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Comment by lordfrito | Hacker News Reader

I said it before and I'll say it again. If you bought a Tesla because of Elon Musk (when he was cool), or sold a Tesla because of Elon Musk (because now he's not cool), then you're not really buying a car but social capital.

I simply buy the best car I can afford that has the ride/styling/features/quality I want. In my opinion, those that don't are out of their minds.

Not sure how associating major consumer purchases with people became a status of being cool or not. I don't really care why people like this buy and sell cars. I guess it's like Apple, everyone wanted to ride the Steve Jobs bandwagon back in the day.

This is the stuff that gets people upset?

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Boiling this argument into "being cool or not" is disingenuous when we're talking about a person directly threatening your current way of life. Just two cents coming from a citizen of a European country where he's attempting to meddle with the politics. Probably getting a Korean car next, despite them being objectively worse and more expensive for my needs.

Like it or not, if you buy a Tesla today you are signaling that you're okay with being associated with Nazism.

Regardless if you care or not, if you buy a Tesla you're also giving Elon more power, again aiding a Nazi.

You may think that's unfair but that's just how it is.

But it seems you just don't care if people are Nazis or not. Maybe the lack of empathy is why you think it's absolutely crazy to nor just consider the car itself?

> if you buy a Tesla today you are signaling that you're okay with being associated with Nazism.

Sounds like social capital to me, which is the point I was making. My purchases don't relate to social signaling on my part, not sure how we got here.

I mean, people don't have a problem with the iPhones being built by essentially slave labor. Technically if you buy an iPhone, I guess by your logic you're okay being associated with slavery.

Utter nonsense.

Most brand values exist because purchases are social capital, and this has been the case for a long time.

> My purchases don't relate to social signaling on my part, not sure how we got here.

You're signaling regardless.

> Technically if you buy an iPhone, I guess by your logic you're okay being associated with slavery.

Yes, to an extent that's correct.

We must remember though that things are never black and white and nobody is perfect.

I mean, people don't have a problem with the iPhones being built by essentially slave labor.

If you can walk out the door under your own power, then you're not a slave. Check your privilege (and while you're at it, your history.)

If you gleefully throw Nazi salutes while addressing a friendly far-right audience, then you're a Nazi, mentally ill, or both. Either way, I'm not buying a car from you.

The fact that you try to make this about “being cool” is absurd.

Missing from this exquisite take is any evidence you present that this describes anyone else besides the guy that got a picture of Robert Mueller tattoed on his body during Russiagate and a couple of more likeminded hapless stringers.

Democrats were into being green before any of the post-Roadster cars came out. It's like saying that a ton of people bought iphones did so because they thought Jobs was a genius beforehand. No, they became insufferable Jobs fanboys because they thought the iphone was amazing.

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