nazi salute, but I would never do that, that would be wrong because the nazis were bad"
. . . but he didn't.

Even if it was unintentional, I'm honestly not sure that would be how Musk would react.It'd mean he'd have to admit to making a mistake, for starters.

And make an apology.

And call the Nazis bad.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Ooh, good point! Di Canio, for one. Though I guess he was openly a fascist, so that would have given them more comfort, anyway.

Fans too: Google Search

 

[gosub]

If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and talks like a duck, and seig heils like a duck, it's a nazi.

That's not fair on ducks....I imagine Musk does waddle rather than goosestep

 

[editor]

FFS. The wankers are bubbling to the surface.

 

[bluescreen]

Just seen on Bluesky that Die Zeit won't even show how Musk was saluting Trump's victory.

 

[kabbes]

Whatever ein Hitlergruss is, I don’t want one.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Just seen on Bluesky that Die Zeit won't even show how Musk was saluting Trump's victory.
View attachment 460535

Interesting they've 'obscured' it*.

While not saying it gives them a pass, I did wonder if some outlets edited it out of coverage for similar reasons, even if it was a misguided instinct to not broadcast offensive material, and/or a convenient excuse for them to sidestep the decision.




*for lack of a better word coming to mind that isn't 'censored'

 

[Artaxerxes]

A mix of roughly a third of people banging on about Rome, third of people slagging him off and a third of posts bots advertising Nike Air trainers.

EVA BRAUN IN B I O

 

[Artaxerxes]

Interesting they've 'obscured' it*.

While not saying it gives them a pass, I did wonder if some outlets edited it out of coverage for similar reasons, even if it was a misguided instinct to not broadcast offensive material, and/or a convenient excuse for them to sidestep the decision.




*for lack of a better word coming to mind that isn't 'censored'

Its illegal to show the salute and some Nazi iconography in some countries - hence the obscuring

 

[danny la rouge]

"He's just raising his hand, guys!"
View attachment 460524

 

[Augie March]

 

[Lord Camomile]

Its illegal to show the salute and some Nazi iconography in some countries - hence the obscuring

Oh aye, I'm just curious if that was the justification for e.g US news outlets not showing it.

 

[danny la rouge]

Oh aye, I'm just curious if that was the justification for e.g US news outlets not showing it.

No.

 

[teqniq]

What they said. Rewind of a classic:

 

[brogdale]

On point.