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Comment by netsharc | Hacker News Reader

IMO this is a stupid "activism" move, similar to declaring people who stay silent on a topic (instead of joining your cause) as part of the problem. The activist declares that people not actively joining their protest are bad people.

Geez, guilt-tripping, what a great way to gain support for your movement.

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I think it's maybe not as you understand. It's not a political movement -- they don't need your support. The goal is economic logic. It's trying to do economic damage to Tesla. No one needs to care if someone feels warm or cold about Tesla, they don't need to sell you or anyone but a very small subset on "a movement"... just that every rational actor has good reason to sell or never even buy.

It's curious though, if the brand became so toxic/dangerous to own that no one could be caught owning one, and I want to sell my hypothetical Tesla, who's going to buy it? Nobody would want to own a molotov magnet (in this hypothetical scenario).

In the end it'll be hurting my wallet and not Elon's because I have to junk the car and buy a different brand.

Another scenario would be Teslas getting police escort and exclusive protected parking...

To be clear, I'm not supporting damaging random Tesla's, just answering the questions asked.

> who's going to buy it? Nobody would want to own a molotov magnet

If nothing else, it has value as parts.

> In the end it'll be hurting my wallet and not Elon's because I have to junk the car and buy a different brand.

It hurts both. Nobody is going to buy Tesla is what they can look forward to a string of vandalism and eventually having to either sell it for a song or scrap it for parts. Tesla/Elon may already have the money from your current purchase, but destroying the second hand market and otherwise making it painful to own one reduces demand, and that hurts Elon's wallet.

Then what? What happens after you’ve made him broke? Will your catharsis be satisfied?

Elon's power comes from his money and his position at the head of these companies. Take that away and you take away his power. Or maybe he realizes before that point he's fucking himself and changes course. Either one probably seems like an improvement.

Make it Carvana / Carmax's problem, they'll take almost anything.

It is. This turns off lots of moderate people.

The only people that support these moves are the proverbial choir, and not even the whole choir but the really fervent members.

This will have a net negative on the movement. Long term it’s good for Tesla because ordinary people don’t like these types of shenanigans.

It turns moderate people against you more than it helps. Not sure where people get this idea that moderates react well to purity spirals directed at them.

Right. The problem is these kinds of groups don’t carry internal dissent (sometimes by definition), so they carry out and do things that undermine their goals in return for some quick but ephemeral reward.

oh no, not the moderates who checks notes stand up for nothing and no one except themselves and overwhelmingly align with right wing politics. what's the moderate position on Trump/Musk, that we should accept a little bit of authoritarianism to make the government more efficient?

Except those are over 90% of the population. This move is not going to win moderates over at all. It’s a feel-good move like a nice heroine shot.

It doesn't have to 'win' with anyone, it just has to make the brand toxic enough that Elon suffers greatly. In that regard, it's going amazingly.

Then what? What happens after he’s suffered? It’s just to pad your egos and satisfy your catharsis, and you know it.

i don't know, probably the same as his end goal with doing nazi salutes. we want the same things for Elon that he wants for us. hitting a billionaire's wealth and influence is the only way us commoners have of "voting him out".

If his wealth and influence are duminished then he has less chance of interfering in politics here in Europe the way he is doing in the US. People are frightened.

I'm guessing people who haven't taken a stance don't feel the pain (yet). The old adage is "No country is more than three meals away from a revolution." 1), and some people still have meals. But alienating the "moderates" might lead them to join the "other side", because "our side" are just full of assholes...

1) Variations: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2022/05/02/nine-meals/

Then they by definition are finally taking the masks off and showing the world what they truly believe.

I feel like it actually worked for the AIDS issue.

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