(Trends Wide) — Within days of being named Time Person of the Year, Elon Musk took to Twitter to unleash a litany of personal attacks on Senator Elizabeth Warren because he said he “really should pay taxes.”
“You remind me of when I was a kid and my friend’s angry mom just randomly yelled at everyone for no reason,” Musk tweeted to the Massachusetts Democrat. “Please don’t call the manager because of me, Senator Karen.”
Elon Musk y Elizabeth Warren
This is not the first time Musk has resorted to name calling when he disagrees with a US senator.
Last month, after a tweet from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders arguing that the “extremely wealthy pay their fair share,” Musk responded, “I keep forgetting that you’re still alive.”
Musk was, unsurprisingly, applauded by his acolytes for trolling two senators. This guy doesn’t care who he offends! He will say anything to anyone!
Sound like a “compliment” to someone else you know?
Now, to be clear, Donald Trump is not solely responsible for the crudeness of our discourse and our culture. People were rude to each other long before Trump ran for president.
But what Trump absolutely did do was drastically lower the bar for what we expect from our public figures. Rather than at least trying to be a role model, public figures followed Trump’s lead: prioritizing rudeness and cruelty over decency and respect.
Role models were once the real thing. A person who, due to success in sports, politics, or business, others, especially children, looked up to. And that he understood the expectations that such status conveyed in society.
Behavior like Musk’s suggests that the idea of a role model has been scaled down and internet trolling has emerged in its place.
I know which one I prefer.
The point: rudeness begets rudeness. Disrespect breeds disrespect. And when someone like Musk ignores the social obligation that his wealth and success have bestowed on him, he sets a terrible example for those who look up to him.
