Elon Musk the founder of Tesla is a racial bigot

I wasn't commenting on his alleged racism, I limited myself to the news story. That story alone tells me all I need to know about him. Prior to that all I knew about him was what I saw on The Simpsons.

When real heroic professionals were risking their lives to save these children, (one diver died during the attempt,) Musk used it as a publicity stunt. He was never at the cave and sent a useless mini sub. When one of the rescuers pointed that out he called him a "pedo."

That makes him a complete **** in my book, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out he's also a racist.

I accept that Izzy. The title of this thread makes a different claim.

My question is still relevant. Is there any famous person, past or present, who isn't "complete ****"? Humans aren't perfect, some of us do great things, but they are still humans.

The electric car? Hardly. I took my lad to Beaulieu motor museum today, they had an electric milk float dating from the 1920s. If it was game changing technology it was back then.

I don't think Nelson Mandela went around calling people pedos, or Martin Luther King, or any of your examples for that matter.

If you buy an electric car, you will almost certainly be using some of the technology pioneered at Tesla. Without question, they have developed important technology that will help with stopping climate change... and they have offered it to the public.

I think it is ridiculous to reject something undoubtedly good for the planet just because you didn't like some tweets.

Albert Einstein was also "skeevy". In his letters he told his first wife was useless and that her only purpose was to make him look good. That doesn't change the fact that his theory of relativity is now the core of modern physics.

Tesla is not the only game in town. You've fallen for the glitz.

And, by the way, we're not discussing every famous flawed human being here; the subject is Elon Musk

No, none of them wrote any tweets. But they all were human, and they all did things that you would have had a problem with.

Teslas competitors are all using Tesla's technology. You are ignoring the groundbreaking work at Tesla because you don't like the guy... and that is the point.

He is a human being. Sorry. That doesn't change the fact that there is groundbreaking technology.

I didn't say anything about tweets.

Really? Have you any proof for that claim? Musk definitely used technology pioneered back in the 20s. Electric vehicles have been around for a very long time.

Musk can't claim he's the founder of electric cars. History of electric vehicles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_electric_vehicle

According to the blurb by the float GM first used them for moving stuff about in the factory, but they proved popular and the milk float was born.

The real question here is whether someone can do both great things and bad things. Since pretty much every human being has done bad things... it's kind of an important question.

These wholesale attacks on Elon Musk are an example. He has been a key part of the first company to make electric cars as feasible consumer products. Tesla cars can now go 650 miles on a single charge. And their fast charge technology allows lets you go 170 miles after a 30 minute charge. Tesla has made significant advances in battery technology, solar panels drive train, software... anyone who says there isn't impressive technological advancement from Tesla is full of crap. Before Tesla, electric cars were for hobbyists and warehouses. After Tesla they are being used by real people to go places.

But the interesting issue isn't about Tesla. There is a psychological phenomenon going on here. People here aren't really attacking Elon Musk for his technological achievements.

If look take any of the Pinnacles of Human Advancements (except maybe Nelson Mandela, Buddha and Jesus of Nazareth), they all had significant character flaws.

If you can't accept that human beings can do both great things, and bad things... you will inevitably wipe out all of human advancement.

Humans are never all good, and they are rarely all bad. We are complex... and the best of us has deep flaws that probably wouldn't escape the wrath of today's social media if they came out.

No it's not. If that's a question you want to discuss, start a new thread. If Musk was someone who had done great things he would be better known outside of America, like say Bill Gates or Steven Hawking.

I had never heard of him until I saw The Simpsons, and only heard about him again when the caving incident occurred.

Really?

Tesla cars aren't a big thing in England? That is a little surprising to me.

Obviously I've heard of Nicola Tesla, but that's as far as it goes. Lots of talk about electric cars but not much mention of specific brands.

I visited his birthplace in Croatia many decades ago when I used to travel. I just remember seeing a statue of him and not much else.

Interesting. I didn't know Europe was so far behind the US in electric car technology.

Musk is a promoter, and largely a self-promoter. He has invented no new technology, he has simply promoted technology developed by others. He has used his connections and his high profile to get others to invest in his ventures--he is usually not investing his own money. His entire "going to Mars" schtick is pure fantasy--he has demonstrated that he really knows nothing about conditions on Mars, and if suckered people into sponsoring such an expedition, it would be tantamount to murdering any poor fools who relied on him to safely send them there. As a result of this thread, I've dug deeper, and I have nothing but contempt for this modern day P. T. Barnum. He's worse than Edison, who actually did come up with a few useful inventions.

Musk is scum--case closed.

It's impossible to have any sort of conversation with you without you throwing out your nasty little passive aggressive comments.

The fact that Elon Musk is nor a household name over here has no bearing whatsoever on the relative developments in electric vehicles between America and Europe.

I'm not going to waste any more time on you and your bitchy little mood swings. You can mourn the loss of your manhood on your own.