Summary

The German government accused Elon Musk of trying to influence its February 2024 general election by endorsing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

It acknowledged Musk’s right to express his opinion but dismissed its potential impact, calling his remarks “the greatest nonsense.”

Musk described the AfD as Germany’s “last spark of hope” in an opinion piece for Die Welt, sparking backlash and the resignation of a senior editor.

Musk has also faced accusations of trying to sway the 2024 U.S. election in Donald Trump’s favor.

  • reddwarf@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    5 days ago

    So if I read you right we can just about do nothing with what we face. We can all see what is happening and any action to remedy it is worrying and potentially a dictatorship, a decline in freedom of speech even.

    Sometimes you can clearly see what is happening and normal counter behavior is not working. The ‘other’ side is not adhering to your standards of democracy and is in fact using your standards against you. This sounds like the playbook from the right: they can do and say shit all day long as they are not held to the same standards as liberals are. Liberals need to be pitch perfect or else they face internal backlash. Conservatives on the other hand can literally shit in the halls of the capitol and face no consequences. And that is the least of our problems, they also use democracy to eliminate it, to turn lives of others in a dystopian hellhole and they will not only succeed, they are cheered on by a large portion of society.

    But whatever, this is what America wants. There was an election and they won, end of story. I can’t even get mad anymore, if this is what the people want then by all means, this is what they get. Who am I to say people voted wrong? It is a free country where you get to pick you representatives, even if it means these same representatives will use that gained power to erode the same system they used to get elected.

    I don’t blame conservatives to be honest, I blame the rest for allowing this to happen and who are repulsed and get morally conflicted when counter measures are suggested if things start to go south. In my opinion you do need strong actions to preserve democracy, measures that are sometimes in conflict with the whole idea of democracy. We need to learn that preserving democracy is sometimes an ugly business which requires dirty hands once in a while. But if that is not palatable then we are doomed to lose it because guess what, the other side has no such restrictions or moral conflicts, they will take it away from you.

    • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      5 days ago

      So if I read you right we can just about do nothing with what we face

      Ahh - there it is. This is where the leftists and maga overlap. Nihilism and the belief that you need control to make things right because they want to destroy everything!

      Sometimes you can clearly see what is happening and normal counter behavior is not working. The ‘other’ side is not adhering to your standards of democracy and is in fact using your standards against you. This sounds like the playbook from the right: they can do and say shit all day long as they are not held to the same standards as liberals are. Liberals need to be pitch perfect or else they face internal backlash. Conservatives on the other hand can literally shit in the halls of the capitol and face no consequences. And that is the least of our problems, they also use democracy to eliminate it, to turn lives of others in a dystopian hellhole and they will not only succeed, they are cheered on by a large portion of society.

      I could replace “Conservative” with “libs” and “left” with “right” and post this on truth social.

      But whatever, this is what America wants. There was an election and they won, end of story. I can’t even get mad anymore, if this is what the people want then by all means, this is what they get. Who am I to say people voted wrong? It is a free country where you get to pick you representatives, even if it means these same representatives will use that gained power to erode the same system they used to get elected.

      You’re not wrong - you lost. Deal with that. But it doesn’t mean you can’t fight back. But do so with words and convincing people of your virtue rather than jumping to “silence the opposition”.

      You want to do something? Run for office. Work for a campaign. Get signatures. Do work rather than whining on lemmy.

      • reddwarf@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        5 days ago

        So I respond with words yet you condemn me as being the same as how others are actively destroying democracy. I look for answers but you cannot help yourself in mixing it all together as one, it’s all the same. Nihilist my left foot…

        To be honest, you are just here to antagonize, not to discuss, or so it seems.

        For the record, I am not American so no running for office nor should I if I were eligible as I have no answers nor solutions.

        Well, back to my insignificant corner I go, this leaves you the space to project your version of ‘what is right’.

        • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          5 days ago

          So I respond with words yet you condemn me as being the same as how others are actively destroying democracy. I look for answers but you cannot help yourself in mixing it all together as one, it’s all the same. Nihilist my left foot…

          It’s you who condemn you - I’m just pointing out the obvious. Your style of argument is the same. Do you not know any maga? They sound a lot like you. You’re both very concerned - to the point of near paranoia - that they are trying to destroy your way of life. They are evil and must be stopped at “all costs.” And we should limit their speech as dangerous. Because if we don’t, they will.

          You may not have maga where you are - you may have their local equivalent. All I know is that this hyper-partisanship needs to end.

          For the record, I am not American so no running for office nor should I if I were eligible as I have no answers nor solutions.

          “One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

          • reddwarf@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            4 days ago

            This is tiresome, you are not here to discuss and exchange ideas but you are here to antagonize and ridicule. For some odd reason you think you are above me. It’s odd. You will deny, of course, and perhaps I am not 100% right but I have to do with what you give me and that is the attitude of an obnoxious child trying to rectify others by the power of imaginary higher morals. Let’s not beat around the bush here: you are behaving like an confused asshole.

            As long as you keep using that tired trick of “both sides are the same” we will progress nowhere in this thread other then you polishing your imagined sense of superiority.

            So no sensible attempt, however good or bad it may be, from my side anymore. You are just here to waste my time.

            And to put a cherry on your arrogant cake you close with some meaningless quote.

            Here, I will close with a BS quote as well:
            “Those who profess anyone can enter politics will end up being ruled by the incompetent”.

            And that’s it, I’m done with you.