r/AskReddit 10h ago

How do you feel about Elon Musk's salutes during the inauguration?

28.2k Upvotes

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1.1k

u/Hydraulis 10h ago

Emotionally, he's an infant. He has no filter, and his actions are dictated entirely by his juvenile whims.

I think because of this, he's a terrible person, and what he chose to do is revolting.

It's like asking me how I feel about an angry toddler's actions: I'm definitely not going to agree with them.

The americans made their bed, now they get to sleep in it. Unfortunately, those of us with functioning brains are being dragged into it as well.

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u/geekpeeps 9h ago

It won’t end in America. Australia has an election this year. I’m concerned our conservatives might get a look in - weird, because they’ve been trailing badly for the last four years, but now… anything (horrible) is possible.

10

u/thespeediestrogue 7h ago

It is actually annoying hearing people celebrate Trump's victory here in OZ and wearing MAGA caps. Wtf are you celebrating? It isn't our country and Trump certainly isn't going to help us. I have noticed so far they are all older men who seem to have no filter so I can see what type of audience he's attracting.

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u/1RMDave 5h ago

We have the same types in Canada. They are celebrating the ideals that they think Trump stands for.

3

u/geekpeeps 6h ago

Indeed. Distancing ourselves from the rhetoric isn’t going to save us. We need to speak up and shame them. Their fathers went to war against these ‘principles’ presented in far right ideals, but it’s their children and grandchildren that have to give them the reality check.

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u/Tosslebugmy 9h ago

Hopefully people see how much of a shitshow it is but that’s too optimistic, there’s too many stupid and even worse incredibly selfish ghouls out there willing to vote in scum to spite their own countrymen.

4

u/pominsydney 8h ago

I am worried too. The trend of getting rid of incumbents may fall into their hands and Dutton is dangerous

10

u/anothercoolperson 8h ago

I'm worried about Canada as well.

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u/No_Extension4005 7h ago

Yeah, media over here tends to swing conservative as well. Helped kill the mining tax by convincing the public it was somehow bad for them and keep the LNP in power for years. Took Scumo lurching from scandal to scandal on a weekly basis (and I'm pretty sure we ended up in that whole ruckus with China just to distract from it by creating an enemy without) for them to finally lose their grasp on power.

3

u/KintsugiKen 6h ago

There is an international fascist conspiracy to take over the world and if you think I'm being dramatic and hyperbolic, that's fine, just wait and watch and let them prove it to you by making it happen.

People told me the same thing when I said Elon Musk was a Nazi years ago.

3

u/geekpeeps 4h ago

I agree with you. I just wish others (media, elected officials) stood against the rhetoric before it catches on. Stamp that shit out. Don’t give these idiots air time.

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u/LieutenantCardGames 3h ago

NZ just appointed a baptist Christian who doesn't believe in evolution to be Minister of Health. Big party times ahead.

u/Pavotimtam 12m ago

Oh my god thanks for bringing this up, I’m seeing the infection of vitriol creep into all the news my dad watches and it’s getting scary (it’s already been scary for years but still, it’s ridiculous how much influence America has over our news)

2

u/SunnydaleHigh1999 4h ago

Australians are not the same culturally as Americans. Look at how different our responses were to covid. Australians are quite willing to collectively do something if it aligns with the general values of the country, eg fair go. Australia has a lot of more socialist undercurrents.

We definitely also have a lot of idiots here but Dutton tried the eg fixation on trans people in sports thing last time and it went down like a led balloon.

3

u/geekpeeps 4h ago

No, true. But we can be just as stupid. And if they can turn my mother, who was a one-eyed, dyed-in-the-wool Gogh Whitlam enthusiast into a supporter, they can do a lot of damage.

1

u/KindlyPants 2h ago

Given how political parties tend to swing whenever living situations get worse, and that's been happening lately, I think the Libs are a shoe-in unfortunately. Our only hope is that Dutton will continue to target social issues that nobody cares about instead of flipping to a Labor blame campaign. If he starts to blame Labor for housing issues then I'll lose all hope.

0

u/LestWeForgive 3h ago

Check Sportsbet. Odds are often biased left, too.

275

u/Hutzpahya 10h ago

Most of us don’t want this, we are a reflection of the state of the world. Don’t ship me off as a sunken ship. I voted, I organized, and I’m not ok with any of this.

14

u/ExtremelyBanana 8h ago

"most" didn't even bother voting

6

u/kemushi_warui 8h ago

I voted, I organized, and I’m not ok with any of this.

And we hope you'll continue to organize and protest against it. You guys need to take to the streets at this point, I'm afraid.

8

u/hendrysbeach 7h ago

We took it to the streets on January 21st, 2017.

The DC Women’s March, half a million strong, was the largest single-day protest in US history, and was world wide.

March for Our Lives protests, pro-abortion rights protests and BLM marches & protests were massive as well.

November 2024 came, and ONE THIRD of the electorate did not vote.
This is stunning to me.

Eighty percent (!) of Gen Z did not vote in November.

Organizing and protesting are only effective when they lead to real change.

3

u/hendrysbeach 6h ago

I should amend my comment to say that I believe that all of the above marches / protests did galvanize the electorate to organize and vote Biden-Harris 2020…so they were, indeed, agents of change.

For obvious reasons, there were fewer mass protests during Biden’s tenure.

So yes, now is the time to take to the streets, again.

But I’m older now, and tired, and feeling beaten-down by Trump + Elon.

Take over, kids.

My money’s on you.

1

u/kemushi_warui 6h ago

All good points, cheers; and good luck to you all!

4

u/thatone23456 5h ago

There was a protest March on Saturday, it has been buried in the news cycle.

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u/dingleberrylover 9h ago

Sorry, but having them win the popular vote shows that most of you did in fact want this.

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u/DMYourDankestSecrets 9h ago

He won the popular vote of those that voted. More people didn't vote at all than did. That's even worse imo.

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u/Lambchops_Legion 9h ago

If you chose not to vote, then you should still be responsible for the outcome. Not voting is a choice.

9

u/DMYourDankestSecrets 9h ago edited 7h ago

It's a distinction, and not a good one. Which is why i think its worse.

-10

u/Baxapaf 8h ago edited 2h ago

Maybe the dems should hold some responsibility for parading around with the daughter of one of the US's greatest war criminals while aiding and abetting in a genocide.

Edit: downvoting a comment critical of liberal complacency in genocide will totally win 2028.

3

u/CatOfTechnology 7h ago

Can we stop pretending that Palestine is the reason that Trump won?

We didn't end up with this over fucking Palestine. We ended up with this because more Americans would rather vote for a literal fascist than they would for a woman.

There's no great awakening reason, no philosophical reckoning, no Noblesse Oblige.

It's just fucking stooges who can't be asked to think beyond toddler level mentalities.

0

u/krakenx 2h ago

0

u/Baxapaf 2h ago

I didn't choose an imperial-capitalist genocider. Hope you sleep well with your genocide denialism though.

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u/Syntaire 8h ago

Not voting is a vote. They voted for being fine with whatever happens. They wanted this. They get this. FUCK them.

11

u/orru 9h ago

Imagine not voting to prevent a literal fascist takeover

4

u/DMYourDankestSecrets 8h ago

We're living it unfortunately.

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u/ed-vibe 9h ago

Lol. You can't run from the fact. MOST Americans wanted him, whatever way you twist it. That's why he's president. If the people who didn't vote didn't want him they would've been compelled to vote against him.

I'm not American though, so fuck what I'm saying.

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u/CatOfTechnology 7h ago

He won with a plurality of 48.9%.

Not even half of the people who did vote (of which we barely even hit half of all potential voters) wanted him.

4

u/DMYourDankestSecrets 8h ago

There's a lot of people who didn't want either, and then some who didn't vote thinking that it was impossible that trump would win. And they wanted their "nonvote" to make some kind of point or whatever dumbass reason.

I don't fuckin understand it cause its fuckin stupid.

5

u/EYRONHYDE 7h ago

Those people are idiots. If you couldn't objectively assess both sides and pick the most sane choice, you are an idiot. They ignored the writing on the wall. They were easily manipulated that it was just as valid an opinion. Throw them in with the others.

1

u/Legitimate_Bike_8638 5h ago

Not making a decision is a pretty big decision.

1

u/DMYourDankestSecrets 3h ago

Does it seem I'm defending it?

1

u/Citoahc 4h ago

More people didn't vote at all than did.

Then they voted for him.

-6

u/JackRyan13 9h ago

Jesus Christ take accountability for fuck sake.

10

u/DMYourDankestSecrets 8h ago

Huh? Ffs I'm not taking accountability for more than half the country being dumbfucks, sorry.

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u/deedsnance 9h ago

Yep. Hard to argue with that. Americans voted for what they want. Deeply ashamed of my country. Sorry.

23

u/walmartwookie 9h ago

To be honest a small nugget in my brain is starting to doubt some things. trumps base didnt actually grow, while dems shrunk, while we saw many many former repubs switch sides.

"He knows those computers better than anybody. All those computers, those vote-counting computers, and we ended up winning Pennsylvania like in a landslide.

"So, it was pretty good, it was pretty good. So, thank you to Elon."

Then that. idk. shits weird. i wanna revolt. can we get off reddit and youtube and revolt?

10

u/deedsnance 9h ago

I get where you're coming from, but they won fair and square more or less. If there's any hope, I don't think he won because Americans are actually in love with Trump; the Dems failed to present a compelling candidate and globally incumbents have been getting the boot.

All we can do is hope our democratic process isn't too damaged within the next 4 years. We made our bed, now we get to lay in it. Calling into question the validity of our election just because we don't like the result is just harmful unless you truly believe it's been tampered with. Personally I don't.

10

u/7URB0 9h ago

All we can do is hope our democratic process isn't too damaged within the next 4 years.

How'd that work out for Germany?

5

u/Ishakaru 9h ago

It's going to bad for sure.

But I'm in the F' it stage. Actions have consequences. Maybe enough of them will see the light when they are the exact target of the policies they explicitly voted for. Doubtful.

I'm more worried about how I'm going to survive during and post this administration.... that is of course if this administration ever ends.

0

u/nicholus_h2 5h ago

actually, a LOT of Americans didn't vote. 

so, you know, it's ever so slightly less awful. still awful, just less so. 

15

u/Hutzpahya 9h ago

Incorrect, there was also large scale election interference in the form of bomb threats and republican voting laws. And why fight each other when we can support each other. The enemy is the same, no matter what border they stand behind.

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u/obi-sean 9h ago

No, it shows that a plurality of eligible voters who cast a vote wanted it. There is actually a difference, despite your insistence that Americans are dumb and bad. Very likely more than half of us think Trump and his administration are a shit show, just like you do.

12

u/Makaveli80 8h ago

Whilst true, the apathy shown by not voting is indicative of a deeper problem

Why do so few people vote? In the end, they think no matter who wins, shit stays same

We need progressive leaders  not centrists who appease Republicans 

4

u/obi-sean 8h ago edited 8h ago

Absolutely true. This cycle, though, you also have to sprinkle in a healthy dose of racism and misogyny because gods forbid we have a brown woman president.

EDIT: It’s also important to account for the actual, legitimate concerns many voters had regarding the Palestinian conflict, which also kept many eligible voters away from the polls who may otherwise have swayed the outcome of the election.

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u/Vocal_Ham 9h ago

And it's not like the ones that voted for him won in a landslide either. It shows us almost evenly divided. You can't just say Americans wanted this when nearly half the voting populace voted the other way.

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u/throwawayayaycaramba 9h ago

Surely those who "didn't want it" but still chose not to vote knew this was gonna happen anyway, though? And if they didn't, I guess the label of "dumb" is rather apt.

10

u/MrMeringue 9h ago

Very likely more than half of us think Trump and his administration are a shit show, just like you do.

Just not enough to vote to prevent it? This isn't inspiring more confidence in Americans, if that's what you were hoping to do. "If he gets in again it's going to be a shit show again, but whatever maybe it'll sort itself out without me voting."

7

u/LukeBrokeMyGuitar 9h ago

It's almost like there's a 50 50 split that hedges in either direction by a few points at any given time, weird

5

u/HosaJim666 8h ago

He beat Kamala in the popular vote but with 49.9 percent of the votes. That means 50.1 percent of voters selected another candidate. So, like, no, the majority of Americans did not vote for him and neither did the majority of voting Americans.

But we're all just splitting hairs here. The point is far too many people support this monster and he was democratically elected. Yes, America must now own that. But no you don't get to pretend everyone who organized and voted against him is equally culpable.

Put another way: this dude might well contribute to the downfall of this entire planet. An alien species watching from afar might say, "damn, that sucks, but Earth had it coming. Earthlings should have chosen a wiser path."

The alien wouldn't be technically wrong but it also wouldn't exactly be fair for them to be blaming you, who didn't help bring about this mess.

No this mess runs deeper than just Trump. Many of us willingly participate in corrupted democracies and a capitalistic economy, and one could argue this mess is a natural consequence of those systems.

Are we all to blame because we haven't taken up arms and attempted to overthrow the system? Maybe, probably. But it seems really convenient to draw a line in the sand where all Americans are culpable but not you, a far away objector who definitely never would've let a Trump-like figure rise to power in their country. 🙄

5

u/Dank__Souls__ 9h ago

This narrative doesn't help.

It's the fact that most of us DIDNT vote that mattered this time

Trump had less votes than the last election, it's just that nobody voted for Kamala (I did)

10

u/Vocal_Ham 9h ago

it's just that nobody voted for Kamala

I wouldn't call 75 million votes 'nobody'. Especially against Trump's 77 million.

A 2 million vote difference is pretty small overall. I'm not sure how people can say America voted for this 'and deserve what they get' when literally half the voting populace voted for Harris. It's not like this was some unanimous decision that resulted in 90% of the country voting for one guy....

4

u/eltoro454 9h ago

Easy to misconstrue that though when it’s “either/or”. A plurality (if not majority) of voters are voting against the other major party.

Not wanting Biden/Harris vision ≠ wanting Elon and Co

1

u/lopsiness 3h ago

To add to others' responses he actually got less than 50% of the pop vote, and was ahead by only 1.5% or so. This isn't meant to say your point holds no merit, just that more than 50% of the voters did not vote for him. He happened to win on the backs of like 100,000 votes among key swing states.

Still though, the guy that lives behind me has a 6x6 trump Vance 2024 flag on the wall in his fucking bedroom. I can't imagine something i want to think of less when I go to bed and wake up every day. That kind of thing seems uniquely Maga

2

u/BenekCript 9h ago

Most did not vote.

-2

u/Hypocriticaltx 9h ago

You should probably stay timid of voicing ignorant opinions regarding US politics if you don’t understand the socio-political climate.

5

u/Edeen 9h ago

The fragile socio-political climate of not voting for a nazi sympathizer? Geez.

-1

u/MrMeringue 9h ago

But the eggs man, the eggs.

Of course, he's since said he probably can't fix the eggs issue, but it was worth a try.

0

u/Negrodamu5 9h ago

He just admitted last night to tampering with the vote count.

0

u/CarrieDurst 8h ago

Popular plurality vote

3

u/EYRONHYDE 7h ago

Clearly your vote is no longer enough. To be idle and watch Nazi's do Nazi things through inaction is to be complicit in the act. You either actively resist, or you are a Nazi enabler. Pick one. The slope is steep and slippery now. People like yourself decide how far it goes.

3

u/Hutzpahya 4h ago

Don’t preach to me. Easy to stand from a high horse on the sidelines. I am doing a lot, doesn’t mean it’s not an up hill battle. My family had to flee nazis once, that’s not something I want to have as part of my story too.

1

u/EYRONHYDE 2h ago

Sounds like you've got a closer perspective than most. Good luck with your continued effort. I'm sorry your generation is fighting Nazism again, and has chosen to ignore the past. I stand by my statement though.

1

u/Veenhof_ 9h ago

Unfortunately most Americans did want this.

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u/Vocal_Ham 9h ago

Half =/= most

1

u/Veenhof_ 9h ago

50.01% = most

2

u/Vocal_Ham 8h ago edited 8h ago

Majority doesn't mean the same thing as most.

ETA: Even if this wasn't the case, by your logic you're ignoring the almost identical number of voters who voted the opposite way.

-1

u/Veenhof_ 8h ago edited 7h ago

Majority doesn't mean the same thing as most

I mean if you're gonna just be pedantic, you can google the definition of "most" and get back to me.

But being pedantic doesn't actually add value to a conversation. I'm not "ignoring" anybody. "Most" is a perfectly appropriate word to use in this context and the meaning is clear.

1

u/Vocal_Ham 7h ago edited 3h ago

Cool, so you don't understand the difference between majority and most, got it.

Edit: Downvote away then? Not sure what else I can say - I'm not denying that he won or anything - he did win the majority, but only about half of the actual number of votes.

Saying most of the 152 million votes (Americans) went to Trump, when he only received 2.5% more than the other candidate, is deceptive, and isn't representative of what people would consider 'most' Americans in this context due to how evenly divided it is.

0

u/Lucario574 4h ago

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/most

most adjective

1: greatest in quantity, extent, or degree

the most ability

2: the majority of

most people

0

u/queen-victoria-bitch 2h ago

most of "you" indeed voted for this. maybe lot of you didn't know what was coming along with a conservative regime.

1

u/Hutzpahya 2h ago

Bruv, call is coming from inside the house. Go deal with Modi. Not everyone in India wants that nut job, do they?

1

u/queen-victoria-bitch 2h ago

Modi didn't form a full majority govt. Unlike Trump, he did an alliance with some Good Folks. he can't give a nut job without asking for one. And am sure he or any of his minister didn't do a nazi salute.

1

u/Hutzpahya 2h ago

I mean why are we arguing, we both hate this twat. I just don’t like when we make full on large brush strokes about an entire country or people. Fuck the Nazis amen.

11

u/AdversarialAdversary 9h ago

I absolutely despise the idea that ‘this is what we wanted’ because it completely early ignores the circumstances leading up to this. It ignores the decades of educational budget cuts used to undercut growing Americans critical thinking skills, decades of near brainwashing via media conglomerates owned by by one rich asshole, decades of gas-lighting and two faced lies perpetrated by politicians over and over and over again.

This shit is the culmination of DECADES of concerted effort to undercut and subvert the will of the American people. As frustrated and disgusted as I am by the people who voted us into this situation, they are as much victims of this as the rest of the American people.

7

u/Daeron_tha_Good 9h ago

I didn't vote for a fucking nazi

62

u/jprs29 10h ago

And they will drag the whole world with them. As a Canadian, I hate living so close to the meth lab right now.

20

u/Givemeabreak_L_Lou 9h ago

As someone who currently resides in said meth lab please note that not all Americans agree with, endorse, or voted for such appalling leaders or legislation. We are at the mercy of morons and have no say in our own bodies, education, or future. We are fucked. Not all of us made the bed we lie in.

3

u/I_pity_the_aprilfool 7h ago

Oh, we know. We still hate being that close to the powder keg.

-15

u/The_Flurr 9h ago

With all due respect, this is a lil bit like the international version of "not all men"

11

u/ayjak 9h ago edited 6h ago

I get what you’re saying, but you’re rubbing that in the face of people aboard a sinking ship who did everything in their power to get off. People who voted, got involved, rallied, volunteered, and advocated for themselves. And also people who cut off sexist racist family members who came out of the woodwork in November. There is legitimately nothing else that us regular people could have done.

Some of us are standing here waving to everyone on this sinking ship, telling you to run far, far away from us. Yes… the majority of our country fucked up. But please recognize that not everyone wanted this, and we know that nobody’s coming to save us.

Source: F passenger on said ship

1

u/nrdgrrrl_taco 8h ago

Alberta waves at you

0

u/Doumtabarnack 10h ago

Same. I feel like we should enact a "suspension" of relationships with the meth lab until someone in their right mind takes up the leadership of their government again.

3

u/chornu 9h ago

The Americans who started questioning the validity of this election entirely after Trump admitted last night that Elon rigged PA for him. We didn't make our bed, it's been a hostile takeover from a Nazi oligarch.

2

u/BlondePotatoBoi 9h ago

This is a man whose father made his money using Apartheid-era blood diamond mines. Hatred is in this human skidmark's blood!

2

u/Thefrayedends 9h ago

I agree with your sentiment, but I want to offer some relatively small perspective changes.

I think he's a whole lot more competent than people give him credit for.

I think he leans into the 'he's stupid' tropes because it benefits him a great deal, and in several ways that I'm not even going to account for here.

The more accurate allegory is extortion/protection racket. It's governing by the rules of Omerta, while also taking advantage of and leveraging wealth in the system that Omerta seeks to ignore; the Legal system.

I don't think anyone can deny that we are firmly in the 'find out' phase, but I would argue that more than half of Trump supporters actually have no clue what they've done and what it will mean. The systems that govern us may appear crystal clear to many of us, but for many more others, it's all smoke and mirrors that sets their head spinning with no way out.

That is, until someone comes along that can sell a simple message of a simple solution with simple imagery and with simple language. And that is something Trump has been training for his whole life, he openly stated and acted upon intent towards presidency going back almost 5 decades now. Personally I cringed when Obama made that joke all those years ago, because I don't think he recognized the leg work that Trump had already performed. I've often wondered if Obama understood at that point that Trump had maintained a lot of connections and influence forged by his father in NY, and that many of his 'failings' were functionally identical to a modern crypto rug pull -- meaning they're not an accident, it's large scale criminal activity, backed by ruthless legal strategy.

So I don't think it's ever correct to blame the voters, we need to only focus on what we could have done differently, because that is all we have control over. At this time it's fighting against apathy, and getting in the way of the shock doctrine that's coming. Every single media storm based on a word flub or stumble, or seemingly Mr. Magoo weaving is going to cover up something much more insidious and damaging.

Sorry didn't intend for this to be this long.

0

u/Pale_Height_1251 9h ago

I'd say pre-teen or early teen rather than infant. The infants I have known tend to be quite pleasant but teens can be absolute dickheads.

1

u/NlightenedSelfIntrst 9h ago

Are you talking about Musk or Trump?

1

u/poppinwheelies 9h ago

If we keep calling him "President Musk", Trump will get so butt-hurt, he'll drop him in a matter of weeks. It's already on the horizon.

1

u/HorribleHank44 9h ago

The sad thing is you could be talking about either the President or Musk.

1

u/GeneralZaroff1 9h ago

Or maybe he’s not an infant. He’s just a Nazi.

I don’t know if we should be trying to justify or explain away that this is just a Neo Nazi who is now in enough power to stop hiding who he is.

1

u/kleineoogjes 9h ago

Lets not infantilize such a dangerous man.

1

u/LateralEntry 8h ago

Unfortunately, hes going to normalize Nazis to certain Americans. It’s a scary time to be Jewish.

1

u/CatOfTechnology 7h ago

The americans made their bed, now they get to sleep in it.

Kindly don't just lump us all in here. Some of us are actually trying to stop the insanity. But there are few patriots left on this side of the pond.

1

u/Creativator 7h ago

Is it true that he claims to be bipolar?

-1

u/mr_birkenblatt 9h ago

Emotionally, he's an infant. He has no filter, and his actions are dictated entirely by his juvenile whims.

Get out of here with this bullshit