Julie Bindel and JK Rowling laughing about the Musk Nazi salute incident

[HumHU3]

Thought someone might have already done a thread on this. I don’t always agree with Bindel but had a lot of time for her, but this has really surprised me. Not sure why they would be finding it amusing - Musk and Trump are hardly figures of fun, for feminists especially, whatever you think of the (clearly far right!) salute.

The first of the two ‘gestures’ in particular was absolutely identical to a Nazi salute. The difference in interpretation depends on whether you believe Musk would not intentionally do such an outrageous thing so it must have been accidental, a gesture intended to signify something else. Or whether you think that someone who’s happy to support the AfD wouldn’t have a moral problem with doing a Nazi salute, and he’s now so powerful he thinks he can get away with anything.

Because it wasn't a "Nazi Salute" no matter how much Lefty SM obsessives want to pretend and some people have made complete fools of themselves by insisting it was.

It would be easier to dismiss Elon's Nazi salute if he hadn't also thrown "white power" hand gestures on Saturday night live and has literally been endorsing the far right AfD party in Germany and loads of other far right figures across multiple countries very recently.

If it quacks like a duck....

For those who say it’s ridiculous to interpret it as a Nazi salute, are you even looking at the same video as the rest of us? I could understand if you said ‘That gesture did look exactly like a Nazi salute but because I don’t believe Musk would do that on that stage, it must have been unintentional.’

Christ! Can't believe how many people are falling for the crap that Musk excitedly putting his arm in the air was a Nazi gesture. He is a friend to the Jewish people.

Julie B is taking the piss out of people who push or belief this misinformation.

And no he doesn't need to apologise for something he did not do. Any apologies should come from the people lying that he did.

I saw him touch his heart and then throw his hand out like he was throwing love out to the crowd, overly sentimental and excitable, possibly, a Nazi Salute, obviously not. It makes absolutely no sense for him to do this and only the gullible and/or politically disingenuous will find a way to insist that he did. I've no idea why I am bothering to engage on this actually, it's just so ridiculous 🙄

And are JB & JKR, also now evil white supremacists because they don't accept it was a Nazi Salute?

What a pointless and childish contribution to a thread that has mostly been quite nuanced and respectful so far, with a few exceptions. My original post certainly didn’t suggest that, I’m certain. I guess this is the reason the internet is no place for sensible debate.

In the end the possible far right gesture doesn’t really matter as much as the far right policies Trump and Musk enable. And they are fucking scary. Just one example - last time Trump was in power children were permanently removed from their parents at the border as an immigration deterrent.

To be clear, I didn’t say they should accept it as a Nazi salute. I questioned why JB would be mocking the situation and, be extension, making light of Musk, Trump etc.

What a pointless and childish contribution to a thread that has mostly been quite nuanced and respectful so far, with a few exceptions. My original post certainly didn’t suggest that, I’m certain. I guess this is the reason the internet is no place for sensible debate.

I disagree with you. It's a legitimate question given that we are told repeatedly it is not enough to not be racist but we must be "anti racist" that is we must rigorously defend against "racism" wherever we see it or this means we too are actually racist. Laughing at a Nazi Salute is hardly a rigorous defence is it?

This was a ridiculous and childish thread to start in the first place.

And if anyone who believes Musk was throwing out Nazi Salutes as the world looked on could explain his strenuous and angry defence on X of H1-B visas id really like to hear it.

Is your passage from Arendt intended to chastise people who are saying they believe Musk did not make a NAZI salute and that Musk never intended this to look like a NAZI salute? (Which I would take to mean you do think people saying this are lying? And therefore do not distinguish between fact and fiction?)
Or are you chastising those posters who are saying it /feels/ like a NAZI salute, regardless of what Musk intended, he is a bad man and he reeks of bad things therefore this feels like a NAZI salute - thus, regardless of the reality of what we see when we watch the footage, we will call it a NAZI salute because this feels real?
From the paragraph you've written under your Arendt passage I take it you mean the former. But it seems obvious to me that Arendt is talking about something much more like the latter - it feels real, and therefore it is, regardless of what actually happened...

anyone with any sense could see it was a nazi salute.

Anyone with any sense could see it wasn't

When Trump mentioned they were going to put the American flag on Mars, Musk excitedly did that gesture imitating a rocket taking off. Just before the said gesture he did a mad dance and then did it again. He was just over excited.

So what was the difference between the two moments? Presumably rocket was prompted by “Mars” what prompted dancing and what the arm gesture?

Musk is an intelligent man (that said, I do not agree with him!). He knew exactly what he was doing. We also all know his right wing tendencies. Whether or not that was meant to align with "nazis" or just be a show of his far right views (which may be right wing if not exactly "Nazi") he knew the loaded meaning of the gesture and what it would convey to people about his political stance.

I just find it weird for people to act all "it meant nothing" when he clearly has a bloody clue what it means and is an intelligent man. Dressing it up as if he's "excitable" is just weird.

I think it's a shame how some people are falling over themselves to excuse it, because they happen to agree with him in certain gender issues. A spade is a spade!

Don't be silly

I actually think you are the "silly" one if you want to call it that. Or perhaps obtuse is the word.

It was a nazi salute

clearly and obviously

people defending it as a Roman Sslute only prove the point, as the “Ave Caesar” salute was the inspiration to the Nazi greeting

those of you saying it was harmless fun, woukd you feel ok if your boss walking into the office doing this salute?

He is an open supporter of the far right. He did not “accidentally” do a nazi salute…

I am very disappointed with the people like Bindel and Rowling saying it is not a big deal and harmless

It was purposely, intentionally, he repeated it in case anyone had any doubt, he did not apologise and clarify he is not a nazi supporter… open your eyes people ☹️

There seems to be ongoing deliberate attempts to draw some gender critical feminists into far right ideology as a whole, which I think is really shameful and dangerous.

If my boss made the same gesture in the same context I would not be bothered at all.

We Jews are dealing with unprecedented antisemitism globally. Our schools, synagogues and schools can children being attacked and abused. Elon Musk has been a friend to Jews and hostages etc. its pathetic to see so many try to smear him because of a clumsy gesture linked to his disability. All because he believes in free speech and challenges their attempts at censorship.

@MySweetGeorgina it’s truly Kafkaesque to demand someone apologises for something they didn’t do.

TBH, I think you’re seeing what you want to see, not what the plain truth is.

This Nazi salute nonsense is more like a crazy MAGA conspiracy theory than anything else.

You might be interested to know that Steve Bannon agrees with you, by the way.

@Rummly and? Does that mean I politically align with Bannon? Of course not.

See what you want, defend the gesture all you want. It just tells me about who you are.