Do you have any connections to Tesla or Quinn Emanuel?
1 Like
I read that as “oh boy, he’s not just a fan of Musk, he’s a fan of the whole band”. He knows the dudes lawyer? Ugh…
3 Likes
In a deleted comment he said he has a small investment in Tesla, to which he apparently devotes a disproportionately large amount of research.
It makes me cringe a little less, knowing that all of those comments were prompted at least in part by financial self-interest.
8 Likes
Actions speak louder than words. If you’re taking these libertarian corporate shills at their word, you’re going to be very disappointed in life.
7 Likes
The appropriate way to boycott is to burn it. I learned this on FOX news.
2 Likes
Meh. Mary Barra brought a mass market EV to people long before Elon.
And actually made ventilators.
If only she had a penis.
17 Likes
I’m going to disagree with you mildly on that. There’s generally two ways that a technology gains a foothold in society and eventually climbs up to compete or replace what came before. One is to make it a status symbol and expensive as hell. Get the rich to buy it, and the middle class will soon want one, and then the poor. At which point, you probably have enough money to make cars for those other sectors.
The other way is to get the porn industry to love it. It’s a more… ah… let’s say egalitarian approach, shall we, and leave it at that.
Edit: and none of that is to suggest you’re wrong. You’re completely right,and I thank you for mentioning trains, too.
1 Like
Teslas are so pretty because they have Lotus bodies.
2 Likes
The only Tesla model with Lotus connections is the original Roadster.
I don’t think I disagree with you, I guess you can say the automobile (the thermic one !) was at first a status symbol for the rich and powerful more than a practical innovation for everybody.
But is it a good way to innovate ? Isn’t it exactly why we are in deep trouble with the climate and the environment ? Innovation for the sake of innovation of for status is rooted in consumerism and I guess I’m just not a fan.
But really, don’t feel obligated to come back to work. 
16 Likes
The good news is that unemployment is still issued in cases of suspected retaliation by the employer.
4 Likes
Kind of depends where the affordable housing is located. If economic circumstances force you live out in the sticks, the range might be useful.
IIRC, the wait list for a model 3 is super long. I don’t expect that Tesla would benefit from making a stripped down, affordable car for the people; it doesn’t have the manufacturing capacity to fulfill the demand.
Is it worthy of emergency production? No, not really. No car is.
1 Like
yeah, i’m looking into a Leaf. my commute isn’t far, my wife has a hybrid we can use for longer trips, and low-mileage, certified used ones still under warranty are under $15k. still, the idea of an electric with the same range as a gas car is pretty cool… too bad about the asshole in charge.
to be fair, that’s pretty much the whole auto industry, these days. my wife had a 2000s nissan, it required a special tool (that only they have) to access/replace the brake lights…
1 Like
I’d argue these things are PART of the problem, though. This entire mindset of “tricking” people into consuming only exacerbates our problems with modern mass consumerism. It’s just enforces the concept of endless accumulation of wealth, which is the goal of such narratives… instead we should be seeking alternatives to that mindset, to seeking to a) understanding the problems we face as a planet, b) addressing those problems together. I don’t mean this as just the big issues either (climate change, inequality, the isms, war), but even the little ones (entertaining ourselves in a sustainable way, say). We’re not going to get novel answers to our problems deploying the same broken, blinkered thinking…
Um… no. Porn is NOT. While lots of modern porn is feminist in orientation, one would have to be willfully blind to the history of exploitation and abuse that is part of the porn industry. It’s still an industry dominated by white men, who often just perpetuate the same sorts of abuse in the rest of society. I’m sorry, but women aren’t props to sell shit. We’re people and deserve better treatment than that. 
9 Likes
You can be a fan of his work and not the person. There are a great many people who moved the needle on many things that were raging assholes.
The important thing to remember is that forward progress generally outlives the person who started it, even if they are no longer a part of it.
The goal is to go from expensive → cheap. most of the tech needed to be designed and built, and economies of scale weren’t there.
CNBC tells me the average price of a new car in the US is $36,718. Base Tesla Model 3 is $39,900. Compare that to the $150k roadster or $100k model S. Things are going in the right direction. The key is not letting one CEO torpedo the progress.
Additionally, one only needs to see the reported effects of fewer cars on the road and the effect it has had on traditionally smoggy areas to see that even with dirty baseload power, there’s a net positive to getting combustion engines off the road (at least if you count “progress” as less people dealing with the health effects / mortality issues from smog).
4 Likes
Really good points actually. Relying on capitalism’s slow adoption methods definitely cripples us in a time of urgency. Thanks.
1 Like
Admittedly egalitarian was a poor choice of words. I certainly agree with your points and apologize for a lazy attempt at humor.
2 Likes
Will Elon Musk ever say something so shitty that not even his weird nerd white knights will step up to defend him? We may never know.
1 Like
