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Comment by WalterBright

19 days ago

I wouldn't support Musk if he was a fascist nazi. My personal views are libertarian.

> I wouldn't support Musk if he was a fascist nazi.

That's not how that works.

Musk is, by many definitions well across the line distinguishing the 'fascist nazi's' from the rest of us.

Normalization of deviance slowly shifts the window to the point where his behavior is excused. Some people think it is acceptable because of all of the (potential) good a person could do or has already done. That's roughly the equivalent of 'Hitler was a vegetarian, and liked animals, how bad could he be?'. But The country that spawned the movement (so I think they get to make the call) thinks he is. And Musk's support for the German AfD (which is a thin layer of veneer over a despicable group) speaks volumes, yes, let's 'Make Germany Great Again' ffs. Even the Neo Nazi's think he is a Nazi. Elon has made Twitter (sorry, 'X') into a safe haven for the alt-right and various hate groups.

If it quacks like a Nazi and moves like a Nazi it probably is a Nazi. Whether you support him or not changes nothing about Elon but it does say something about you that you continue to support him despite everything he has already undeniably done and I'm disappointed, to put it mildly.

"never meet your heroes".

  • I wonder what definition of 'nazi' are you using, because I'm sure as heck it's not the one that nazis used in the 1930s.

    Maybe you're using the definition from a reddit story about a nazi bar?

    If yes, then you shouldn't have any problem with me calling you a soviet?

I don’t think he is a fascist nazi either. But I do think he is happy to support them as long as they make him feel special, and that’s bad enough.

The man is deeply unwell and desperate for approval and accolades. From anyone.

  • I think we can agree that Musk is strongly motivated. He works insanely hard and takes huge personal risks with his fortune.

    He says why he does it - over and over - to save humanity by spreading it out into space.

    > desperate for approval and accolades. From anyone.

    If true, it is rather common behavior, not deeply unwell. Politicians 100% fall into that category. So do movie stars. So does every Olympic athlete. So what.

    • If he wants to save humanity, he certainly doesn't show it. Most of what he's done in life so far has harmed or taken more lives than the vast majority of individuals in history. His actions in "DOGE" vis-a-vis USAID may put him on the very top of that list, in the long run.

      > If true, it is rather common behavior.

      Wanting approval is normal. Most people would not support nazis for approval.

  • I think if you materially support the nazis, you are a nazi, regardless of what might be your internal justification. This is a distinction without a difference.

    • I think the distinction is important in this case specifically because it shows us that he has no strong conviction towards doing so. He knows it's wrong and does it anyways, it's worse.