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Comment by mrmincent | Hacker News Reader

We’ve switched from aiming to get a Tesla to just a Mazda PHEV instead, mainly because my wife doesn’t want to bankroll anymore Elon behaviour. Wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a few conversations like that around the dinner table these days.

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I can't think of someone who, for a lot of people, went from hero to villain faster than Elon. I also dreamed of having a Tesla in the past, but the magic is now gone, and I can't stomach the thought of giving him money.

I bought one before all his shenanigans and I regret it. I went from loving the car to feeling pretty gross about it in the course of like 3 weeks.

Yep. That's us, too. We had been planning to get a Tesla for many years but wouldn't be caught dead in one now.

Sorry, why wont you get caught dead driving one?

It’s not legal to drive while dead. It’s best not to get caught.

That seems like one of those "there's no rule about a dog playing basketball" Air Bud things - unless you can cite a specific law, I don't believe it's actually on the books as being illegal. Also not something I'd recommend, but I'd be very surprised to see a law specifically banning it.

It's illegal to drive without a license, but your license doesn't automatically get suspended/canceled when you die - a loved one has to do the legwork to cancel it. So probably technically legal until a court case involving someone declared legally dead who's just driving around somewhere?

What are they gonna do if they catch me - put me away for life?

You wouldn't drive a car because you're worried about what other people may think of you because they don't like the CEO of the company that made the car that they see you driving in?

You find that weird too?

I wonder if there are people who reside in rural areas who are willing to live without internet rather than have it delivered to them because they don't like the CEO who owns the satellites and the company that put them into orbit.

There are certainly people in rural areas who stopped drinking their preferred beer because they disagree with the values of the beer company. That's the free market for you.

The difference of course is that there are countless of beers.

But only one Starlink.

Teslas aren't special enough anymore to buy even though you and a good portion of the population can't stand the guy who comes to mind whenever you think of Tesla. Especially since the "coolness" of Tesla has always been a big part of the draw

It's like mypillow for many people, why would you buy any of that guy's products if you can't stand him?

Is actually an outlandish thought to you? You must think I'm insane for not eating at Chick-fil-A because of their stance on gay marriage, or for not buying pillows from that weird Trump aficionado. Do you really not think about who you are giving your money to, or do you just not care?

That is not sane behaviour. Do you really think you would be friends with all the people you buy stuff from?

Oh, of course not. This is not about friendship, but about avoid supporting people with values that I strongly disagree with.

But that's fundamentally impossible. Strongly disagree with on what? And at what level down the rung does the support have to be for you to be comfortable disagreeing with them?

It's okay to not act rationally or not be sane in all decisions, but it's definitely not normal.

It's quite simple. I do some superficial research about the companies I frequently buy from, and if they support a cause I strongly disagree with, I try looking for an alternative. Sometimes there is no alternative, then that's ok, but if there is, then I switch. Sometimes I don't even need to research, because they will loudly announce these values by themselves. Have you really never heard of a boycott? "Voting with your dollars"?

I've heard of boycotting something based on the behaviour of that something, not by the location that the something is funded.

If you want to boycott things based on an abstracted emotional value that's up to you, but it's not normal.

Elon posting on Twitter has very little to do with Tesla cars.

Elon was only able to buy Twitter because Tesla sold a lot of cars. Not giving more power to people you don't want to have more power is not an abstract emotional value.

Seems like you have a case of Musk Derangement Syndrome

How many Hitler paintings do you own?

How did you come up with your username? It seems unique?

I'm a huge fan of Tifa from the 1997 role-playing video game FF7.

Labelling any criticism as "_ Derangement Syndrome" is a lazy dismissal.

Huh? How is it not sane?

Voting with your dollars is a key tenet of capitalism. If a company is run by unethical people, I sure as hell won't be doing business with them. Especially when there's plenty of competition, like there is in the EV market.

Yes voting with your dollars based on the value, reception or controversies of that product is super capitalistic and very normal.

Voting with your dollars based on your emotional feelings of some persons actions outside that product is not normal.

There are many people who confuse the two, and the line is constantly being blurred, but one is normal, the other is not. Everyone is free to do non-normal things though.

If it is something that many people do, how is it non-normal?

Why should I deal with a company that I detest for whatever reasons?

I don't use any Facebook products, I don't buy anything at Amazon, ever, and frankly, I also would never ever spend money for a Tesla.

I don't think making such choices is insane in any way, shape or form.

You dont buy anything from Amazon, what are you using instead ?

You may not think it is. But it is. If none of your reasons are because of those companies, their product or how they are run, then it is insane.

I don’t give a shit. I’m eating Chick-fil-A. Forty years from now I’m not gonna remember Trump this or gay marriage that. If I want to feel like I’m helping people I’ll go actually help real people instead of partaking in some weird power games played between people I don’t know.

He said "wouldn't be caught dead in" which implies fear of embarrassment and judgement from others, not a principled stance, which is completely outlandish to me.

Your stance is not outlandish to me, but I do fall in the "just not care" camp. I have no problem at all doing business with people who disagree we me as long as the transaction is acceptable on business terms.

Similar. Waited ages in Australia for the Y to arrive, then Elon went nuts, then real competition started to arrive. Everything from Audi to BYD here now, some even have buttons where buttons make UX sense.

An electric Audi in Australia has an entry level 2022 sedan model price of AUD157,000 is hardly "real competition".

A Model 3 2023 Tesla entry level 2023 has a price of $61,000.

BYD Atto3, sure. Entry level order price is AUD48,011.

But if one is so sensitive and basing purchasing options on an American billionaire's behaviour then surely you would also take into consideration that purchasing a BYD is financing multiple multi-millionaires who are members of, and have close ties to, the human rights abusing and despotically led CCP.

Which one is the lesser evil here?

* https://www.carsguide.com.au/audi/e-tron

* https://www.tesla.com/en_au/model3/design#overview

* https://bydautomotive.com.au/atto-3

If you tie your company to the your identity person as tightly as Musk has done, you shouldn't be surprised when people make purchasing decisions based on the political and social views you espouse so loudly. Nobody knows who BYD's leadership is unless they look really hard.

so lack of awareness makes support of that behavior more acceptable?

It's the opposite, surely – awareness makes support of that behaviour unacceptable.

You also don’t want to drive a car designed by someone who is off their rocker, for safety and reliability reasons.

Cult of personality is real

I’m not getting one, but I would like access to the Tesla charging network

Burning gasoline to thwart a billionaire.

Buying an 8000 pound electric truck to avoid burning gasoline.

TIL no one else sells electric vehicles?

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