Some of us remember that great movie, Dr. Strangelove (1964), in which Peter Sellers can’t restrain his impulse to give the Nazi salute. It looked like Elon was overtaken by the same urge, and he even turned around and gave it twice.
There has been a torrent of commentary on this. To which I won’t add except to remind you how Nazism has been treated comedically now and during its heyday. Musk’s dramatics deserve the same. We have seen his bizarre dance moves at the rallies, his ginky jumping around, the awkward attempts at euphoria.
Another approach was Chaplin’s film The Great Dictator (1940), the first real sendup of fascism and antisemitism.
Today the Germans actually carry on this tradition of mockery, as in 2015’s Look Who’s Back. But the fascist salute, the Sieg Heil, is still outlawed in Germany.
World War II produced some fine comedy lampooning Hitler. There hasn’t been much since. One grand exception was Mel Brooks’s “Springtime for Hitler” from The Producers (1967, 2005). Somebody should do those honors for Trump.
When I was about ten years old, the war was in its worst spasms. But I remember people still singing and laughing at Spike Jones’s Der Fuerher’s Face (1942), one of the best musical spoofs of all time.
Elon Musk’s “sometimes unwieldy physical movements” have been brushed aside by some conservative commentators. Maybe his gauche prancing and those opinionated outbursts are owing to his Asperger’s tendencies. I’ve known a couple of Asperger’s people, and he surely fits the pattern. All had problems of one kind or another communicating socially. But none had the fascist tendencies and bizarre behavior of Elon.
Great research gathering these links, as usual, including the one of Musk, which I hope everyone gets to see to judge for themselves. Not at all familiar with the Spike Jones one, can’t wait to click on it after I hit Submit!
The Strangelove comparison is perfect. Elon is exceedingly strange, uncontrolled, brilliant and dangerous. Oh, and the richest of them all.
Hey John-
A while ago, if I recall correctly, you wrote about the ins and outs of moving to and living where you live. Could you point me to that again?
We’re starting to make serious inquiries for going elsewhere – I pay attention to history, I’ve seen how this goes for us.