Comment by systemvoltage | Hacker News Reader

Comment by systemvoltage | Hacker News Reader

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I like Elon. What inspiration does, say, Sundar Pichai bring to the world? Do kids look at Tim Cook in awe?

Elon is unique, eccentric and wild. I bet if Feynman was around today on Twitter, he would have been cancelled many-a-times.

People who love/hate him with passion - why? Why are you spending so much personal energy for activism? Has Elon affected your life in a profound way? Why are so invested?

Some people blindly love him like the second coming of Jesus. Some think he is the worst of what the world has to offer. I blame Twitter and social media for this. Populism is a shitty trope. We are also destroying the society for conformism - I personally want the world to be full of wild eccentric people that don’t have the microphone of Twitter to start forming factions. I know so many weirdos in life that definitely have something to offer to the society, despite of their illfitting personalities. Stop cancelling them.

Imagine Elon existed in 1970’s without the internet and Twitter. There would be no activism unless you get together in person. There would be no vile unsubstantiated hatred. He wouldn’t have the social media amplifiers and the public would be mostly interested in the outcomes of their achievements. Everything would be peaceful.

> People who love/hate him with passion

I think one aspect you're missing is that this is precisely what Musk wants and needs, and has cultivated.

You're pointing out the trappings of celebrity. The passions are all skin deep - similar to the loves and hates you find in the public for celebrities of the normal sort. The people who love him don't really love him and the people who hate him don't really hate him. They will forget about him when they find new symbols as avatars for their ideological perspectives.

Musk cultivates an air of celebrity. It does seem like he has a certain cloying need for attention, and becomes uncontrollably angry when he feels dismissed or not listened to (e.g. the "pedo guy" incident). He actively engages/toys with communities that are characterized by a severe forms of hero worship (the coin communities, the trading communities, etc). It's clear that he has a deep-seated need to receive some sort of broad public approval. "Quirky CEO" seems to be the persona he has adopted to help him fulfill these needs.

I think it's ironic that you are lamenting the frothy public discourse around this individual without realizing that both the love and hate he receives are very much desired by him and actively pursue by him. The idea that a whole lot of people are having very long, passionate arguments about you while you can sit back in your insulated domain and once in a while fan the flames, is very appealing to a certain type of personality.

Very good points. I didn't want to ignore his lust for attention and inappropriate things, that's the collateral damage. I strongly believe that the value he has created far offsets the negative social media attention whoring. It is not even close. He has changed space industry and car industry forever. Complaining about his social media extravaganza is so profoundly unbalanced and misplaced. History is going to remember his achievements, not social media presence.

I can still lament on his public discourge whether he actively desires it or not - it is still despicable and toxic, for both sides. Look at it this way - cut up Elon's personality into various eccentric pieces. Engineering, leadership, inspiring people and rallying support - should be looked up to and not "cancelled" just because you want to criticize him for crypto meming, social media presence and his erratic behavior on Twitter. Both can take place with calm, civil discourse.

Not only does it show deep lack of judgement of people - it has chilling effects for societal conformation. This is a surefire way to go towards a dystopian society where cancel culture prevails and social media driven activism takes over like a steam roller crushing people for their minor misconducts.

I never understood the contempt towards him and his companies.

Maybe it's rooted from envy? Some argue that it tends to go hand-in-hand with vitriol:

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-19419-002

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