Elon Musk publicly fixates on a teenager, everyone else cringes
Elon Musk has never been shy about defending his right to say awful things in public, even taking a defamation case all the way to court to protect his ability to call someone “pedo guy.” Now he’s back in the spotlight for a different kind of public misjudgment: loudly and conspicuously fixating on a teenage girl online, to the visible discomfort of everyone involved, not the least of which is the teenager herself.
Morris noted that Musk could have chosen to be constructive in his remarks. Instead, he opted for a take that some commentators labeled “pervy“ and “crazy.”
“It would’ve been really cool if he commented something like, ‘Oh wow, look how many academic things she’s reached,’ or whatever. That would’ve been great. It could have been so helpful,” she said.
Keen to look on the bright side, she added: “[But] if this just at least brings it to the attention of anyone who cares, then I’m fine with being embarrassed a little bit. That’s okay.”
This episode fits neatly into a long-running pattern in which Musk treats social media as a consequence-free playground, confusing provocation with authenticity and attention with approval. The same man who once insisted an insult was “just a joke” now demonstrates, again, that callousness is not a sense of humor.