Things about Elon (and how easy for anyone to fall from people's grace)
Four years ago, things looked very different for Elon Musk.
I don't know about four years ago. I think he jumped the shark long before that. He made the "pedo guy" comment back in 2018. Maybe it would be more appropriate to say that he jumped the submarine in 2018 than to say he jumped the shark? Anyhow, he has been ultra-wealthy for decades, and therefore, a threat in my book. There are no good ones.
I remember how, as an elementary school kid, I used to do patently offensive things in public, maybe to watch other people's reactions (or perhaps I didn't even care for that; I did it just because it was seen as "wrong" by society).
Me too. I was a monster at age 10. I grew out of it. I know other neurodivergent people that were similar and grew out of it. It takes longer for some of us than it does for others.
And this is why I suspect Elon Musk isn't actually neurodivergent; he's just playing it on TV. He's doing all of these horrible offensive things because he is the richest man on Earth and he can get away with it. Ten years ago, he wasn't doing those things, to the best of my knowledge. That makes me believe it is just an act.
How easy it is for anyone to fall from people's grace and goodwill! And even being the richest man on Earth with direct access to the White House does not make him immune from that.
I'd argue that being the richest man and having direct access to the White House caused his fall from grace, rather than protecting him from it. It's worth noting that the kinds of people who would have driven a Tesla are, by and large, not the kinds of people who support the current US President. He has alienated Tesla's customer base. And to what end? Did he even care about EVs in the first place, or was it just another act?
I recall a news story from a few years ago, 2021 perhaps, where Musk was defending the use of fossil fuels and calling for more drilling. So yes, his EV involvement may have been just another grift.
One thing Musk does have in abundance is hubris / hamartia. His "fall from grace" could have been written as a Greek tragedy 2500 years ago. Unfortunately, he may take the rest of us -- in the US and possibly the world -- down, right along with him.
The worst outcome would be that Elon Musk and his antics would contribute to an even worse prejudice toward neurodivergent people - and excuses among politicians to cut needed funding to help them (after all, why spend taxpayer money on autistic folks when the most famous among them is the richest man on Earth?). This is something I worry about a lot.
I am more concerned that Elon Musk will cut funds to help autistic folks, because he's the guy who is in there right now trying to cut everything. That includes Social Security. If this man gets his way, I tell you, a lot of disabled people will suffer. Possibly including me, but if I'm lucky, I'll have finished dying of heart failure before things get that bad. I'm very afraid. My friends are very afraid. I know plenty of neurodivergent blind people who cannot / will not hold down a job. I'm one of them. The longest I've worked is 3.5 years, and that was at my dream job, doing the sorts of things that I do very well. What happens to people like us when Musk cuts Social Security?