Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a meme on Twitter criticized by many of his 77.7 million followers as mocking people's support of Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia. The meme shows a man, known as the NPC Wojak meme, holding a Ukraine flag with various LGBTQ+ flags in the background and the phrase "I Support the Current Thing" in a circle border.
— Elona Musk (@elonmusk) March 14, 2022
Musk's followers noted that while the meme could have been intended has a humorous jab at people hopping on social media trends, many think the post was insensitive considering the current suffering of the Ukrainian people.
"urgh wanting peace in Ukraine is so mainstream"
— Adam Smith (@adamndsmith) March 14, 2022
Elon, I am a die-hard fan of yours. But this is insensitive. I can’t say I’m not disappointed.
— Marc Backes ⚡️ (@themarcba) March 14, 2022
Mocking people that care. Classy as always, Elon.
— Andrew Till • Mr. EV (@tillathenun) March 14, 2022
Current thing. This morning. pic.twitter.com/BIgNpvkrhc
— Alex Shevchenko 🇺🇦 (@AlexShevchenkoT) March 14, 2022
Musk has previously shown his support for the people of Ukraine. On March 4th he tweeted, "Hold Strong Ukraine" with a series of Ukrainian flags followed up by, "And also my sympathies to the great people of Russia, who do not want this."
What happened in 10 days? pic.twitter.com/1ePAo0w0nG
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) March 14, 2022
I mean, you did right? You sent help to Ukraine.
— schizoghoul (@Plagueghoul) March 14, 2022
Does that make you an NPC? I don't get it musk. Is this a 5D chest game? Are you secretly selling nuclear codes to the Russians lmao
Not only has Musk been actively tweeting but the SpaceX CEO has been involved in supporting Ukraine through activating his company's Starlink satellite internet service in the country to provide Ukraine internet access and secure communication channels. On February 26th, Musk tweeted, "Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route."
And how fast were you on the phone with zelensky? 🙄
— Jan Dooms (@JanDooms) March 14, 2022
Obviously providing starlink there was a great thing, but this post seems a bit hypocritical.
Zelensky passed on the hyperloop?
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) March 14, 2022
Someone told him this wouldn’t help him financially
— Extra Sauce Queen Li’l 🌳 (@karengeier) March 14, 2022
When the war is over, I hope you will come to Ukraine and build a Tesla factory there.
— Dima Zeniuk 🇺🇦 (@DimaZeniuk) March 14, 2022
The location is really good. What do you think @elonmusk ?
Fans who supported the tweet, said that the CEO was making an important point about those who blindly support current media trends and as one follower noted, "The world would be a much better place 2Day if majority were self-thinkers."
Not every trending issue worths supporting, contrary to what majority of people may agree on, do ur research before jumping on the bandwagon or going against it; Having a mind of ur own is very important. The world would be a much better place 2Day if majority were self-thinkers.
— Daniel Regha (@DanielRegha) March 14, 2022
Nop, he is referring to the huge amount of fake or hypocritical people out there that just live to constantly virtual signaling on social media for whatever the government and the media indicated they should care
— Steve Musk (@AlejandroPena87) March 14, 2022
Elon musk mocks how a vast majority of human beings are unable to think for themselves so will just hop on a bandwagon of supporting whatever is relevant aka popular at the moment
— Explaining Pros (@explainingpros) March 14, 2022
Twitter followers were also quick to point out the inclusion of LGBTQ+ flags in the meme's background as inconsiderate, one follower saying "being LGBTQ+ isn't a trend."
Hey, Elon, hope ur mentally okay and not having a breakdown. This post feels like a breakdown and honestly, being LGBTQ+ isn't a trend and I see where ur coming but if it's getting too much, please try and recharge because the internet is unhinged. Just breathe. Hope ur doing ok.
— 👑 VERSUS 👑 (@VersusMusic16) March 14, 2022
Musk's recent break with musician Grimes was also a topic in the internet debate. The singer is reportedly dating military whistleblower Chelsea Manning, news of which came out a day after Vanity Fair published an article on Grimes where she revealed a secret second child with Musk born through a surrogate in December 2021.
He found out his ex was dating Chelsea Manning?
— Ryan Trevino (@RyanT89) March 14, 2022
Gonna be honest, this not exactly what I imagined a 50 year old divorced billionaire to posting at 3:00 am https://t.co/VkliJXBLYn
— (Not) YouTube Kids (@RealYouTubeKids) March 14, 2022
Musk further instigated his fan base with another tweet that challenged Putin to a single combat duel.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1503327421839417344
