• TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    90
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    12 hours ago

    “controversial salute” is certainly one way to phrase a Nazi salute.

    I can’t believe we’re downplaying Nazi salutes. If this were in a political satire film 15 years ago it’d be dismissed as being too absurd.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 hours ago

      Playing devil’s advocate here.

      I don’t think he meant it as “let’s go round up the Jews age conquer Europe” (or Canada or whatever). He’s very likely on the autism spectrum and likely thought it was funny and just wanted to see how the mass media would react. He acts like a child in so many other contexts (dancing robots at the Tesla event? Seriously?), why not here?

      That doesn’t make it okay, and it’s certainly inappropriate given the event, but it also doesn’t make him a Nazi.

      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        28 minutes ago

        “I dont think he meant to shoot anyone he just walked up to a cop and pointed a gun at them, he likely thought it was funny and wanted to see how the cop would react”

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          14 minutes ago

          That’s… quite a bit more extreme than what I was talking about. On the other hand, people have gotten shot by police for much less (even just verbally standing up for their rights), so maybe you have a point.

          Elon isn’t very classy, but I honestly don’t think he’s a Nazi.

      • ReCursing@lemmings.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 hour ago

        No, but coupled with the other people he’s teaming up with, and the other things he’s done, it’s a pretty sure bet he’s a nazi and meant it as such. Autism is not an excuse, and nazi salutes are not even in the same ballpark as dancing fucking robots! How do you even manage to equate the two???

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          16 minutes ago

          Autism is not an excuse

          I never said it was.

          Autism makes it more difficult to read social norms, and if you mix that with childishness and enough money to not care what others think (and maybe some drugs as well), you get Elon.

          I explicitly said it doesn’t make it okay, I said it doesn’t imply anything about his personal political views.

          How do you even manage to equate the two???

          They’re both childish. There’s really not more to it.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      21
      ·
      11 hours ago

      Super pumped for 4 years (good lord please let it only be 4) of chickenshit euphemisms

    • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      11 hours ago

      It’s very disturbing because it’s creeping acceptance by massaging the message over time.

      First a billionaire makes the salute

      Then you get everyone to debate it

      Then everyone associates it less and less to nazism

      Then it’s just a gesture billionaires do

      Then it’s just a gesture

      Then it becomes more common

      Then it becomes normal