Billionaire Elon Musk insists he is a liberal — but is viewed as a far-right “bigot” because “woke progressives” are pushing the left to extremes.
The world’s richest man used his new $44 billion purchase, Twitter, to share a simple stick-figure illustration Thursday highlighting his position in the dramatically shifting political landscape over the last 14 years.
A smiling figure named “me” starts standing left of center close to a “fellow liberal” in 2008, when Barack Obama was first elected president
But by 2012, when Obama was reelected, Musk’s fellow liberal is drawn racing off to the extreme left — so fast that the figure leaves a gust of air.
Musk’s “me” remains in the same spot — but appears even closer to the center because of the gradual shift left.
By 2021, when President Biden entered the White House, Musk’s fellow liberal is now a “woke ‘progressive'” who is so far left it has completely rewritten the boundaries.
It has also shifted the center sharply to the left, leaving Musk’s “me” far to the right of center, even though he has never moved position.
The liberal he was once close to is shown now calling him “Bigot!” — with the conservative figure, who has also remained unmoved, chuckling “LOL!” in response to Musk’s open-mouthed “me.”
Musk elaborated in the comments, agreeing with Shibetoshi Nakamoto when the mysterious Dogecoin creator replied to the figure, “This is how I feel.”
Nakamoto said that “10 years ago i would have called myself progressive cuz i believed in equality and not being an asshole over trivial things.
“Now i consider myself moderate because i believe in equality and not being an asshole over trivial things.”
Musk replied, “Same.”
The cartoon came as huge chunks of the left have freaked out about Twitter’s takeover by Musk, who Forbes estimated to be worth $221 billion Friday.
It has sparked unfounded attacks on his political beliefs, too, including MSNBC anchor Joy Reid’s wild suggestion that the South Africa-born Tesla boss wanted the social media platform because he “misses” the country’s apartheid era.
Many prominent figures on the left have also seen dramatic drops in followers since the takeover announcement — while those on the right have seen huge spikes.
Many have questioned if it was proof of shadowbans suppressing some voices, but Twitter insisted it is “organic,” likely from conservatives feeling ready to return to the controversial social media site.