Excellent analysis of Musk: Is Elon Musk evil or simply a fool? Both. The answer is both.

[hlthe2b]

Is Elon Musk evil or simply a fool?
Both. The answer is both.
Aaron Rupar
and
Noah Berlatsky

This was emailed to me in its entirety so I don't think copyright applies, but I'll still merely excerpt and include the following link:

https://aaronrupar.substack.com/p/elon-musk-destroying-twitter-why?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
--snip--

Spite over everything

Musk purchased Twitter in large part because he wanted to be in a position to harm many of its core users — journalists, liberals, Democrats, trans people, and other marginalized communities. Twitter is a flawed but nonetheless invaluable place where these groups have come together to talk, to strategize, to fundraise, to organize, and to hold the powerful accountable.

Musk is a billionaire transphobe who’s been convicted of union-busting and has been sued for racially segregating his factory floor. He’s also pathologically online. (He met his ex-partner, the musician Grimes, on Twitter.) Now that he owns Twitter, it’s also his chance to own the libs who have criticized and dared to mock him. He’s in a position to break their communities and drive them from online spaces where they’ve built networks and formed friendships.

--snip--
Musk doesn’t want to destroy Twitter in the sense of rendering it a smoking ruin with a URL that leads to the abyss. But he does want to destroy Twitter to spite his enemies. Loosely defined, that means he wants to destroy it for everyone who questions the righteousness of a world ruled by white male billionaire tech bros.

There are numerous examples of how Musk’s Twitter fiasco is linked to his right, and far right, ideological commitments. Musk made his first moves towards acquiring control over Twitter in April, motivated in part by Twitter’s content moderation targeting far right accounts. In particular, he was angered by its decision to ban former President Donald Trump after he used the platform in organizing his violent coup attempt.

--snip--
If Musk were just intent on destroying the site, he wouldn’t keep backtracking by pausing the Twitter Blue program or trying to hire back employees he laid off; he’d let it all burn. If he were just a fool who didn’t know what he was doing but wanted the site to make money first and foremost, he’d stop tweeting.

But Musk wants to make money by harming his enemies. He wants to monetize his grievance, his bigotry, and his cruelty. He’s evil and a butthead, both.

As such, Musk is a perfect symbol of the current right wing. Like the post-policy GOP, and like Trump, Musk is so ensnared in conspiracy theories and in hatred that he can’t see real problems in front of his nose and makes up imaginary problems that aren’t there. Twitter’s ongoing rolling disaster is a good example of what happens when you give wealthy, hateful reactionaries absolute power over institutions and communities. By mixing self-imposed ignorance with deliberate malevolence, they destroy them.

The full piece is worth a quick read at the link above.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Musky Musk

Yes Twitland being managed for political purposes and private agendas. For sure.

[Wounded Bear]

2. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive...nt

[Farmer-Rick]

3. Which is why liberals need to find another platform before

Musk uses and then abuses them.

If you are liberal he will target you. He will allow his bots and Nazis to crush you. It's what psychos do, they hurt others for fun and profits.

Can you imagine the glee Nazis are having crapping all over liberals on Twitter. It's their favorite thing.

Musk is very much like Trump. And liberals on Twitter are his target for abuse.

[uponit7771]

4. K&R, "Musk is a perfect symbol of the current right wing"

[Upthevibe]

5. hlthe2b........Thanks for this article about Elon Musk....

I'm marking it (the only way I know how) to read after work..

[hlthe2b]

6. You are most welcome.

[Walleye]

7. I think they're only two motivations for right wing nut jobs at this point

Vengeance and vindication. If you look at everything from that perspective you can anticipate what they’re going to do

[nycbos]

8. My theory of Musk is...

... he has no ideology whatsoever other than to satisfy his own ego. He does not care if he gets good press or bad press, just as long as he seeing his name in the news. He follows the mantra of "there is no such thing as bad publicity."