The cult of Elon Musk: Why do some of us worship billionaires?

[marmar]

The cult of Elon Musk: Why do some of us worship billionaires?
Billionaires like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are no different than other billionaires... except they have cults

By MATTHEW ROZSA
PUBLISHED APRIL 29, 2022 4:02PM


(Salon) Less than 24 hours after agreeing to purchase Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have already broken the deal which allowed him to perform a hostile takeover of the social media company. Although one of the terms is that he may only tweet about the acquisition "so long as such tweets do not disparage the Company or any of its Representatives," he posted two tweets on Tuesday which parroted right-wing talking points that attacked specific employees.

Normally there would not be many individuals applauding a wealthy CEO who purchased a company and then immediately attacked vulnerable employees, almost certainly knowing that doing so would instigate mass harassment against said employees (which is exactly what happened). In normal contexts, such a person would be classified as nothing more than a bully. Then again, when you are a billionaire with a cult of personality, there will always be people who applaud your actions.

How does a billionaire like Musk come to attract a horde of ardent fans? Psychologists say that many of us fantasize about being billionaires, meaning that when they root for Musk, they're really rooting for what they perceive as a version of themselves — namely, as masters of the universe, "winners" in every sense that mainstream society deems worthy. In the process, they also reveal their own deep feelings of inadequacy.

"Most people aspire to a lifestyle that they're not willing to work for or that they can't afford," explained Dr. Tara Bieber, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In her interview with Salon, she emphasized that she was speaking from a strictly scientific perspective; this was not a question of any individual's political beliefs. It was, instead, a manifestation of the same trends that has caused past billionaires to amass cults of personality alongside their dollars: automotive entrepreneur Henry Ford, business magnate Howard Hughes, and more recently Apple founder Steve Jobs. Each of them possessed an undeniable charisma that drew people to them, and each carefully cultivated a public image consistent with the aspirational values of their time. ..............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/04/29/the-of-elon-musk-why-do-some-of-us-worship-billionaires/

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. Nobody gets rich

Being a nice person.

Because capitalism is rigged to reward dark triad personalities.

And some people are so weak they glom onto dark triad assholes. Every cult is run by an asshole.

[shrike3]

6. +1

[dalton99a]

2. Same servile mentality that is exploited by Trump and other authoritarians

Their self-worth is enhanced by the reflected glory from their idol, who must be protected from every attack

[LonePirate]

3. For some reason, they think the billionaires personally like them when they actually despise them.

Musk and the other billionaires don't like or want to associate with the common man. They despise them. They don't want to have a beer with them or spend time with them. They certainly won't help open a door for them or give them a leg up. It's a very bizarre personality cult that cultivates common feelings of association in one direction only.

[dalton99a]

5. +1. Just look at the way Musk treats his employees - people who toil to make him rich

[onecaliberal]

4. They're too stupid to know the billionaires have their boot on their neck.

[XanaDUer2]

7. I have the word Musk on trash

Yet I see this.



Great article, though. Because some want to believe billionaires are "jest folks", and that they'll be joining the billionaire class eventually. It's delusion.

Most 1% wouldn't pee on them.

[OldBaldy1701E]

8. Propaganda.

We fell for the hype. And, we are still falling for it in some circles. Hell, just put an American flag and a reference to the christian god on something and there is a set percentage of people who will believe you no matter what you say.

[orangecrush]

9. Horatio Alger

There is a "Horatio Alger myth" that the boy becomes wealthy through hard work, but this is inaccurate. In the actual stories, invariably the cause of success is an accident that works to the boy's advantage after he conducts himself according to traditional virtues such as honesty, charity, and altruism.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki
Horatio Alger - Wikipedia