Elon Musk has identified the party most responsible for antisemitism on Twitter. It’s ‘the Jews' — specifically the Anti-Defamation League. Musk shared his thinking by adding his opinion to a tweet by “Keith Woods.” Woods is the nom de Twitter of Keith O’Brien, a nasty little, virulently antisemitic, Irish fascist. Previous management had banned him from Twitter. But he is now a fellow traveler with the site's new owner.
Musk’s words were clear.
“The ADL, because they are so aggressive in their demands to ban social media accounts for even minor infractions, are ironically the biggest generators of anti-Semitism* on this platform!”
Here is the OP and Musk’s contribution
This is not the first time Musk has promoted O’Brien on Twitter or banged on about the ADL. He liked a previous post in which Keith had said:
“The ADL’s favourite tactic is financially blackmailing social media companies into removing free speech on their platforms. Why should they have a platform on X to hold @elonmusk to ransom? It’s time to #BanTheADL.”
Being a smug sophist, Musk could argue that he is not saying the ADL is antisemitic, only that their actions cause other people to be antisemitic. (Note the careful language “... are ironically the biggest generators of anti-Semitism on this platform!”) However, that would be like claiming that you were not blaming the victim for her rape when you said she was wearing a short skirt. You only meant that if a woman wears a short skirt, what does she expect?
Regardless, when you add your thoughts to those of an aggressive bigot — who himself is speaking affectionately of a demented conspiracy theorist, one who tells parents their massacred children are not real — you have smeared yourself with the same shit they are wallowing in.
Given Musk’s enthusiastic embrace of the conservative joy of hate, a reasonable person would believe that Elon is happy to smear America’s most prominent Jewish organization as antisemitic. He is just waging war against “woke” on another front.
Unlike many MAGAs, Musk is well-read. In all likelihood, he has seen the ADL’s website. On it, the Jewish group celebrates the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by saying, “The ADL continues its unwavering support in the fight for democracy, social justice and civil rights.” That will have fired up the anti-woke warrior’s intolerance.
People have speculated that Musk is insane. Is he? Insanity is not in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the bible of psychiatry. And it has no medical definition. It is a legal term that refers to a defendant’s state of mind while they are committing a crime. A court will deem a person legally insane if they were, when they committed a crime, incapable of knowing whether their actions were right or wrong.
I suspect Musk knows full well his words are deliberately offensive, but like sniggering nose-pickers everywhere, he does not care. By the legal definition of insane, Musk is sane. A psychiatric examination would likely reveal he has several anti-social personality disorders. However, in layman’s terms, he is no more than a bully with money.
[Update: Musk is now suing the ADL]
*Aside: the preferred spelling is ‘antisemitism.’ Jewish groups, including the ADL, consider the previous use of ‘anti-Semitism’ as being too “wrapped up in complicated historical, political, religious, and social dynamics.” Do not expect Musk to change. He is the sort of petty man who insists on using ‘Democrat’ instead of ‘Democratic’ as the adjective to refer to the Democratic Party.
