Elon is Hitler? Liberals regress to cancel culture to compensate for their loss. | Opinion
Rather than debate Elon Musk and Donald Trump in good faith or engage them in civil discourse, Democrats have resorted to what they do best: name-calling in an attempt to 'cancel' those they dislike.
If you can’t beat them, call them Hitler.
That seems to be the progressive ploy du jour. Democrats are nursing their wounds after a resounding defeat in November by resorting to playground bullying tactics.
Case in point: At a post-inauguration celebration rally Monday, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a very enthusiastic speech during which he made an awkward gesture that, taken out of context, looked a bit like a “fascist salute” – at least that’s what liberals want you to believe.
No doubt, you’ve seen the photo, as it’s been plastered everywhere the past few days.
Musk, a billionaire who campaigned for President Donald Trump and is a close adviser, has garnered the hatred of the left because he’s rich and because he supports a man whom they despise.
Rather than debate Musk and Trump in good faith or engage them in civil discourse, Democrats have resorted to what they do best: name-calling in an attempt to “cancel” those they dislike.
If you watch the full clip of Musk, it’s clear he got carried away in the moment, in which he said the very frightening words, “My heart goes out to you. It is thanks to you that the future of civilization is assured.”
Aren't Democrats supposed to be the sensitive ones?
Quick side note: As a conservative, I have frequently been lectured by liberals about how they are the kind and compassionate ones. They even put signs up in their yards claiming those virtues for themselves.
So doesn’t it seem a bit hypocritical that it’s the left mocking Musk, who has openly discussed how he’s dealt with Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of autism?
Musk has talked about how “social cues were not intuitive” to him when he was growing up, and that’s still the case.
When he was on “Saturday Night Live” a few years ago, Musk said the following during his opening monologue (in which he also referenced his Asperger’s): “To anyone who I’ve offended (with my Twitter posts), I just want to say I reinvented electric cars and I'm sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?”
Democrats tried to smear Trump as a fascist. It didn't work.
Musk is used to getting maligned by the news media and the left. But his response to the latest attempt to cancel him sums up things well.
“Frankly, they need better dirty tricks,” Musk posted to X, which he owns. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”
Yes, it is.
The past few years, it’s been Democrats’ go-to refrain when they want to wipe a person or group they don’t like from the political stage. Yet, it’s been completely ineffective.
Liberals, along with the willing media, did their best to paint Trump as a raging fascist – blatantly depicting him like Hitler – and the American people saw through that nonsense. Dislike Trump all you like, but he’s no fascist dictator.
And Musk isn’t a Hitler sympathizer. Unlike many of the Democrats who are criticizing Musk now, he stood against the disgusting antisemitism on college campuses after Hamas' 2023 attack against Israel.
The leading defender against antisemitism, the Anti-Defamation League, defended Musk, calling his gesture “awkward.”
On X, the group wrote: “This is a delicate moment. It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety. It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.”
People may be on edge, but this attempt to smear Musk is a symptom of a much bigger problem. For instance, last year, the left went after National Review editor-in-chief Rich Lowry in force over a “racial slur” he didn’t even say – and certainly never would have.
It was another pathetic attempt to cancel a conservative for views the left didn’t like.
People misspeak and make odd gestures all the time. It’s the context and their intentions that matter.
Voters spoke loudly this election that they were sick of the Democrats' intolerance.
And progressives keep proving they’ve learned nothing.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques