"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
(Jesus Christ in the NT, Matthew 19:24).
As bad as the above recent Musk salute may look – and it is pretty authoritarian – I doubt Elon consciously tried to mimic that ancient Roman gesture, which migrated through the centuries until that raised arm became Hitler’s and Mussolini’s military salute during WW2. Today, that salute is etched in the minds of those fostering some form of going forward American authoritarian replacement for our teetering democracy.
But remember, Musk was born into a world of South African apartheid where ethnic/racial separation was the law. Even as apartheid ended in 1994, even as the Axis powers were soundly defeated in 1945, radical rightwing groups, particularly white Christian nationalists, still cling to that raised Hitler “heil” (Latin for “hail”) salute as their signature pledge of fealty to that racist, dictatorial mandate. Banned in some countries, that salute is gaining in popularity among an increasingly radical rightwing segment of our own MAGA movement.
The picture on the right above is from that notorious 2017 march on Charlottesville, where first-term President Donald Trump lumped those “they shall not replace us” protestors into a category of “fine people.” Trump’s selection of Musk as the recommender-against waste-in chief, in the non-governmental but significant advisory Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)… the same name for the aristocrats who brutally led the city state of Venice from 742 to 1148… is very telling. By reason of his success in many entrepreneurial ventures (starting with Tesla), Musk is now the richest man on Earth… and likely to be the first trillionaire.
Musk’s inner Musk released his joy after the election. “On January 20 at a rally to mark the inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term as president, Musk acknowledged the crowd: ‘I just want to say thank you, for making it happen. Thank you.’ He then put his right hand over his heart before extending his arm, elbow-straight, at a roughly 45-degree angle, with palm outstretched and facing down. He then turned around to face the audience behind the stage to repeat the gesture.’” The Conversation, January 24th. While Musk’s gesture may not have been conscious (I am trying to be “fair and balanced”), the power of that salute seems to have been instinctive, which is even more troublesome.
Musk’s embrace of totalitarian regimes and their leaders is increasing evidence that his driving political vision is for the efficiency (DOGE) that radical micromanaging and brutality that gets the job done, like it or not. The tradition from representational democracy to demagogue-led “my way or…”) governance. This transition is at work all around the world, but even among NATO nations, this toxic transition is gaining traction in new parties and new leaders, from Viktor Orbán’s Hungary to the steady rise of hate-driven parties in France, Italy and particularly in Germany: the parliamentary election-by-election steady expansion of the neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Musk, openly states his support for these rightwing factions, has cozied up to these anti-democratic leaders and movements, a fact that is viewed with fear among most European incumbents facing this rising embrace of fascism.
But it is in the manipulation of religion – notably with white evangelicals, particularly young, undereducated men (oddly finding traction with Black and Brown voters as well) battling for relevance in a world where women are becoming better educated and seizing more opportunities – that a new toxic hypocrisy has grown like a killer virus in a pandemic. Indeed, white Christian nationalism is the backbone of the MAGA movement. Violence and retribution reign supreme.
Elected and cabinet nominated GOP leaders are no longer shy about using their faith to justify their brutality. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Vice President JD Vance and our new Secretary of Defense (Pete Hegseth) are definitely and openly part of that white Christian nationalist movement. After a massive Trump lobbying effort, the Senate approved Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Vice President Vance broke a 50-50 tie after three Republicans voted against Hegseth: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell.
The US was not invaded or decimated by Nazis in WW2, but in nations that were devastated by Nazi hordes, like the Netherlands, Musk’s political expression have decimated the Tesla brand, and many of those who even own Teslas want to get rid of them. Like a third of such owners… “The Tesla CEO is under heavy scrutiny ever since he began openly endorsing far-right forces in Europe that harken back to its fascist past. His Roman-style salute to Trump supporters this week was only the latest controversy. ‘There’s been a debate in the Netherlands around Tesla shame,’ said EenVandaag pollster Joyce Boverhuis.” Christiaan Hetzner writing for the January 25th Fortune.
Virtually everything that Musk has prioritized in his new role, focuses on deregulation and cutting taxes, a deficit-expander that, in Musk’s mind, justifies massive cuts to social programs (like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) to pay for those benefits that well over 90% only benefit the rich. Taking from the poor and giving it to the rich would seem to be the greatest contradiction of the main thrust of the New Testament. But evangelicals in large numbers support that vector.
Kindness, charity, tolerance, love for thy neighbor (not relegated to those in your neighborhood, FYI) are the arcs that should define true belief in Jesus Christ, a realization that the Bible is not a pick-and-choose menu. But if you listen to MAGA leadership, you see a false interpretation of those values, focusing on punishing those who vote against MAGA and its representatives. There is a new evangelical ambivalence in Biblical teachings that did not exist half century ago.
“Christians have effectively become secularists when it comes to law in society. The ethics of Christianity, of what is right and wrong, is only applied to individual Christians, and even there, God’s law is not embraced as relevant to the Christian’s sanctification. Christians have no problem citing the Sermon on the Mount as foundational to Christian ethics, but when it comes to the L word [Law] we get cold feet. For some reason we ignore or explain away this passage about Jesus not abolishing the Law right in the middle of that sermon…
“What is it about God’s law that creates such ambivalence in modern Christians, both as relates to us personally as Christians, and its application in society? I recently realized the problem is a fundamental misunderstanding of law itself. We tend to think of law as totalitarian, but experience law as liberty. The two concepts, totalitarianism and liberty, are diametrically opposed to one another. The former seeks to control everything, all thought and behavior, while the latter gives wide latitude for people to determine their own thoughts and behavior.” A blog by Christian scholar, Mike d’Virgilio, September 4th. And to the extent that evangelical pastors fear retribution, when addressing true Biblical meaning, from Christian and political leaders, or from zealots within their own congregations, and do not stand tall, this distortion continues with unparalleled destructive force.
I’m Peter Dekom, and please look at the reaction of Trump himself plus MAGA threats of violence against Episcopalian Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde merely for asking Donald Trump for mercy in connection with gender minorities and undocumented but hardworking aliens.
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