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Comment by fleshdaddy | Hacker News Reader

I don’t get the cult thing. I encounter way more people who hate musk, often times irrationally than I do big time supporters. I’ve seen plenty of positive takes on him but not people fawning over him. Maybe it’s because I don’t use Twitter and that’s where they’re found but at least the platforms I’m on are dominated by people calling him a muskrat and stuff. Is this anyone else’s experience?

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> I don’t get the cult thing. I encounter way more people who hate musk, often times irrationally than I do big time supporters

I encounter way more people who hate scientology than people who praise it, that seems consistent with the cult label.

I'd be curious to know some of the "irrational" reasons people dislike Musk, I think people's dislike of him is pretty understandable: he's a dishonest businessman and a partisan troll.

I have no doubt that most people, let alone people who have accumulated that kind of wealth have done plenty to deserve some ire. It’s the focus on him that can make it seem irrational and like it’s more because he’s a loud mouth. There are a lot more businessmen doing substantively worse things for the world that don’t catch an ounce of hate. For me that looks a little superficial and does resemble something closer to hating a pop culture icon.

> There are a lot more businessmen doing substantively worse things for the world that don’t catch an ounce of hate

I'm certain nobody likes those vaguely described bad things and would agree those "substantively worse" things are worse. So what? The topic is Elon and thus we see people's reaction to Elon.

> I don’t get the cult thing. I encounter way more people who hate musk, often times irrationally than I do big time supporters.

These things are not connected, it actually makes no sense to say that. I know many more Musk haters than fans but at least 2 of the fans I know are definitely into the Musk-cult where they believe everything Musk does is great, that he has no flaws and any perceived flaw is just a tactic for him to get even further. They really do subscribe to the Musk 4D-5D chess stuff.

That's a cult behaviour, they are just into the personality of Elon Musk with no regards to his actions. The successful outcomes of Musk validates, to them, anything he does, like he is an infallible demi-God.

That's the cult thing.

Really not sure why you are conflating with how many hate or love him, there's no connection to that, at all.

That’s my whole point though. That I don’t encounter those people and my only exposure to the cult is people who hate him/it talking about it. You’re even telling me it’s a much smaller group than implied by all the references to it. I don’t know what is so confusing about that?

I used to think I hate Musk, then I realised I can't stand the fanboys who keep repeating talking points without possibility of engagement(you can't reason with those) and have no problem with Musk and I actually appreciate his way of thinking and it's worth listening to.

Musk lost quite of non-fanboy supporters though, over they years he did things that not everyone can stomach. No one forgot his pedo guy accusation for the diver who saved the kids from a cave in Thailand.

It's sample bias :)

Unfortunately, it became not just politicized but partisan. Republicans 'like' him and Democrats do not.

A long time Elon hater here. It is very infuriating to see this guy do anything and people cheering him on. Everything he does is more infuriating then the last, and I can’t help hating him more and more every day. I think this is a very human feeling. I also think it is very healthy, we should hate people that hold so much power through their wealth. We can’t elect him out or anything, the only thing we can do is hate.

This sounds extremely unhealthy.

> I also think it is very healthy, we should hate people that hold so much power through their wealth.

War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, hate is healthy?

How is it "healthy"? Sitting there hating some random person you don't know "more and more everyday"? That sounds like someone who needs therapy or, at least, a new hobby.

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