13 Comments
User's avatar
Henning's avatar

True story, when I first mentioned the name Elon Musk to my wife she thought it could not possibly be real because it sounded like the name of a Bond villain.

Expand full comment
Kay-El's avatar

As with many villains in the superhero genre, their back stories often give us a glimpse of the humanity they once had. Musk doesn’t have even an ounce of that. He’s just a xitty human being.

Expand full comment
Inforia's avatar

“Musk was also born into privilege, the son of wealthy businessman Errol Musk, although like many rich kids, Musk has claimed poverty when convenient for his mythical backstory: ‘I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt,” he tweeted in 2019.’”

As America’s biggest welfare queen, his businesses are largely dependent on government largess through sponsored technological advances if not outright, outsourced contracts that reach hundreds of millions, of not billions of dollars. Contrary to his claims that he built them himself through his self-purported ‘genius.’

Expand full comment
Old Man Shadow's avatar

Libertarianism fails in many places, but one of the bigger places is that it refuses to recognize the power of wealth and the coercion, violence, and human rights abuses extreme wealth creates and wallows in.

No one individual, no single corporation should ever have the amount of power that our billionaires and corporations possess. Checks and balances should have been in place long ago to prevent them from gaining the power to destroy or burn the world to fill the void inside of them.

Expand full comment
Eva Porter's avatar

What a spot on analogy. I also thought of Trump in the description of Lex and his father. These guys trying to run our country are the result of horrible parenting.

Expand full comment
MzNicky in East Jesus, TN's avatar

“Musk’s estranged daughter, whose humanity he’s failed to recognize, has said he’s ‘desperate for attention and validation.’” Sounds a lot like someone else who’s out there, trying to blow up a world that doesn’t love him.

Expand full comment
SethTriggs's avatar

It says a lot that I wish Musk were actually Lex Luthor.

The worst part is, unlike what the TVTropes trope says, we ARE cutting Musk a check and he still tries to make the world worse.

Expand full comment
Stephen Bero's avatar

Fascinating and disturbing! Always love the Superman analogies. 🦸‍♂️

Expand full comment
llamaspit's avatar

Anyone else remember Musk's appearance on Saturday Night Live? He was super awkward, trying very hard to demonstrate a sense of humor that he clearly did not have. He reveled in the attention he got, but didn't understand that he was way out of his depth.

Just another example of a guy who was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.

Expand full comment
SethTriggs's avatar

He's as funny as the Shillbilly. I think when a lot of these guys get super wealthy they figure there's no need to develop a personality or any likeability.

Expand full comment
Katharine Hill's avatar

Goodness, Stephen, you put a lot of work into keeping us informed. Thank you for the warning.

Expand full comment
KW NORTON's avatar

Brilliant!!

Expand full comment
Stephen Robinson's avatar

Thanks!

Expand full comment