Giving Love to the Crowd or Repeating History?
DanielGoldhorn, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Elon Musk did a salute at the inauguration of Donald Trump. People reacted.
There is an intense debate going on about whether Musk did the Nazi salute at Trump’s inauguration. People believe that this is what he meant, but others say that he is autistic or that he wanted to show his “love” to the crowd.
“There’s also the argument of dyspraxia, a movement and coordination disorder that’s common in autistic children,” writer Ashley Broadwater said in her article on Huffpost. “Some on social media suggested Musk’s salute could be a product of that.”
There is controversy because he clasped his hand against his chest twice and put his palm downwards. Not only once, but twice. One was done toward the crowd and the other, he turned around to face the rest of the audience. This was seen as a replica of Hitler’s salute.
“Some right-wing personalities interpreted the gesture as a dog whistle professing that extremist beliefs would be welcome in the White House,” said writers from the Washington Post.
“Holy crap … did @elonmusk just Heil Hitler at the Trump Inauguration Rally in Washington D.C. …” Evan Kilgore, a right-wing political commentator, said on X.
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1982-159-22A / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons
“Andrew Tate, a controversial influencer, wrote, “’This is incredible’ and ‘We’re so back’ in response to a clip of the gesture,” said Washington Post writers.
People have been arguing about how the crowd reacted all over social media. Tate's reaction to what he did to Musk may be proof that they knew exactly what they were doing. The crowd at the inauguration cheered louder when this action was done. This is what Americans are worried about because it seems that the powerful Republicans are supportive of this behavior. Musk having autism is being used to defend him, but does this work as an excuse for his actions?
“The criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) is long and specific, and you can easily access it on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website,” Broadwater said at Buzzfeed. “But essentially, ASD includes symptoms such as struggling with back-and-forth conversations, avoiding eye contact, insistence on routine, fixated interests, and sensory discomforts, to name a few.”
Maybe Musk’s actions were due to his autism. Many people, including Musk, defended his actions. He posted several times on X about how what people were interpreting as a salute was “ridiculous.”
So, the question is, did Musk mean to replicate the salute from centuries ago or was he really just trying to show his appreciation at the inauguration?