this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2023
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These terms tend to get abused by jerks so much that they start to mean something else. I have seen too many people identifying as "woke" who use bullying as a method of getting their way, lack compassion for anyone who doesn't share their views, shaming others, and are generally tribalistic.
Basic human decency would be to see the person behind a political view and understand that they have fears and pains, to be curious about them and try to understand where they're coming from. And then talk with them from a place of compassion. We're all a product of our genes and experiences, and everybody is a hero in their own story.
Elon too, while misguided, wants to do good. But look at how his dad has treated him growing up: called him an idiot his entire life, impregnated his step sister, and emotionally and physically abused him. Plus I'm pretty sure he's neurodivergent. If anybody wants to get him to see the error of his ways, more abusive language is certainly not going to help. He's being pushed into a corner and in his mind he sees a world that is increasingly broken by vile people who don't understand him or his vision for improving the world. I think he believes his own words when he talks about "neutral" politics, but his idea of neutral has been severely skewed. Elon has in fact done a lot of good for the world, but he needs people he trust to keep his feet on the ground. That can't be achieved by chastising him, but by praising the things he does well and getting him to spend more time among "normal" people and good role models. In the meantime though, to protect the world from powerful broken men, we need regulation to keep them fenced off.
Maybe this is somehow enlightening to someone who has never considered someone they (morally, religiously, ethically, politically) oppose human, but I am aware of all this and recognise that Elon Musk is still a piece of shit whose bigotry has made him hated in public and his private life. Over and over he makes the choice to be a dog turd, and that's not somehow the fault of wokies, even when they're misguided. It's like when racists say "well they kept calling me a racist for no good reason, so now I actually am". He's not a 4 year old that just needs to be gentle parented. He's a full-grown adult that needs to stop perpetually throwing temper tantrums when someone disagrees with him.
But he's not going to do that on his own. Stop thinking in terms of whose fault it is and instead think about what is effective. Yes, the racist is a bigot but he's also right: the treatment he was subjected to did result in him becoming more racist. So if you truly want fewer racists in the world, look for another strategy. That is the adult thing to do.
Edit: I should add that I reject the idea of anyone making a choice. Neuroscience is pretty confident that choice is not an actual thing; it's all cause and effect. The behavior we are seeing from Elon Musk now is caused by his genes, how he was brought up, and how people are treating him. We can control one of these three things to get the effect we want.
We can't control any of these three things because I am unable to make a choice in how I treat him. My behavior in how I treat Elon Musk is caused by my genes, how I was brought up, and how people are treating me.
So with that in mind: Elon Musk is an idiot causing actual harm to the world and people need to stop enabling this piece of shit. The world would be a better place if he lost all his money and was a poor man with no platform to spread his hateful ideas.