• Hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    22 hours ago

    I respect genuine neo-nazis far more than musk because they actually commit to the bit. It takes courage, and strength of character to be open and honest to the world that you’re a monster.

    There is nothing more pathetic than doing the nazi salute twice and denying it.

    • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
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      21 hours ago

      Even his facial expressions while he was doing it were painfully awkward.

      It is okay to be a dweeb. You can just be a dweeb and do dweeb stuff, it is fine. The trouble comes in when you are a dweeb at heart, and decide you need to put on a big imitation of something else, and commit to it so hard that it starts to cause a rift deep within you. I think that is part of what is going on with Elon and why he has gone so hard into this strange darkness.

      Miyamoto Musashi talked about this in the Book of Five Rings. I can’t find it in the text right now for some weird reason, so maybe I hallucinated all of this, but regardless here is my memory of what he said, paraphrased:

      You need to be in accordance with your heart. Even if you feel that you are on a good and right path, if it is not in agreement with your heart in any respect, then over time that tiny deviation will widen and become a giant chasm in you. If the deviation is not corrected (and early is better), then ultimately it will destroy you.

      • pleasestopasking@reddthat.com
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        10 hours ago

        It is okay to be a dweeb. You can just be a dweeb and do dweeb stuff, it is fine. The trouble comes in when you are a dweeb at heart, and decide you need to put on a big imitation of something else, and commit to it so hard that it starts to cause a rift deep within you. I think that is part of what is going on with Elon and why he has gone so hard into this strange darkness.

        He never recovered from being pushed out of the San Francisco baby fur scene and we are all paying for it

    • LeninOnAPrayer@lemm.ee
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      13 hours ago

      Is this the first time he has actually denied being a Nazi? Because from what I remember he just said “the left calls everyone a Nazi” and then started making Nazi puns using the names of some of the most disgusting people in history.

  • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
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    23 hours ago

    I don’t really know, but I feel like stuff like deliberately doing a Nazi salute is specifically to solicit people to call him a Nazi so that then he can say they’re crazy because the accusation is so outlandish.

    It also takes attention away from the more substantive things he’s done. It’s not illegal and doesn’t really hurt anybody to do a Nazi salute, so in one way it’s a perfect thing to get people jabbering about.

    • qprimed@lemmy.ml
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      22 hours ago

      waaaay too much overthinking on this one.

      it was a display to the in-group (he wants to be adored) and a troll. for this particular asshole, there is more than enough human bandwidth to co-process his dedication to deep familial racism and his self dealing. he is not a complex person - a child in an adult body.

      doesn’t really hurt anybody to do a Nazi salute

      really? are you really going to stand by that statement? hate symbols, when used in their intended way, cause a great deal of fucking hurt.

      • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
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        22 hours ago

        really? are you really going to stand by that statement? hate symbols, when used in their intended way, cause a great deal of fucking hurt.

        Oh come on, you know what I mean, you’re just taking the opportunity to have a performative holier-than-thou “gotcha” moment.

        Yes, words and symbols are incredibly powerful. Tim Snyder talked about the underappreciated role of symbols in extending the reach of fascism into people’s day-to-day lives. Stickers in German shop windows, yellow stars, Nazi pins. Trump flags and red hats are obvious extensions, but then a lot more interesting I think is the role face masks started to play in defining an obvious “with us or against us” sign that people have to decide which side of they want to be on, and engaging the everyday rank and file in the actions of enforcing “you’re with us or you’re going to get yelled at or maybe even physically attacked” as a new model for society. It’s very dangerous. It’s what forms and strengthens the linkage between what the leaders say, far away, on TV or the internet or distantly one time at a rally, with what people’s day-to-day actions are in enforcing the dictates of the leader within the community.

        I do think there’s a small, small contingent of people who will be rallied to the cause by overtly Nazi symbolism. I think the main danger, though, is in normalizing overtly evil symbology within the discourse, and breaking in the pathways of enforcement at an individual level. It starts with “well of course you won’t complain when I use racial slurs or advocate violent immigration policies RIGHT? RIGHT?” and then getting physically menacing. Once that precedent is established, they can continue into flexing their special-category-of-person nature by showing Nazi signs, or advocating for rape, or otherwise daring people to disagree with the terrible things they’re saying, but knowing that they risk being placed in the “other” category and open themselves to attack if they do.

        So yes, this stuff is dangerous. I’m saying no one was physically or financially or in any other way directly harmed when Elon did the Nazi salute, unlike some of the other activities they like to do. I’m not saying that the overall symbology that it forms a part of is harmless. Hopefully now we’re on the same page. Yes?

        Overthinking is sometimes a good thing. If you understand what’s going on, you’re in a better position to react to it. I more or less agree with your initial statements. He’s just trolling. Probably in his mind that’s how he interprets it also. But I’m saying the reasons why that is an effective thing for him to do are worth some thinking about.

        • qprimed@lemmy.ml
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          21 hours ago

          I get where you are coming from. I was genuinely surprised at your comment as many others I have seen from you have been thoughtful or usefully provocative. my primary point was to reinforce that harm happens on so many different layers - socially and personally. hate symbolism is a rot that spreads quickly unless pushed back on in the strongest social terms.

          your reply stands on its own so not much else for me to comment on there. happy to see you engaged.

          • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
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            21 hours ago

            Yeah, I get that. It’s definitely not harmless. I was just trying to contrast it against all the illegal or directly overly violent stuff that they’re doing, maybe I was a little too quick in the way I was trying to say it.

          • Donjuanme@lemmy.world
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            21 hours ago

            I’m with you. Philip the bucket needs to GTFO of here with whatever culture propaganda they’re pushing.

              • NSRXN@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                19 hours ago

                i found the comment you’re replying to via a search for “propagand” and i was like “what did ptb do this time?” and like… i don’t love being on your side but i think you probably got this one right.

                • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
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                  19 hours ago

                  Yeah. I can see plenty of reasons why some reasonable person might disagree with me about all kinds of things that I say, but this is 100% just objectively someone trying real hard to pretend I am saying something I’m not so they can have a made-up freakout about it. I don’t even know. Lemmy needs some sort of catchphrase like “tumblr reading comprehension” to apply to that behavior, because it sure is a popular thing to do here.

          • PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat
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            21 hours ago

            I know, I know. You’re just happy you found someone you can pretend is an enemy, and you don’t want to lose it. Certain types of people really love that, it’s their favorite thing.

            Since you don’t want to read a novel, let me call your attention to:

            So yes, this stuff is dangerous. I’m saying no one was physically or financially or in any other way directly harmed when Elon did the Nazi salute, unlike some of the other activities they like to do. I’m not saying that the overall symbology that it forms a part of is harmless.

  • Tempus Fugit@midwest.social
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    21 hours ago

    Says the rich man exploiting all of his workers for personal gains. He’s ready to tank Tesla because of his personal pride. He could easily have left the company and remained a shareholder, but no he had to make it a company about him.

    Get fucked turd! I wish you only pain and suffering for the rest of your days!

  • ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works
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    22 hours ago

    When someone is using their influence to negatively affect millions of people, they are themselves destroying their influence…