Uber Alles

 The idea that a carmaker, a captain of industry, could become a leading voice for anti-Semitism in the United States is not a new one. Once upon a time there was this guy who revolutionized the creation and proliferation of automobiles across this great land of ours. He is generally considered to be one of the great American innovators. The fact that his company survives to this day and dominates the market for light duty trucks as well as sports utility vehicles and passenger cars is a testament to the tire track he put on the planet. 

Henry Ford was also considered by many to have been sympathetic if not collaborating with Nazis to produce German weapons and war machines leading up to what would become World War II. It might not be a surprise then to discover that Henry Ford, like many magnates of his era, owned a newspaper which he used to promote his world views. The Dearborn Independent, with its somewhat ironic masthead, produced such journalistic gems as "Jewish Power and America's Money Famine" and a series written by Henry himself called "International Jew." This was in the 1920s. Is it any wonder that Adolf Hitler was an admirer of Mister Ford? From Mein Kampf: “It is Jews who govern the stock exchange forces of the American Union,” Hitler wrote. “Every year makes them more and more the controlling masters of the producers in a nation of one hundred and twenty millions; only a single great man, Ford, to their fury, still maintains full independence.” In 1938Ford accepted the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, the Nazi regime’s highest honor for foreigners.

This is history. It is not a well-kept secret. And neither is the current reality of the "innovator" and "carmaker" who is currently attempting to force his ideals not just on the consumers of his "best selling car in the world," but to anyone who happens to stumble blindly into his somewhat newly acquired "newspaper," the once proud blue bird, Twitter. He is currently embroiled in a lawsuit that is bringing to light just how he goes about spreading his anti-Semitic rants through anonymous accounts while attempting to stem the tide of consumers fleeing both his newly acquired social media machine and the suddenly detestable car brand. Which may explain his eventual exit strategy of fleeing to Mars. 

But in the meantime, Americans could really use what he seems to be so very bad at selling: Electric cars and social media as a means of spreading connection rather than conspiracies. Alas, this doesn't seem to be where Mister Musk's path diverges from that of Henry Ford. Henry Ford was accepting medals from Adolf Hitler and he could still sell cars. 

Anybody want to buy a slightly used social media platform?