Elon Musk speaks in memes. In August he posted one depicting the Roman empire’s rise and fall on X, the social media platform he bought in 2022 for $44bn, which said: “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times.” Imprinted in red lettering over the final stage in this cycle were the words: “You Are Here.”
Musk, of PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX fame, sees himself as one of these strong men forged in hard times who will save civilisation from impending disaster. The West, in Musk’s world-view, has become decadent and fallen victim to wokeness. Illegal migrants crossing America’s southern border could soon be enfranchised and threaten democracy; trans ideology is only the start of the descent into the “woke mind virus”. Memes are the medium of choice for the bullish online right among whom such views are prevalent.
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