daylight

I didn’t create this journal to rant or discuss politics, but that is what has been obsessing my thoughts for the past several months and specifically these past few days.

During the U.S. inauguration, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, performed a nazi salute two times. I’d like to think about not just the action, but the aftermath. While the original intent matters, the response also matters. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt and that Elon Musk truly was just expressing his heart in a non-nazi way. That’s a huge benefit of a doubt, but for the sake of conversation, let’s give it. Now, if any rational person was found performing a gesture that resembles a nazi salute but did not mean to do it, do you know what they would do? They would apologize, profusely, and also indicate that they hate nazis.

Replace nazis with any other abhorrent thing. If the thing is so disgusting to the person, they would apologize and condemn that behavior, REGARDLESS of their original intent.

Also, while we’re on the topic, original intent has very little meaning. Trying to justify bad behavior because of good intent is what is called a non-apology. This is something I lived and breathed for many years of my life when I was in the cult.

I’m sorry you feel that way, I did not mean it that way.

And many variations I have heard countless times. These apologies don’t take ownership for the harm they caused. They don’t even recognize the harm that was caused.

Which brings me back to Elon, I don’t give a fuck why the behavior supposedly happened. It means very little to me. To me, it is clear that it was a nazi salute, and so far his response has been to say this is just a “dirty trick” to paint him as a nazi. Note that this is not an apology, it is not condemning nazis, and it is not even recognizing wrong doing.

Separately, this has painted a clear picture of all the corporate owned media sources that won’t call it what it is. It was a fucking nazi salute. Compare it frame by frame to any of the videos of Hitler doing a nazi salute, or a neo-nazi doing a nazi salute. It’s the same thing. This isn’t a case of libel. Elon, factually, did the motion that is commonly understood as a nazi salute. Now if he wants to say he was giving his heart out to people, or something else, he’s free to make that case, but the motion was a nazi salute.

I don’t think that my thoughts on this are particularly profound or insightful. It’s common sense, but I’m tired of no media sources calling it what it is. We used to have to worry about dog whistles, but now the dog whistles aren’t even hiding. They are in broad daylight.