Elon Musk was criticized by Ukrainian officials on Monday. One official suggested that Musk had made a direct investment in genocide, war, destruction of the world’s free societies, escalation, and the right to immunity.
What’s the cause of all this consternation and commotion? Musk posted a meme. No, I am not kidding.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2023
Mariana Betsa, the Ukrainian Ambassador, asked Musk whether he had any empathy for his countrymen who were facing Russian aggression.
Elon, do you not have empathy? Russians kill Ukrainians every day. #StandWithUkraine We fight for our lives, our families, our country, and our freedom.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was less diplomatic. Musk’s tweet is clearly a reference to the mention of “irony” towards his country.
Any support for Russia today is a direct investment in war, genocide, destruction of the free world, escalation and the right to impunity. Any silence or irony towards Ukraine today is a direct encouragement of Russian propaganda that justifies mass violence and destruction.…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) October 2, 2023
The Ukrainian government has once again put me in a position where I must support their right to defend themselves while also believing that they are undermining the cause of their own country. The online aspect of the war has been overrated. Russia will not win because Musk posted a meme. Russia will not win either based on vague online claims of “disinformation”.
There is no country in the world that will judge its commitment to Ukraine by how good the memes look. If something is irrelevant, don’t make it worse by ignoring it.
It is pointless to lash out at Musk. This is self-defeating, as it will only cause further divisions, whether fair or unfair, on an issue that has already become more and more controversial. It’s not the right time to follow Alexander Vindman in his hysterical online campaign to defend Ukraine’s honor. This will only serve to exacerbate the dissension and not to disarm it. You won’t be able to shame Musk or anyone over this issue.
Memes are memes. Musk is entitled to post the memes, but it is not up to a foreign government to take a stand against free speech. Ukraine has the right to defend itself, but shouldn’t complicate that fight by being too online.
