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—Curt: Accusation:”1) You seem pretty confused. 2) Government stopping leftists from supporting whatever would violate the 1st amendment. 3) that has nothing to do with using the government & taxpayer money to interfere in a foreign country’s domestic politics. Tax and spend imperialism.”— @findfredhampton

Well, of course, I agree with the second statement.

Although, regarding the first, I am very likely one of the least confused people living at the moment – something I can say with reluctant confidence, and a great deal of sorrow and frustration.

But your third statement is false. Musk doesn’t use government and taxpayer money. He doesn’t have to. He’s the richest private citizen in the world (despite lagging far behind Putin.) He only uses his own money, and even then it’s not money he uses so much as his intelligence, credibility, and his platform.

Just like every other person in the media, every other public intellectual, every other private citizen some percentage of the population looks to for understanding and advocacy.

Given it’s part of my job, I write criticisms of the UK government and population and certainly public intellectuals with some regularity. Just like many other countries. And, despite reaching millions in the past, only reach tens of thousands today. And much of my work is dense if not incomprehensible to many.

Instead, Musk is very good at saying the obvious – what many others are thinking – with clarity and parsimony. In doing so he gives legitimacy to those many people who think the same thing but are uncertain of the commonality of their thoughts.

Cheers,
CD

Reply addressees: @findfredhampton @eyeslasho