The tech billionaire’s apologetic tour of Auschwitz after an offensive tweet is an enormous ethical failure
The world’s richest man has visited one of many world’s darkest locations. Elon Musk has gone to Auschwitz – to be exact, to the museum that preserves the reminiscence of the Nazi camp in that location.
A complete complicated of camps – which mixed mass homicide with brutal slave-labor – Auschwitz performed a key position within the Holocaust, the genocide of Jews dedicated by Germany (with some assist from others) between 1933 and 1945.
The background of Musk’s go to is easy: Final 12 months, the tech billionaire obtained himself into critical – and well-deserved – hassle by retweeting and endorsing an anti-Semitic tweet on X, the highly effective social media platform (previously often known as Twitter) that he took over in 2022. Since then, he has been on what the New York Instances gloatingly calls his “rehabilitation” (as in felony) and “penitence” (as in sinner) tour.
He has referred to as his personal nasty tweet “actually the worst and dumbest publish I’ve ever executed.” He has gone to Israel and de facto helped its authorities in its propaganda effort to “justify” its ongoing genocidal assault on the Palestinians. And now he has visited Auschwitz in an try and sign that he understands the gravity of anti-Semitism and what it led to, particularly, a genocide. Contradictory? Certainly. We’ll get again to that.
Let’s get one factor out of the way in which: Let’s not merely assume that Musk is nothing however a deliberate and full opportunist, doing something he calculates he has to do with a view to mitigate the results of his endorsement of an antisemitic message. Let’s as a substitute give him the good thing about the doubt and assume that, like most of us, he’s appearing out of each base and honest (not the identical as ethically right!) motives. Whereas (once more like most of us) rationalizing away his extra sordid motivations and idealizing himself as merely “true to himself” (as he has tweeted).
As soon as we see him as atypical in that sense, then, clearly – and with none undue tech-hero worship or billionaire vilification – this is a crucial second: As a result of it’s not a lot about Musk personally (though he will get no free move on his nice private failure). As an alternative, it’s a couple of pathological but in addition morally reprehensible blindness in a lot of the societies that make up, to make use of two shorthands, the “West” or the “International North,” and particularly amongst their elites.
For Musk may simply have proven a real and genuinely compassionate understanding of what the teachings of the Holocaust are. Think about the richest man on this planet, who additionally has lots of cultural (within the wider and extra vital sense of that phrase) and political affect, going to Auschwitz and saying one easy and (reasonably) brave factor: “The lesson of the Holocaust is certainly ‘by no means once more’. And that by no means, truly, means by no means: by no means and to nobody and by nobody. Therefore, one of the best – and, actually, the one – option to honor the reminiscence of the victims of the German genocide of the Jews is to now stand with the victims of the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians.”
However Musk, most likely very predictably, did no such factor. As an alternative, he took alongside the well-known right-wing speaking head Ben Shapiro, who has just lately spent a lot of his regular venom on working interference for Israel’s nice crime. As soon as once more, I can’t assist however agree with Jackson Hinkel. His conclusion was spot-on: The go to to Auschwitz – a website to recollect a horrific genocide previously – was perversely instrumentalized to make us neglect a genocide in our personal time.
How did this occur? And the way did Musk find yourself in such a low farce?
Relating to his preliminary anti-Semitic tweet, Musk is now pleading ignorance. Or, in his personal phrases, he has come to really feel that he was once “naïve” concerning the extent of anti-Semitism. That’s, on the face of it, a commendably frank admission. It’s shameful for a person of his age (and means) to decide on to be so ill-informed for therefore lengthy. Possibly there’s some advantage in being open about it now.
But, in actuality, his admission additionally betrays that he’s not sincere sufficient to face the foundation of his personal ethical failure: If he was once “naïve” about how a lot anti-Semitism there’s, then he ought to keep away from being (or showing?) much more naïve now.
However he’s. Musk, in his obsessive campaign in opposition to “wokeness” typically invokes George Orwell, whom – I think – he has by no means learn, like most libertarians and different right-wingers who misunderstand that sophisticated socialist as their guru. Orwell would have kicked Musk’s behind, very arduous. As a result of Musk is true about one factor: He hated mendacity. But, right here is Musk lending his appreciable affect to 3 huge lies:
First, that criticizing Israel is similar as anti-Semitism. That may be a blatant untruth, repeated advert nauseam round his go to to Auschwitz. And he himself has endorsed it explicitly by becoming a member of the refrain of those that smear US college students – from whose guts and judgment of right and wrong Musk may be taught – who come out to withstand Israel’s apartheid and genocide, as merely “supporting Hamas” and “sponsoring hate.”
The second huge lie Musk is now serving to to unfold is that the alternative of anti-Semitism is relentless assist for an Israeli state that’s run by a far-right authorities that systematically and massively abuses hundreds of thousands of Palestinians – together with by killing tens of 1000’s of their civilians – and overtly defies primary morality and worldwide legislation. In actuality, the alternative of anti-Semitism is, after all, to withstand and reject all types of murderous stereotyping. At all times, all over the place, and in opposition to everybody. You by no means facet with the stereotypers and the perpetrators. No, not even those that declare to signify former victims. (And, by the way in which, it doesn’t matter when you really feel “aspirationally Jewish,” as Musk now tells us he does. There are numerous Jews – actual ones, not the “aspirational” kind, freshly fine-tuned by Ben Shapiro – who’re against Israel’s crimes, too.)
And the third huge lie Musk is supporting now’s that the reminiscence of the Holocaust is the property of Zionists to do with as they please. And what they need is at all times the identical: Particularly, use it to close down any resistance to their very own agenda.
Once more, let’s assume that Musk genuinely aspires to be greater than a humdrum conformist adjusting to stress. In spite of everything, he prides himself on realizing his personal thoughts, doing his personal factor, and pursuing the reality. Let’s take these claims severely, not as a result of they mirror a lot actuality however as a result of he shares them with many others within the West (even when they’re much less blunt about their self-adulation). How does such a character reconcile this flattering self-image with such apparent mental inconsistency and ethical failure?
By not perceiving the equal humanity of others. There are, for Musk, clearly, at all times those that matter and those that don’t. Recall, as an example, that the anti-Semitic tweet he endorsed was additionally a imply, racist criticism about migrants, who have been caricatured as nothing however a instrument to demographically “assault” “white” societies. But Musk is now on his “penitence tour” to point out contrition to Jews (as he ought to, simply not the way in which he does), however to not migrants. See a sample?
Recall additionally that one cause Musk has given for his former underestimating of the virulence of anti-Semitism is that so a lot of his buddies are Jews (in order that anti-Semitism doesn’t seem a lot amongst them, he says). I doubt, Musk has – or cares to make – many Palestinian buddies. And the Palestinian victims in Gaza (and elsewhere) merely don’t matter sufficient for him to be value mentioning in Auschwitz, which is exactly the place they should be talked about, as a result of Auschwitz is just not “solely” concerning the Holocaust however about all genocides as nicely.
Palestinian victims additionally haven’t mattered sufficient to Musk to utter one phrase of remorse for his a lot worse than misguided photo-ops and sit-downs with the Israeli perpetrators whereas their genocide was already on its manner. Musk can – as he’s now exhibiting – be (or fake to be?) humble. However, it appears, solely when below stress from these he fears, not from his personal conscience.
The final word tragedy (if that’s the phrase) of Elon Musk – and so many like him – is that he’s far much less particular or individualist than he believes. His lazy lack of consideration to – and empathy for – those that shouldn’t have the ability to hassle and push him is the signal of a deeply atypical character responding to very atypical stimuli. Sooner or later he might notice that “being true to oneself” is a primitive, petty motto worthy solely of an immature narcissist. (Shakespeare hinted at that reality by making an fool say it.) If Musk may be taught to, as a substitute, be true to his conscience and to what different people justly deserve, all different people – now that will be the start of progress. The richest man on this planet absolutely has the means for some real self-improvement. The excellent news: It’s all nonetheless forward of him. Much less Netanyahu, extra, say, Ali Abunimah and Norman Finkelstein; much less Shapiro, far more Kant could be my prescription.
The statements, views and opinions expressed on this column are solely these of the writer and don’t essentially signify these of RT.
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