It’s sad when an adoolescent Tik-Toker transparently reacts to their screen for virtual tips. But there’s something deeply unsettling about the fact that a guy so rich and powerful, who could satisfy himself with any excess known to man, seems entirely to have given over his impulses to the engagement algorithm.
It feels a little like Robocop 2, except that instead of the villain cyborg being controlled by narcotics, he’s controlled by likes and emojis. Worse, he controls the system and believes his own rhetoric about how we’re all just unthinking neurons in a larger intelligence.
But it’s a great example anyway. The trope that “At least Mussolini made the trains run on time” is a way of excusing terrible people because they can nonetheless produce good results. Much of the improvement in Italy’s rail system happened before the rise of the fascists and Mussolini simply took the credit.
A lot of the same thing happens with Musk. He did not really create Tesla - he attempted (and mostly succeeded) in taking credit from the people who did create the company. Though it is very true that he should get credit for popularizing the use of EVs and supplying the money to make the company possible. He did create SpaceX but his brilliance was mainly in finding the right people to actually make things happen (something Boeing and Blue Origin fell down on) and letting them do their thing.
In the companies where he actually tried to directly lead and personally innovate, i.e. not have the smart engineering/management/whatever types to do the actual smart bits, he fails and fails and fails. If he was half as smart as he likes to think he is, he’d have figured that out by now and just play the rich front man who has a near-magical ability to find the right people to make things go. But he’s too egotistical to let others take credit for anything, even the engineering bits.
Howard Hughes may have had his personal issues, but he was actually a good engineer to begin with. He’s an actual inspiration for the movie version of Tony (and Howard) Stark. So this comparison is all sorts of hilarious. Hughes is the real life inspiration of the fictional character Elmo pretends (badly) to be.
Good point! It’s been a very long time since my exposure to that classic literature, so my recollections are faint! I was thinking in terms of Elmo having a Richie level of maturity, since Richie looks to be about as old as his target audience, maybe 9 or 10. But you’re right, Elmo is more like a really nasty 10-year-old.
So, the “genius” that claims his hat is 10 years old has decided the best way to wear it is backwards? I guess people have been doing this with baseball hats forever so maybe this will be a new trend. I know Stetson says that is the correct way due to the buckle on the hatband being on the correct side, but you know how hard it is to move some hatbands around? If this is truly the correct way, that is one dumbass looking hat. Hope it isn’t a Stetson.
Hey now! He only said his hat is 10 years old and his boots are 20 years old. He didn’t say nothin’ 'bout him actually personally owning or wearing them any longer than the day of his photo op.
Coming next week: Elmo brags that he’s dual wielded submachine guns while marching double time. He might even have a video of it somewhere that he’ll post on his dying social media platform.
About the hat: My experience is 40 plus years old but… in my old experience western hats are worn with the high point of the crown in front. They are clearly marked with a tag inside for “back”. My issue is that he is wearing a felt hat when it is hot and a straw hat would be much more appropriate. In other words, It looks like he’s wearing it correctly, but he’s wearing the wrong hat for the weather.
That is not what I’ve seen. Most have the high point at the rear of the crown. There are a few that do have the front as the high point, but it’s not typically so prominent as seen on Wyatt Musk. Also, the rain runoff flat (I have no idea what it is called) is towards the front. I’m not an expert here, but that appears to be a backwards hat.
Since it wasn’t immediately clear whether Musk was wearing his hat incorrectly or not, Insider reached out to famed hatmaker Stetson for clarification. Stetson’s felt hats are iconic and come in several different styles that cost from $300. The company did not confirm whether Musk was wearing one of its own products.
“From the photos, it looks like Elon is wearing the hat the correct way,” Mark Harris, London director of Stetson, said.
“The buckle is always worn on the left,” he added.
(Eta, I see the post I replied to mentioned this.)
I feel another independent opinion is needed about the hat. It sounds a bit emperor’s new clothes. I could see why Stetson might not want to make an enemy of Elon Musk. It could be bad for business, and that’s aside from Musk’s own personal vindictiveness, cf. Thai cave guy.
If you compare it to the hats of the people around him and go to Stetson’s website you will see that the hat is indeed worn correctly. I do not like, endorse, or admire musk at all. He is wearing the hat correctly, although the brim may not be trained right. It looks like it has sat in a closet without attention. imo
