The toxic masculinity of Elon Musk

Will no one say it? There is a major problem with Elon Musk. His banshee-like behaviour, Nazi salutes, and obnoxious tweets are nothing compared to the chaos that he is unleashing on the US. Between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the world’s biggest superpower may just implode. Musk’s gestures and words are aimed at drumming up a kind of euphoric atmosphere, whether online or offline. He makes light of antisemitic body language, not acknowledging gaffes but rather celebrating his own idiosyncrasies as an affirmation of well-thought-out strategies. His behaviour is welcomed by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists. He rails against immigrants and is a vociferous critic of open borders and illegal immigration. He often urges that borders should be closed. Musk is an immigrant himself from South Africa, a recent news report alleged that he had briefly worked illegally in the 90s; a claim that Musk has since denied. He has adopted a softened stance on H1B visas that brings skilled workers to the US and gone against the Republicans who advocate a more hardline approach to all immigrants. Proving once again that Musk’s attitude to all issues comes from self-serving intentions.

With no reason, justification, or advance notice, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been instigating a slew of knee-jerk measures that have had far-reaching repercussions on America and the world. Almost overnight, USAID which supports millions in unprivileged parts of the world, was brought to a halt. The irony is hard to miss — as Bernie Sanders said, “the richest man in the world is dismantling USAID, which feeds the poorest children in the world”. USAID contributes billions of dollars to the most impoverished African nations throwing the future of already at-risk communities into further disarray. America is the world’s single biggest donor that fuels millions of dollars worth of assistance to sub-Saharan Africa. There could be a need for auditing of ongoing programs seeking better productivity and results. But to bring all aid to a standstill can cause humanitarian crises.

Under Musk’s tutelage, Trump, who relishes passing executive orders, has also demolished diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. The rollback of government support to diversity programs has already caused ripple effects. Tech behemoth, Google, has shunted diversity hiring goals citing Trump’s orders; tech consulting giant, Accenture, too will end DEI policies. Meta and Amazon also winded up inclusivity programs. This is just the beginning; expect many companies to willingly follow the government diktat. Maybe they never truly believed in the diversity credo; jumping instead onto the DEI bandwagon when it seemed sexy; discarding it when it found no favour. Most will fold in the eye of the storm to keep government business and avoid layoffs. Watch out for those entities and individuals that will find ways to stay committed to DEI.

Now, as a woman, let me draw your attention to the toxic masculinity of Elon Musk. His tweets and remarks often smack of misogyny (refer to his distasteful tweets to Taylor Swift and using her digitally altered images). Or his creepy behaviour of birthing children and expanding his progeny — a medieval attitude towards annexation of clout! He’s had 12 of his own, and now wants the world to mass breed. A narcissist and pro-natalist who veers towards eugenics, is a volatile friend to place beside Trump, who may further curtail women’s reproductive rights.

Musk seems drunk on power already — the swagger with which he comes on stage, the flailing of arms as if he has KO-ed the opposition — he is a power bereft of responsibility, making Musk possibly the single most eccentric, unpredictable, and dangerous man on earth. That the commandments from DOGE are coming from 6 young engineers barely in their twenties — one of them is just 19 — has been another cause for alarm. Their access to classified and sensitive information of national importance has created a furore among Democratic senators. Sure, they may be overachieving tech prodigies but where’s the wisdom, restraint, and experience? We can be assured that none of the latter is coming from Musk either. What’s happening is the unfettered access to reams of confidential information and data.

A little note to Indian tech bros — Musk’s business prowess, intellectual brilliance, and pioneering abilities, are undeniable qualities. But before you fanboy him, just stop and see the larger picture. You stand gawking at him with puppy eyes, fly out in a heartbeat to celebrate SpaceX’s success, you legitimise this monster. Stop your cranial calculations and ask, what does he truly stand for? He is a misogynist at his best and an oligarch at his worst. A brilliant mind need not always give rise to the “good” ideas. Hitler was a brilliant mind too. The global political order, including India, must watch with caution, while Americans should be afraid…very, very afraid.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal