Multibillionaires are eccentric. It’s normal information, like water is moist, fireplace is scorching, “Joker: Folie a Deux” is a horrible movie.
From Jeff Bezos to Peter Thiel to Richard Branson to Howard Hughes (adjusting for inflation), they do bizarre issues: shoot themselves into house, spend money on remedies to “remedy” getting older, purchase islands and wash their fingers loads.
It is uncommon that the opposite 99.9 p.c of us are instantly uncovered to their world-ownership whims, although we not directly undergo the implications of their rocket ship carbon emissions, self-serving tremendous PACS and failure to pay taxes.
Elon Musk, nevertheless, is a distinct story.
For the reason that Tesla and House X proprietor bought Twitter (now X) in 2022 for $44 billion, he is assumed the mantle of “free speech” warrior. I put free speech in quotations as a result of we’re not speaking in regards to the sort of free speech individuals struggle and die for underneath dictatorships or theocracies.
Musk’s concept of “freedom” is amplifying hate speech, sowing misinformation, stoking conspiracies, propping up nationalists in locations like India and Argentina, and complying with censorship requests from authoritarian regimes like Turkey’s.
As for our presidential race right here at residence, Musk’s deceptive election claims on X have been seen 1.2 billion instances between January and July of this yr, in accordance with the Heart for Countering Digital Hate.
Then there’s the creepy posts, just like the one aimed toward Taylor Swift after she endorsed Kamala Harris on Instagram, and signed off as “Childless Cat Woman.” “High quality Taylor … you win,” Musk wrote on X final month. “I will provide you with a baby and guard your cats with my life.” Gross.
Musk just lately amplified the false claims and conspiracy theories that Federal Emergency Administration Company officers have been “actively blocking” aid shipments to victims of Hurricane Helene, “seizing items … and locking them away to state they’re their very own.”
Musk additionally propagated the politically motivated MAGA-verse lie that FEMA was quick on funds as a result of it had spent an excessive amount of on undocumented migrants. He accused the company of “treason” and wrote incorrectly that the company “used up its finances ferrying illegals into the nation as an alternative of saving American lives.” A lot for serving to fellow People of their time of want.
The richest man on this planet as an alternative used his megaphone to deceive catastrophe victims, telling them that assist was not on the best way. The false info dovetailed with election propaganda benefiting the Trump marketing campaign.
Musk’s propensity to align himself with chaos monkeys on the far proper would nonetheless be unlucky, however far much less damaging if his leanings weren’t additionally dictating coverage for the almost 200 million every day X customers worldwide.
Since Musk’s buy of Twitter, he is made it more durable to establish which accounts are reliable because of promoting the blue “verified” verify mark slightly than vetting customers to see whether or not they actually are who they declare to be.
X subsequently started sharing advert income with its “premium” customers, so customers receives a commission by advertisers for his or her engagement. And guess which posts garner essentially the most consideration? Sensational fabricated information, troll assaults and hateful racist/sexist/homophobic rhetoric.
He additionally reinstated previously banned accounts, similar to that {of professional} misogynist Andrew Tate, rapper Kanye West, who was deplatformed for his antisemitic tirades, and Donald Trump.
Pre-Musk, when X was Twitter, the social media platform was sometimes called a “world city sq..” It was a spot to verify for the most recent on a fast-moving information cycle, and far of the media used the platform to push out breaking tales or flow into their work as a result of Twitter was usually sooner than information platforms and gave their tales extra publicity.
If X is a city sq., it is inundated with a right-wing mob marching unpoliced by means of in any other case crowded streets. And Musk is their cheering benefactor.
Earlier this week, Musk declared that the tremendous PAC he created is providing $47 to anybody who registers as a swing-state voter and indicators a petition supporting the first and 2nd Amendments to the Structure. “Simple cash!” he posted.
Musk confirmed up at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, final weekend clad in a black MAGA hat, and declared, “I am not simply MAGA; I am Darkish MAGA.” It was a reference to a “Terminator” meme embraced by the far proper. He then inspired individuals to vote, saying that if they do not, “this would be the final election.”
Additionally carrying a too-small T-shirt that learn “Occupy Mars,” Musk started hopping up and down — thus launching numerous memes — to point out his enthusiasm for the person he is backing within the election. It was awkward, to say the least.
Even Trump appeared aggravated.
Lorraine Ali
Lorraine Ali is information and tradition critic of the Los Angeles Instances. The views expressed listed here are the author’s personal. — Ed.
(Tribune Content material Company)