Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated of “wokeness” that it “offers folks a protect to be imply and merciless, armored in false advantage.”
A rumor circulating on-line claimed Tesla CEO Elon Musk as soon as stated: “Wokeness offers folks a protect to be imply and merciless, armored in false advantage.” Whereas there isn’t any scarcity of questionable quotes linked to public figures circulating on-line — together with a few about Musk — this one was real.
For instance, on Oct. 22, 2024, a consumer managing a Fb web page referred to as The Trump Republicans posted (archived): “Elon Musk stated: ‘WOKENESS’ offers folks a protect to be imply and merciless, armored in false advantage.”
In one other instance from April 2022, a consumer on X — then referred to as Twitter, earlier than Musk’s purchase of the platform — additionally posted (archived) the alleged quote.
Likewise, in a submit from 2021, a supervisor of a Fb web page named The Nice American Motion said (archived) of the quote: “Elon Musk is 100% proper!!!”
Dictionary publishing firm Merriam-Webster defines the time period “woke” as “conscious of and actively attentive to vital information and points (particularly problems with racial and social justice).”
Musk did certainly produce the “wokeness” quote throughout a video interview with The Babylon Bee — a web site that describes its output as “satire.” The Babylon Bee revealed the interview on Dec. 21, 2021. Due to this fact, we’ve got rated this citation as an accurate attribution.
A consumer on X reposted (archived) the portion of the interview related to this truth examine.
The transcript of the related question and answer may be seen under (emphasis ours):
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon: The issue of “wokeness,” particularly, you talked about that is like a “thoughts virus” and it is damaging. Why do you assume “wokeness” is so damaging?
Musk: I am curious about your opinions too, however, you recognize, like, I imply typically, I feel we must be aiming for, like, a optimistic society and, you recognize, that it must be alright to, you recognize, be humorous, like, you recognize, like we must always, we must always like, like “wokeness” mainly desires to make comedy unlawful, which isn’t cool.
Dillon: We have skilled a bit little bit of that.
Musk: I imply, like [Dave] Chappelle, what the (censored)? I imply, making an attempt to close down Chappelle? Come on man. That is loopy. So, you recognize, so do we wish a humorless society that’s merely rife with condemnation and hate, mainly.
Dillon: And no forgiveness, proper? Hmm.
Musk: Yeah. At its coronary heart, “wokeness” is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It mainly offers imply folks a motive, it offers them a protect to be imply and merciless, armored in false advantage.
Musk’s reference to comic Dave Chappelle was concerning the situations the place a few of Chappelle’s critics condemned him for making jokes throughout his Netflix specials about individuals who determine as transgender.
