A new toxic trend in politics is deifying any and all celebrities who annoy people in the opposite political party. But as much as Elon Musk is the enemy of the right wing’s enemy, he’s no friend to conservatives.
Musk became the latest beneficiary of this weird calculus earlier this year when he offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion. He promised to change the platform’s moderation policies and promote free speech. Conservatives cheered, liberals gnashed their teeth, and Musk enjoyed a new burst of attention.
Fast-forward to now, and Musk is already trying to back out of the deal, after realizing he could not follow through on his outlandish promises. Musk faces lawsuits as he fights the $1 billion fee for breaking the deal. But setting aside the legal controversies, what if Musk had succeeded?
One of the largest social media platforms in the world, with an estimated 440 million monthly users, would belong to a single person who openly hoped to change policy to suit his vision. How is that a victory for free speech? Conservatives should not be celebrating a social media company falling to the richest man in the world. They should question exactly how much influence a billionaire wields in today’s world.
If a prominent left-wing figure like George Soros had proposed to buy out a major social media company for the purpose of
changing the policies to suit his idea of free speech, the right would be outraged. The left might be outraged too, just seeing how much power money can buy in the age of the internet. But because Musk trolled the left enough to get on their bad side, he has become a hero to conservatives everywhere.
This is the same Elon Musk who helped kickstart the modern infatuation with electric cars, convincing millions of shareholders that Teslas are the future of environmental conscientiousness. He’s the same Elon Musk who currently faces allegations of sexual misconduct from a flight attendant, and the same Elon Musk who allegedly committed adultery, notably with Amber Heard as she was separating from Johnny Depp.
Musk is no hero. He’s only another frighteningly powerful billionaire who influences the world how he likes to get what he wants. Conservatives should not celebrate him.
