For Some Reason, Elon Musk Is Weighing In on ‘Animal Farm’ and Predictably Missing the Point
Tech bro libertarians aren’t known for their media literacy. And famous friend of Jeffrey Epstein Elon Musk proves that point regularly.
His latest misstep into culture comes alongside a usual rallying point of his: everything is too woke and left wing. Responding to a post about the upcoming Animal Farm movie having an anti-capitalist message, the Tesla CEO posted an expressionless face emoji, which is used to convey frustration or annoyance, a feeling those who are exposed to Musk will know well. This is not the first time that Musk has used emojis to criticize complex topics on the social media site and revenge porn generator that he bought for a massively inflated sum because he didn’t like people being mean about him on it. It’s also not the first time his attempts at being pithy just confirms he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Animal Farm is a classic novella by celebrated author George Orwell. The story is an allegory for the descent of the open-minded and idealistic socialist ideals of the Russian revolution into the authoritarian Stalinism that choked the USSR for decades.
There is no doubt that Orwell despised Stalinism, but as a man who famously chronicled extreme poverty in The Road to Wigan Pier and literally volunteered to fight with socialists in the Spanish Civil War, he also disliked the laissez-faire economic policies that had enriched a select few and caused the Great Depression. Animal Farm itself also centres on a group of elites who utilise the labour of others to hoard wealth while contributing nothing tangible, which may sound familiar to Musk.
The SpaceX investor and billionaire might assume he knows what he’s talking about. He might even believe it, like he probably believes in his heart of hearts he’s a good gamer and an excellent businessman rather than a trust fund kid with a lot of luck who’s surrounded by yes-men. But as anyone familiar with the book knows, he is wrong as usual.
(featured image: Julia Beverly/Getty Images)
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