this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2024
469 points (97.2% liked)

News

23296 readers
4111 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Musk has posted about an impending civil war on his social media platform X at least eight times in the past 10 months. Some warn it’s dangerous rhetoric.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has repeatedly prophesied a future civil war related to immigration.

Musk has posted about the subject on his social media platform X at least eight times in the past 10 months, according to a review of his posts by NBC News. And his posts usually include a specific prediction: He thinks that Europe in particular is headed toward a “civil war” due to the arrival of refugees from other continents.

Musk’s interest in the subject of a civil war poked into public view earlier this month when he weighed in on anti-immigration street riots happening across Great Britain. “Civil war is inevitable,” he wrote on X.

...

Musk’s rhetoric is unheard-of for a corporate executive speaking in public, but the prediction of a civil war has become a frequent talking point among some far-right activists who view a civil war in Europe or the U.S. as not only unavoidable but also as something to be welcomed.

“What you’re seeing in these calls for civil war is a white supremacist clarion call. It is a dog whistle,” said Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world 120 points 3 months ago (6 children)

I have a feeling that too many people are seeing a civil war through the lens of Hollywood - where you get to follow the hero and his/her ragtag group. They get into trouble, get hurt and knocked down but in the end they prevail and save the day/country. While there maybe blood and violence it's never really too bad.

What I think people don't understand or want to think about is how fucking miserable a full blown civil war would be for most everyone. Sure the mega-rich will be able to wall off the worst of it, but the 99% are going to feel it and it would suck.

So to all those people that are wishing for a civil war - fuck off. You will not be the Hollywood hero you think you will be, more than likely you will be one of 1,000's of corpses littering the ground.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 48 points 3 months ago (1 children)
  • mega-rich

  • the 99%

The two parties of the war that we actually need.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Hexbatch@lemmy.world 21 points 3 months ago

The super rich make bank on civil wars. A good and proper war in any developed country would make hundreds of new billionaires and thousands of new millionaires: the hugest wealth transfer in history for that unlucky country.

Meanwhile most of the patriots, true believers, on all sides, who fight, would be dead or maimed or locked up. With most others stuck in poverty , illness and bad leadership whoever won.

Its good business for Musk and company to give a little push now and then

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 13 points 3 months ago

You did a good job of enumerating my thoughts. I think that they think that war will be enable them to act out their power fantasy and line up how you’re saying.

[–] _bcron@midwest.social 10 points 3 months ago

The only people wishing for civil war are too short-sighted to understand how horribly it would go for them. Ports, airports, water treatment plants, data centers, power stations etc etc etc predominantly located in urban areas. Good luck to the AR-15 loving whackjobs when they're instantly landlocked and deprived of foreign trade and means to communicate. They turn on the TV and the only broadcasts they'd see are "this can end now and it all starts with you"

[–] Thrashy@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I've found myself taking a paradoxically accelerationist stance about it, for this exact reason. At the moment, those on the right agitating for violence are a minority, and those that are actually prepared to act consist primarily of a few thousand militia LARPers and an even smaller number of actually-capable fighters. These groups are gradually accruing malcontents while the right wing's filter bubble casts their ideas as acceptable, but the sooner those chuds decide to go loud, the more lopsided and emphatic the beatdown will be -- provided that the armed forces are under the command of non-authoritarian President. Afterwards the public condemnation of insurrectionists will effectively choke off recruiting. Conflict feels almost inevitable at this point and giving the violent authoritarian fringe more time to plan and recruit only makes that conflict deadlier.

[–] ultranaut@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The militia movement has grown massively in recent years, there's thousands of militia members in most states at this point.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] oakey66@lemmy.world 71 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I was always told that billionaires are so caught up in their work and are constantly making money and hustling. This man has more time on his hands than a homeless dude. And he owns like 4 companies? Just goes to show that this is all part of the mythologizing of wealthy people and in their boredom they develop the most perverse self perspective that idolizes themselves. They also surround themselves with yes men who help perpetuate their ego until it grows out of control and turns them into fascists.

Just a thought.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 20 points 3 months ago

Reminds me of the saying, we do not all have the same 24 hours.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 63 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Let's not forget that the recent racism fueled rioting in the UK was triggered by a lie that was spread and amplified on Twitter.

[–] fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 20 points 3 months ago

Just like Brexit, the Kremlin's disinformation on social media is behind it.

[–] AshMan85@lemmy.world 41 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This guy and the other oligarchs are the 2nd biggest threat to the country.

[–] Enkers@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What's the first? Right wing nationalism? If so, it's been systematically propped and fostered by the oligarchs to sow division. It wouldn't be the problem it is without their continued support.

[–] AshMan85@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Before Trump they did not have a champion.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 36 points 3 months ago

Apartheid Clyde is interested in Civil War huh? Ya don't say.

[–] bradorsomething@ttrpg.network 32 points 3 months ago (2 children)

You can tell people have never seen civil war when they’re excited for one.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago

Or any kind of war.

[–] ours@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

It's not so bad... for the super-rich and powerful who can afford to buy protection or simply jet off to a peaceful place while cheering for whatever side they favor.

Remember this guy was born in a white-minority-ruled country. Comfy in his luxury gated community while paid tugs would break the heads of the blacks who would dare poke out of their "townships" (shanty towns) to ask for fair treatment.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 27 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I don't know why we haven't simply eaten him yet.

[–] Red_October@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The walls around his castle are too high and there are too many guards.

[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 months ago

Where do the guards live?

How high are their walls?

Eat the rich - and their tasty appetiser henchmen.

[–] Manifish_Destiny@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

I bet they're also made of meat.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 27 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Just another tool who expects a) everyone else would do the fighting and dirty work, and b) he’s going to be on the winning side and in charge.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

“What you’re seeing in these calls for civil war is a white supremacist clarion call. It is a dog whistle,” said Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism.

Hmmm ....

"The Turner Diaries is a 1978 novel by William Luther Pierce, a neo-Nazi and the founder and chairman of National Alliance, a white nationalist group, published under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald. It depicts a violent revolution in the United States which leads to the overthrow of the federal government, a nuclear war, and ultimately a race war which leads to the systematic extermination of non-whites and Jews. All groups opposed by the novel's protagonist, Earl Turner—including Jews, non-white people, "liberal actors," and politicians—are murdered en masse."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turner_Diaries

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The fact that I've heard people unironically call for the Day of the Rope.

That's the ending of the book when the liberals lose power because of all the fucking nukes that the "Heroes" dropped and the "Good White Men" stand up and start lynching all the people who "Let it get so bad" in public. The book even says that many "Innocent" people were killed in the conclusion of it, but the heroes write it off as a "necessary sacrifice for the greater good"

It's full of insanity that feels more like parody, but this is their actual fantasy... A war-torn uninhabitable nuclear wasteland where the survivors just pick non-descript fruit all day.

This is a book where the good guy beats a white teenager to death withe a crowbar because she had the gall to get raped by a black man, and that's obviously her fault.... /s This guy is said to be a calm nerdy type who was liberal all his life too..

It's also said that white feminists legalized rape to promote equality between the sexes, yes I'm not kidding. The whole book is the most fucked up piece of shit I've ever seen in my life.

There's just.. so much wrong with Turner Diaries it makes my spine hurt. It really reads like a cautionary tale about fascism written as an extremely edgy parody of "What Right Wingers actually believe", but... no this book really means that...

Edit: Wait what did he say that had to do with the Turner Diaries.

[–] pdxfed@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago (3 children)

He's going to try to run after Trump, isn't he? Would be shocked if he didn't. He's already setting up his confederate pivot

[–] ArugulaZ@lemmy.zip 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I don't think he's actually eligible. He was born in South Africa.

[–] Murvel@lemm.ee 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In the land for the rich, I doubt that technicality is going to be a problem

[–] frunch@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Exactly what I'm thinking. We're letting trump run in spite of his felonies, i don't see why the richest prick in the world wouldn't try to inject himself into our countries politics. He could drop 10 billion on the endeavor and be no worse off whether he succeeds or fails at the gambit

[–] Dipthong_Charlie@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

the constitution has a specific rule that presidents have to be natural born citizens. the only other limit is minimum age of 35. there are no rules that say a felon can't be president. well, no rules yet.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

When can we deport him? Trump want to deport anyone not born here and in this case I might want to help.

[–] finickydesert@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 months ago

Ay yo! What's up with south Africans and civil war?!

[–] MediaSensationalism@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Propagandists must spend a fortune influencing the wealthy. If enough is known about them, they might even be targeted by advertisements at the individual level by fine-tuned demographics.

[–] r00ty@kbin.life 3 points 3 months ago

I dunno, Elon musk would be the equivalent of old Kent Road in monopoly (or whatever the cheap first properties after go are in your localised monopoly). You could build some hotel sized conspiracies with him for very little investment.

[–] fubarx@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 months ago

"Investors, don’t waste an economic crisis. Turn market or economic turbulence to your advantage."

https://archive.ph/j8GO0

[–] uebquauntbez@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago (2 children)

And now the winner is drumrolls E L O N Musk! He's the first living entity to be shot to mars!

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

Curiosity killed the rat

[–] ArugulaZ@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

He should be the first living entity to be shot THROUGH Mars.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

He's just trying to sell more cybertrucks.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Because it's what he needs to say to feed the cult.

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Together we stand, divided we fall.

Divide and conquer.

This is all you need to understand. Anyone that considers civil war in anyway is doing it so they can be part of the divide. The purchasing and changing of Twitter into what it is now is part of that plan. Twitter was a unique and special together that the world shared. Musk's destroyed that town foyer that was bringing the whole world together.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 6 points 3 months ago

Fascist is obsessed with violence, yes

[–] minibyte@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 months ago

He plans to sell to both sides.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago

The thing with civil war in a borderless, increasingly small world is that it is very difficult to be sure that you will survive it...even as a captain of industry.

[–] ChillPenguin@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

He's right... But about the wrong thing. Eat the rich folks.

load more comments
view more: next ›