> For example, take Elon and his actions over the past few years. What should have happened is that Tesla sales dropped across the board, and everyone who owns a Tesla should have been in a rush to sell it for fear of it getting scratched or them personally blacklisted from stuff and ridiculed for driving a Tesla.
I think you overestimate the number of people who make principled stands on their product buying decisions based on the actions of company executives. I don't think that's the same thing has "people don't care"; I think some people just don't think they should compromise on their needs/wants for what they see as unrelated reasons.
> Tesla employees should also have faced the same public pressure and quit.
In an ideal world, sure. But we live in a country where health insurance is tied to employment and employers, and it's not exactly a wonderful market for job-seekers these days. I expect there were many people at Tesla who were unhappy with Musk and wanted to leave, but felt that the risks of doing so were too high. Again, this is not the same as "people don't care".
> And you look ridiculous if you refuse to get in your coworkers Tesla.
As you should. Making a fuss over this sort of thing when you're all trying to get to an offsite business meeting, or just a group lunch, is eye-rollingly immature.
I fundamentally disagree with your assertion that people are apathetic and don't care. Like with many things, the situation is more complicated than that, and people have to weigh their needs and (personal, financial, etc.) security against whatever principles they may have. On top of that, there are so many things that we "need" to care about and consider, that if we tried to actually take everyone's pet outrage into account, we'd literally do nothing.
And some people don't think it's necessary to group people's politics or general malfeasance with their "art". (E.g., should people stop watching and enjoying movies produced, written, or directed by convicted sexual harassers or abusers? Maybe? But that's an individual decision, and I don't think there's a right or wrong answer there.)
I think there's also an aspect of "who's the loudest shithead today?" going on too. Musk seems like a truly reprehensible person, and I wouldn't buy a Tesla. But what about GM's leadership? What about the history of some German car makers supporting the Nazis back in the 1930s and 40s? Musk is loud about his shittiness, but others are quieter and sometimes their misdeeds go farther in the past.
I think you overestimate the number of people who make principled stands on their product buying decisions based on the actions of company executives. I don't think that's the same thing has "people don't care"; I think some people just don't think they should compromise on their needs/wants for what they see as unrelated reasons.
> Tesla employees should also have faced the same public pressure and quit.
In an ideal world, sure. But we live in a country where health insurance is tied to employment and employers, and it's not exactly a wonderful market for job-seekers these days. I expect there were many people at Tesla who were unhappy with Musk and wanted to leave, but felt that the risks of doing so were too high. Again, this is not the same as "people don't care".
> And you look ridiculous if you refuse to get in your coworkers Tesla.
As you should. Making a fuss over this sort of thing when you're all trying to get to an offsite business meeting, or just a group lunch, is eye-rollingly immature.
I fundamentally disagree with your assertion that people are apathetic and don't care. Like with many things, the situation is more complicated than that, and people have to weigh their needs and (personal, financial, etc.) security against whatever principles they may have. On top of that, there are so many things that we "need" to care about and consider, that if we tried to actually take everyone's pet outrage into account, we'd literally do nothing.
And some people don't think it's necessary to group people's politics or general malfeasance with their "art". (E.g., should people stop watching and enjoying movies produced, written, or directed by convicted sexual harassers or abusers? Maybe? But that's an individual decision, and I don't think there's a right or wrong answer there.)
I think there's also an aspect of "who's the loudest shithead today?" going on too. Musk seems like a truly reprehensible person, and I wouldn't buy a Tesla. But what about GM's leadership? What about the history of some German car makers supporting the Nazis back in the 1930s and 40s? Musk is loud about his shittiness, but others are quieter and sometimes their misdeeds go farther in the past.