Elon Musk is a twat

I love Monty python @biscuitandcake it's surreal but also makes you guffaw, so it's in the right context, I wouldn't worry! Also, I think the title of this thread is pretty accurate. Elon is a twat. It is surreal that he did that. It makes me think he's trolling now. It just seems mad.

Thanks!
For what its worth, I don't think its worth wasting too much energy worrying about the "waving or saluting" question either or falling out with otherwise likeminded people who see it differently. I do think it will lead to more pushing of boundaries down the line and its right that people ''notice" every time. But not at the expense of getting diverted from the other stuff Trump is doing in the background.

Sorry if the above video offends people feel free to report! Its just that the juxtaposition between the very normal rainy UK and the pantomime right wing Germans with everyone just smiling along is surreal and basically the joke in the Monty Python sketch.

I like your analysis, biscuitandcake, very sensible
I'm still not sure about the not-waving-but-saluting question, but let's face it, there's lots of blatantly obvious stuff to hold against EM - e.g. calling Jess Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" was beyond unforgivable in my book, he'd struggle to go any lower.

The word you are looking for is surreal (and it does feel a bit like going mad and I think that's partly the point). If you want to laugh about it, its like the "National Bocialist's" in the Monty Python Minehead by election sketch. The fake applause and "he's right you know" also remind me of Twitter these days.

https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/s/YBoptO1Y42

I found this a useful side by side.

On the one hand, he can't be doing a Nazi salute in public because that would be insane. But on the other hand he is clearly doing a Nazi salute. 🤔 My brain can't seem to accept it.

Thanks. @biscuitandcake , that makes sense.

I actually googled a German phrase and then Allo Allo, OP.

I think if you google nazi today what you will get is Elon Musk videos.

@SensibleSigma Its more like a Neo-Nazi salute. I know that sounds like moving the goalposts, but its a specific hand to heart and then arm straight out thing they do. I would post but don't want to start googling neo-Nazi salutes because my search history is already really weird. I don't think it necessarily means he is a Nazi, its as likely to be an attention seeking thing or a "triggering the libs" type thing but its not great either way. It sort of reminds me of how small kids will sometimes "swear" but not really putting their other (index) finger up. or three fingers and saying "read between the lines". Its extremely childish (but thinking its being smart) and they get told of. Its the same as the AFD chanting "Alice fur Deutschland" and then smugly saying "what? what's wrong with it?"
I do think it is more likely to be a deliberate attempt to get people calling him a Nazi so they can retaliate with a "the crazy left calls everyone a Nazi" than an accident/genuine naivity on his part. But who knows. We can't see inside his head we can only judge him by his words and deeds.

I mean I’m not rummaging in the dark web or asking neo nazis to demonstrate.

Well one was ‘allo ‘allo, so probably not a big problem. One was that history news reel site whose name escapes me today.

See I really can’t see it. I went back and watched some videos of actual nazi salutes. They are straight armed from beside the hip, directly upwards to that final position directly in front of and slightly above the shoulder.

Musk did a bent arm hand on heart, reach out diagonally across his body and ending up far to the side of his body. Not in front! More like an actress receiving adoration than a nazi salute.

I think it's highly apt!

That's class!

I'm in not two but several minds about Musk's 'salute', having seen it several times, and heard that he was saying 'Thank you' to the crowd at the time.

I also try not to jump to the most extreme conclusion BUT...
every time I look at it, there's some shocking in the horribly-familiar form taken by what is claimed to have been a friendly wave expressing heartfelt thanks to an adoring crowed. Not once but twice.

What was he thinking? What made his arm 'wave' in that way? Was there a subconscious intention? Who happily 'waves' to friends with a stiff arm and hand extended outwards?

Of course now he's gone and done it, there has to be a 'Nazi salute? Pshaw! It was nothing of the sort! Don't be silly!' response from the Trump camp, but it was very unsettling gesture by Musk, intentional or not, and I can't unsee it.

The consensus online seems to be 'definitely a nazi salute' (apart from the ADL who are being ever so charitable and circumspect) so yanno, there is that.

oops I think maybe I mentioned a certain wartime German leader or something like that, got me flagged.

I guess I'm struggling with the explanation for his behaviour. He decided to do a couple of Heil Hitlers on a worldwide stage, but did it kind of a bit weird, like it was in code, plausibly deniable, a secret (globally public) message to his followers, and that he could immediately deny (because he's famously scared of what people think of him).

I guess there are some people who are delighted that he's giving it the big Heil Hitler High5 because either A they love Hitler themselves or B they are glad that he's come out of the Crypto Fash Closet where we can keep an eye on him.

(or maybe he doesn't even need to pay them? 🙄)

I think he pays other people to play for him some of the time anyway?

Pitiful

@BezMills id love for it not to have been a Nazi salute but no point getting g twisted up trying to see anything but what he actually did. People in the crowd did it back and it’s not like he doesn’t have racist sympathies and upbringing.

I’d say some people are desperately trying to say that it wasn’t, when clearly it was. I’m dying at the ADL literally not knowing what to do with themselves.
But Elons funding of far right ideologies worries me more than whether a racist did a racist thing.