It is difficult to view Elon Musk in a positive light. Giving him the benefit of the doubt has been ruled out as a viable option because he is always at the epicentre of controversy. While it could have been brushed off as a publicity stunt, the ploys that he engages in are situated within too grand of a scale to treat them lightly. And here we are, once again, reading about his latest escapade where he is embracing the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.
Before Pizzagate he was endorsing antisemitic posts
Elon Musk faced widespread criticism after endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, a social media platform. In response to a post falsely claiming that Jewish people were responsible for promoting hatred against white people, Musk wrote, “You have said the actual truth.” The conspiracy theory, known as the “Great Replacement,” suggests that Jewish people and leftists are orchestrating the replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants, leading to a supposed “white genocide.” The White House condemned Musk’s promotion of antisemitic and racist hate, stating it goes against American core values.
The antisemitic conspiracy theory suggesting that Jews aim to reduce the numbers of white majorities in Western countries by ushering in undocumented minority populations has been spread far and wide by online hate groups and reiterated by individuals like Robert Bowers, the convicted perpetrator of the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the deadliest attack against Jews in American history.
Ensuing Musk’s public acknowledgement of this conspiracy theory on X, he later clarified in posts that followed that he is not a disciple of hatred that the white community extends to all Jewish communities. While setting himself apart from ‘extremists‘, in the same breath, he accused the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of unjustly attacking the majority of the West, asserting that the ADL avoids criticising minority groups it considers a primary threat. Evidently, every phrase that he concocts is problematic, therefore many major players are withdrawing themselves from associating with his platform, X.
U.S. companies, including Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Paramount Global, paused their advertisements on X in response to Musk’s comments. IBM had already halted its advertising on X after reports found its ads placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Other companies like Apple, Oracle, and Comcast’s Xfinity were also reported to have their ads displayed next to antisemitic content on the platform.
In response to the criticism and fallout, Musk took to X to post his disdain where he threatened Media Matters with a ‘thermonuclear lawsuit’ and labelled the nonprofit as evil. Despite the threat, as of Monday (20 November 2023) afternoon, no lawsuit had been filed by Musk. He continued to express his opinion on X.
In the same context, a user mentioned David Brock, the founder of Media Matters, and linked him to James Alefantis, the owner of Comet Ping Pong Pizza, referencing the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory. And that is how one thing led to another and Musk found himself going ruffling the feathers of a case that was presumably buried. Musk brought this post to the attention of his 160 million followers on X.
Musk and Pizzagate
A lethal combination, to say the least. With the X user planting the seed of curiosity in Musk’s mind, he has now started digging up an ugly past. Even amidst an advertiser exodus, Musk chasing after conspiracy theories, though unwise, is very characteristic of him.
Pizzagate is a debunked conspiracy theory that emerged on platforms like 4chan, Reddit, and Twitter in the final days before the 2016 US presidential election. The theory falsely claimed the existence of a pedophilia ring, implicating Hillary Clinton and other Democrats, allegedly operating out of a Washington, DC pizza shop. The baseless allegations led to a disturbing incident in December of the same year when Edgar Maddison Welch, a self-appointed investigator, fired an assault rifle inside the restaurant. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, and Welch later pleaded guilty, receiving a four-year prison sentence.
James Alefantis, the owner of Comet Ping Pong Pizza, first became aware of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory when a reporter from the Washington City Paper called him. The false theory originated from leaked emails from Clinton campaign adviser John Podesta, which were twisted to fabricate a story about a non-existent Clinton-run child abuse ring in the back of the pizza shop.
The theory, known as Pizzagate, gained traction through the infamous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and spread on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Comet Ping Pong and its staff faced escalating harassment, including one-star Yelp reviews referencing non-existent child dungeons. Alefantis, who is gay, became the target of baseless attacks that included repurposed pictures of him with his godchildren, falsely labelling him as a pedophile and incorporating hateful references to his sexual orientation. To make matters worse, prank callers also issued death threats.
The dissemination of disinformation (as opposed to misinformation) is dangerous ground to tread on. While misinformation is unintentional and mostly deals with factual errors, disinformation is the spreading of fake news on purpose. When a public figure like Musk, who wields insurmountable power, endorses fake news that spreads hate, the damage is almost irreversible.
Most people do take what Musk says with not just one, but several pinches of salt. However, that does not imply that he has no followers. On the contrary, there is an entire battalion of people who are faithful to him. People who would believe his words at face value.
Musk knows his target audience. Therefore even though it may appear as if he is spouting nonsense, in reality, everything that comes out of his mouth (especially what he posts on X) could be a calculated and strategic decision. One that may act as a catalyst for disaster.
(Sandunlekha Ekanayake)