News

MSNBC’s Joy Reid Claims Elon Musk ‘Misses’ Apartheid-Era South Africa

capitolhilltim

Joy Reid, MSNBC’s anchor, suggested Tuesday night that SpaceX/Tesla founder Elon Moks, who is in the process to purchase Twitter, would like to have the social media platform to end Apartheid-era white supremacy.

Reid’s words are that right-wingers using Twitter “have been described as being on an outside of culture, looking in through a glass.” However, they aren’t content to simply come in. They are looking to get in, punch others in the face, and have fun while they’re there.

“The enjoyment they get out of being in this ‘town square’ is being able to harass people, being able to attack people…Elon Musk, I guess he misses the old South Africa in the ’80s, I guess he wants that back,” offered Reid.

Reid was not the only person to suggest or declare that Musk had racist motives. Shaun King (a discredited Black Lives Matter activist) joined her in stating that Musk’s actions are “about white power” because he was “raised in Apartheid under a white nationalist”.

Multiple facts prove that this is false. Musk was born on July 7, 1971 in Pretoria (South Africa). Musk was the child of divorced parents. He lived for many years with Errol, an engineer, in Pretoria, South Africa, where he accumulated a substantial fortune. Musk, then 17, moved to Canada in 1988. His father and Musk split up later. Errol, however, contributed some. angel fundingMusk started a business in which he invested $200,000, sometime around the late 1990s.

The oft–repeated claimThis ElonMusk may be a racist or Apartheid-supporter. This likely stems from Canada. ErrolHis claim that in 1980s Zambia he owned an emerald mining company. Many others have used Errol’s story to claim that apartheid was profiting from the family. However, some critics have argued that Elon used this money at the beginning of his career.

This story is not true. Errol has been involved in scandals that have caused him to be unreliable and his family claims that he held a share in an emerald mining company in Zambia. This was after the Musks divorced. We have no evidence to show that any profits from the mine were given to Elon as angel funding in the late 1990s. The mine was located in Zambia. We don’t have evidence to suggest that Musk liked South Africa’s horrible segregationist policies. All white South Africans benefitted from them, regardless of their support. Elon left South Africa in the late ’80s to go to Canada to avoid South African military service. He later stated in an interview that “Spending two-years suppressing black people did not seem like a large use of force.” He received a university scholarship and worked various menial jobs at farms and lumber mills—odd behavior for someone who was purportedly privy to his father’s fortune.

Writers like Elie Mystal can be found elsewhere The NationMusk, the justice correspondent of the BBC, has suggested in a questionable manner that he may be a subject to a “history racial animus”, which could pose a threat to black journalists, sources and activists.

The term “History Of Racial Animus” describes a draft dodger, who left at least partially to escape his home country. Did not agree to participate in government efforts to oppress black South Africans.

Many of the talking heads did not mention that Tesla’s black employees are now suing it for “rampant” racism that was “unchecked over years.” That omission is pretty striking—there’s a brand new lawsuit they could reference, as opposed to conjecture based on wild claims of ancient grandeur by Musk’s estranged father.

It’s possible that Musk and his team aren’t so interested in pointing out that Musk is accused of poor labor practices at the company that employs 70,000 workers. This is because it isn’t nearly as striking as declaring that Musk is a South African-born immigrant who is planning to worsen or further racial discrimination. Distinguishing Musk’s own animus from Tesla’s awareness of its factory culture would help us to discuss the conditions.

These clips and tweets show that the media class is more interested in the claim that Musk, a racist, wants to empower whites while subjugating minorities. They make serious claims, but they don’t provide any proof. Instead, they repeat false or suspect allegations with no further reporting, which might support stories that could corroborate Musk’s fortune or family.

Musk is the media critics’ new capo in the race war. These accusations speak more about Musk than the man. Although journalists at the major media outlets and networks should have some truthfulness, they are much more concerned with vilifying perceived ideological adversaries than critically reviewing what their political enemies have done wrong.