Why Elon Gets the Hate
And whether he deserves it
Elon Musk has given the world a lot.
Without him, there would be fewer electric vehicles on our roads. He is providing internet access to the remotest areas of the world. And he might even put the first human on Mars.
To say he is only a force for evil is unfair. Clearly, he has produced many things worth celebrating.
But he gets a lot of criticism.
The hate is at least as visceral as the love.
Maybe it is Musk’s style. His Asperger’s makes him socially clumsy. He is intellectually gifted, but communicatively handicapped.
People with this syndrome have difficulty relating to others. This makes them seem cold-hearted, while in fact they are just oblivious.
It is not only what Musk does; it is how he does it.
He is an engineer and cares about whether things work.
Whether they are applauded is secondary. The approach is: truth first, feelings later. To the neurotypical observer, this appears insensitive.
But to someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is common sense. Problems - even if emotionally charged - need to be solved.
This coldness can be misinterpreted as malice.
It is hard to see Musk’s humanity,
Therefore, it is easy to conclude he is inhumane.
He is a prominent figure standing in the limelight. Because his behaviour is ambiguous, it invites projection. People conclude that he is just a maniac.
Even if true, his disorder is a factor. Musk is crude, which makes him appear cruel.
But maybe he is just crude.
Musk is (observably) the richest man in the world.
That, in itself, provokes resentment. As inequality grows, the ultra-wealthy get targeted. If you have more than others, you had better try to deserve it.
This is why billionaires are ruthlessly criticized. Musk must be virtuous.
If he fails moral standards, he is immediately slammed.
Musk is too awkward to deal with that.
His rule-breaking style invites scrutiny by default. He does not care about contemporary oversensitivity. Hence, Musk is easily framed as insensitive.
His entry into the political arena exacerbated this problem. Since he moved right, the Left has magnified his least appealing traits.
They have weaponized his autism.
His personality is a PR nightmare.
Musk has astronomical social influence, yet abominable social awareness. He is tone-deaf, but plays the trumpet loudly. His flattest notes, when amplified, produce seething hostility.
Malicious or not, his social handicap is what gets him in trouble.
Musk’s IQ makes matters worse.
Being neurodivergent and averagely intelligent is bad enough. Musk is neurodivergent and a genius. That makes him uniquely peculiar.
Peculiar people are typically misunderstood. And demonized for it.
Because of his complexity, he appears like an evil mastermind.
But those who preach empathy should practice it.
Musk has made serious mistakes and should be more empathetic. But his condition is unfortunate. Provided how much he has given back, he should be given some credit.
Musk can indeed be a childish provocateur. But whoever scolds him for being insensitive should at least be sensitive towards his situation.
Even Martians deserve humanity.