Many of the owners are perfectly reasonable-sounding people, and then there's this person:
Many of the owners are perfectly reasonable-sounding people, and then there's this person:
And are you married?
I was married, but I’m not married anymore. Women don't like the vehicle.
In July, Tesla rolled out a software update to integrate Grok into many of its vehicles. Do you use it?
Her name is Aura, and I use her as a therapist. When I'm driving, I'll ask questions, and it actually gives really good therapy advice.
People occasionally just flip [me] off or whatever, but nobody's come up to me and tried to make a statement about anything. Personally, it's kind of dumb. It's just a vehicle. So it's ironic that it would even become a political statement, but nonetheless it is.
[Editor’s note: Taylor was arrested and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He was later pardoned by President Trump.]
Do you think this is a intentional deflection, or that they genuinely don't understand how their "non-political" decisions can correlate with their political ones? It's like those people I see on...
Do you think this is a intentional deflection, or that they genuinely don't understand how their "non-political" decisions can correlate with their political ones? It's like those people I see on the road with huge wheels waving "blue lives matters" flags and then they get offended if I suddenly say "trump is ruining America!" (not that I really said that, but the truck description is real).
Like, if I gave a massive, huge, gargantuan benefit of the doing to these people, I could see the argument that just because you bought a cybertruck doesn't mean you like Elon Musk or are a...
Like, if I gave a massive, huge, gargantuan benefit of the doing to these people, I could see the argument that just because you bought a cybertruck doesn't mean you like Elon Musk or are a fervent Trump supporter and have lots of other batshit ideas.
I think that argument holds a lot of water in other situations. Just because you order stuff from Amazon doesn't mean you hate unions, for instance.
The difference is that Amazon is a ridiculously convinient service that has cornered the online retail market.
The cybertruck is an unreliable, shoddily built, dangerous, expensive, and hideous vehicle that intentionally makes a statement. The likelihood that someone buys one in 2025 completely divorced from its status as a political symbol is almost zero.
For a quick illustration of this, no one is flicking off or shouting at model 3 drivers, because there are reasons to own that car other than to make a political statement.
The other type of person who buys a mobile dumpster is a strongly overlapping set in a Venn diagram: small business owners fraudulently claiming a personal vehicle as a business expense. It used...
The other type of person who buys a mobile dumpster is a strongly overlapping set in a Venn diagram: small business owners fraudulently claiming a personal vehicle as a business expense. It used to be the Escalade was one of the go-tos for this, because the tax code requires a minimum weight.
Under Section 179, a vehicle over 6000lb with a cargo bed can have up to 100% of the immediate cost taken as a write off, presuming 100% of its use is "for business use." So they're buying a personal vehicle through their business, but telling the IRS it's not primarily for their personal use.
I see lots of them with shitty decals or stenciled-on paint jobs advertising businesses, some of which I already knew are run by awful people. (One of them was being sued for labor practices too, last I heard.)
I would expect cybertrucks to have wrap jobs, because the steel can rust if exposed to rain. A wrap job is the least stupid solution besides not buying a cybertruck.
I would expect cybertrucks to have wrap jobs, because the steel can rust if exposed to rain. A wrap job is the least stupid solution besides not buying a cybertruck.
"Political" in this context just means "bad." There's a few jokes about capital-G Gamers that I think apply here: "there are two genders: male and political," "there are two races: white and...
"Political" in this context just means "bad."
There's a few jokes about capital-G Gamers that I think apply here: "there are two genders: male and political," "there are two races: white and political," "there are two orientations: straight and political," etc.
In his mind, whatever he does is right because whatever republicans do is de facto correct. After all, just a few months ago, Trump was hyping up Musk and doing QVC-tier advertisements for his cars. Therefore it can't be political because it's right and good. But getting angry at him for supporting a fascist billionaire who is in the Epstein files by buying said fascist billionaire who is in the Epstein files's cars? That's the wrong opinion, so it's political.
They don't understand that every action is inherently political because they only view politics through the lens of transgressions, of rejections of their status quo. There is no deeper meaning in their minds.
(That's also why they screech about "DEI," "the wokes," and "modern audiences": because if you hire anyone who isn't a cishet WASP man or cater to an audience besides cishet WASP men, that's being political.)
I'm not sure what you call it, but it's basically disliking the label but not the action. "Political" now has a negative connotation because it was used as a cudgel to silence people for so long,...
I'm not sure what you call it, but it's basically disliking the label but not the action. "Political" now has a negative connotation because it was used as a cudgel to silence people for so long, like against brands/athletes/games/influencers/etc making political statements. Now there's dissonance between wanting to be apolitical while supporting their views, and we end up with this. At least, that's my take on it.
Yeah, I was reading elsewhere yesterday about the notion that boils down to "to them, it's worse to be called racist than to do racist actions". Some people are trying to completely disassociate...
Yeah, I was reading elsewhere yesterday about the notion that boils down to "to them, it's worse to be called racist than to do racist actions". Some people are trying to completely disassociate their actions or condonations with the idea that it reflects badly on them. Even if they meet the textbook definition of that concept.
I guess Heinlien was right
“The mind’s ability to rationalize it’s own shortcomings is unlimited; I am no exception.”
I'm aware; it was more of a comment on the coincidence of the truck's owner and the naming of the wrap company. All circumstantial in this instance of course, but many a person buys things based...
I'm aware; it was more of a comment on the coincidence of the truck's owner and the naming of the wrap company.
All circumstantial in this instance of course, but many a person buys things based on the name of the company selling/making it alone. Since none of these wrap companies make the vinyl and are just installers, which are also a dime a dozen, it's their marketing and brand that draws customers. I wouldn't put it past a guy that stormed the capitol because his favorite fascist lost an election to pick a wrap company that reminds him of nazis.
This guys story really hit me as suspect because he apparently RAN A CYBERTRUCK THROUGH THE RUBICON TRAIL. Now I'm the "just tagging along" guy when my brothers go off roading and I'm there for...
This guys story really hit me as suspect because he apparently RAN A CYBERTRUCK THROUGH THE RUBICON TRAIL. Now I'm the "just tagging along" guy when my brothers go off roading and I'm there for the free camping trip and BBQ. But I've seen Jeeps and Toyotas almost break the laws of physics, because they have long history of reliably getting people and gear places where there are no roads. Don't see that when I look at the Suburban Pixle. I figured this guy was at least an off road enthusiast and was putting the new tech claims to the test.
And nope. His a Road Toaster influencer and his car was practically dragged most of the way through. Its an ad. His testimony here is an ad. I don't think his wife left because she didn't like the car. I think she left because he bet everything on becoming a Cybertruck Ad and it didn't work.
Its all that same type of speaking you see from the meme coin grifters begging for Elon's attention to VC applicants panhandling for millions of dollars. A little cultish and very sycophantic. Penitant and remorseful for experiencing product issues outside thier control and they make the brand and its associated personality their whole identity. It's almost like how LLM can end up communicating where it sometimes makes the user the center of some fantasy narrative.
I don't understand... Is this guy implying that he got divorced because he has a cybertruck? Or he can't get a date because he owns a cybertruck? I don't know if I believe either of those things....
I don't understand... Is this guy implying that he got divorced because he has a cybertruck? Or he can't get a date because he owns a cybertruck?
I don't know if I believe either of those things. Seems to me a classic case of questionable cause. Seems like the kind of guy that would buy a cybertruck would just... Have issues that would make a lot of women steer clear
In July, Tesla rolled out a software update to integrate Grok into many of its vehicles. Do you use it?
Her name is Aura, and I use her as a therapist. When I'm driving, I'll ask questions, and it actually gives really good therapy advice.
FB groups aren't a good measure of actual ownership. Bots, companies that make parts, people that are just fans and can't afford the vehicle, people that hate the vehicle and join just to troll,...
FB groups aren't a good measure of actual ownership. Bots, companies that make parts, people that are just fans and can't afford the vehicle, people that hate the vehicle and join just to troll, and people that just "collect" groups are all going to be in that count. Due to the "political" nature of the vehicle, there's likely a good number of oxymoronic members that both want to espouse muskrat's nazism and would never own an electric vehicle because of the "liberal" connotations of it.
My dog has facebook and instagram accounts and some of those groups have membership that exceeds original production numbers or exceeds the possible number of vehicles remaining.
You're assuming there's some sort of verification required to join the group, it's facebook, it's not that serious. My dog is in half a dozen "owners only" groups because they have parts that...
You're assuming there's some sort of verification required to join the group, it's facebook, it's not that serious. My dog is in half a dozen "owners only" groups because they have parts that apply to my Frankenstein'd builds.
As discussed it has become a bit of a political symbol so I also imagine there’s people who either want to own one or want to support the idea of owning one because they agree with musk’s...
As discussed it has become a bit of a political symbol so I also imagine there’s people who either want to own one or want to support the idea of owning one because they agree with musk’s political views. But it’s an expensive vehicle so they wouldn’t be able to afford one.
We’re standing in the parking lot of McCormick's Palm Springs Classic Car Auctions. All around us, a dozen Cybertruck owners—and their cars—bake in the 100 degree heat. They’ve arrived for a meetup organized by Michael Goldman, who runs the 53,000-person Facebook group Cybertruck Owners Only. Though suspicious of the media, they’re eager to set the record straight about the car that they love. WIRED is here to learn how it feels to be out in public in such a politically charged vehicle. Has the past year or so changed anyone’s minds about owning the truck? Do owners like the attention—or are they adding bumper stickers decrying Elon Musk?
I remember when the Cybertruck was announced, I also went and plopped down my $100 interest free loan/deposit for the top of the line model (not called the "Cyberbeast" then) as a DeLorean pickup...
I remember when the Cybertruck was announced, I also went and plopped down my $100 interest free loan/deposit for the top of the line model (not called the "Cyberbeast" then) as a DeLorean pickup truck is right up my design-peaked-in-the-80's style.
Then of course the price increased by $40k, muskrat outed himself as a nazi, and it turned out to be a massive pile of shit. Long since got my Benjamin back.
Boy is it apt that this happens not too far from LA. It seems like every cybertruck made has been sold over here. People are making comments on how these people generally seem like normal down to...
Boy is it apt that this happens not too far from LA. It seems like every cybertruck made has been sold over here.
People are making comments on how these people generally seem like normal down to earth guys. But having spent a lot of time talking to right-leaning Californians, they all have their tells. The story of the man who confronted the lesbian and made her apologize in tears particularly gave me that happened energy. The fact that he thinks having Jewish heritage precludes him from being a nazi also implies he doesn’t understand history. Then of course there is the disconnect of how these people are flabbergasted that their purchase could be political, as if they didn’t give nearly $100,000 to a company owned by one of the most visible fascists of our time who is literally caught on camera performing nazi salutes to a crowd.
This article is full of right wingers doing what they do; sanewashing their actions. And honestly, even with the editors notes, it kind of feels shitty for Wired to publish this.
A lot of my frustration with the Cybertruck is the safety mentality of it (although I also disagree with Musk's politics). The Cybertruck is the pinnacle of the worrying safety mentality of "who...
A lot of my frustration with the Cybertruck is the safety mentality of it (although I also disagree with Musk's politics). The Cybertruck is the pinnacle of the worrying safety mentality of "who cares if other people in the incident are injured, I just care about coming out of the accident unscathed." I recall Musk making a statement along the lines of "if you get into an accident in a cybertruck you will win in that fight." The problem is, is that an accident is not a fight, and framing it as such just increases the growing size of vehicles. There is also the lack of crumple zones and all the hard edges that must be brutal for pedestrians and cyclists being hit by it. I really wish my country followed the UK and EU and ban it from roads due to not meeting safety standards
This is only true because it's illegal to shoot it with an RPG. Cars are a weapon, and plenty of counter-weapons exist. And in case you're thinking "that's a stupid argument, obviously we're...
"if you get into an accident in a cybertruck you will win in that fight." The problem is, is that an accident is not a fight,
This is only true because it's illegal to shoot it with an RPG. Cars are a weapon, and plenty of counter-weapons exist.
And in case you're thinking "that's a stupid argument, obviously we're excluding illegal use of weapons", an explicit selling point of Cybertrucks was it being bulletproof and having a bioweapons defence mode.
BTW, if RPGs/anti-vehicle weapons were legalised then the number of road rage incidents towards cyclists would decrease.
I agree with your stupid argument, and am critiquing the use of that rhetoric in the first place (by Musk, not you). I get the argument that vehicles have the ability to kill, and therefore...
I agree with your stupid argument, and am critiquing the use of that rhetoric in the first place (by Musk, not you). I get the argument that vehicles have the ability to kill, and therefore framing it as a weapon implies that there is responsibility by users to prevent that. However, I believe that this rhetoric of accidents being a fight that you need to win by surviving at the cost of others in the accident is extremely troubling. I think this rhetoric should be denounced rather than engaged with.
Slightly off topic comment critiquing large cars to protect occupants only (mentions fatal car accident involving a child)
There are a lot of Teslas in my area. A number of people have those "I bought this before Elon was crazy" bumper sticker/magnets Those that don't I silently judge as being tone deaf and self...
There are a lot of Teslas in my area.
A number of people have those "I bought this before Elon was crazy" bumper sticker/magnets
Those that don't I silently judge as being tone deaf and self centered people.
When I see cybertrucks I think of all of the articles describing all of the defects. I think to myself that the owners are ignorant people who happen to have a lot of money or people who have so much money they could afford to be lazy and not research such an expensive vehicle.
Many of the owners are perfectly reasonable-sounding people, and then there's this person:
This editors note made me laugh:
Do you think this is a intentional deflection, or that they genuinely don't understand how their "non-political" decisions can correlate with their political ones? It's like those people I see on the road with huge wheels waving "blue lives matters" flags and then they get offended if I suddenly say "trump is ruining America!" (not that I really said that, but the truck description is real).
Like, if I gave a massive, huge, gargantuan benefit of the doing to these people, I could see the argument that just because you bought a cybertruck doesn't mean you like Elon Musk or are a fervent Trump supporter and have lots of other batshit ideas.
I think that argument holds a lot of water in other situations. Just because you order stuff from Amazon doesn't mean you hate unions, for instance.
The difference is that Amazon is a ridiculously convinient service that has cornered the online retail market.
The cybertruck is an unreliable, shoddily built, dangerous, expensive, and hideous vehicle that intentionally makes a statement. The likelihood that someone buys one in 2025 completely divorced from its status as a political symbol is almost zero.
For a quick illustration of this, no one is flicking off or shouting at model 3 drivers, because there are reasons to own that car other than to make a political statement.
The other type of person who buys a mobile dumpster is a strongly overlapping set in a Venn diagram: small business owners fraudulently claiming a personal vehicle as a business expense. It used to be the Escalade was one of the go-tos for this, because the tax code requires a minimum weight.
Under Section 179, a vehicle over 6000lb with a cargo bed can have up to 100% of the immediate cost taken as a write off, presuming 100% of its use is "for business use." So they're buying a personal vehicle through their business, but telling the IRS it's not primarily for their personal use.
I see lots of them with shitty decals or stenciled-on paint jobs advertising businesses, some of which I already knew are run by awful people. (One of them was being sued for labor practices too, last I heard.)
That explains sooo many of the Cybertrucks I've seen. I wondered why so many had wrap jobs or business ads on them.
I would expect cybertrucks to have wrap jobs, because the steel can rust if exposed to rain. A wrap job is the least stupid solution besides not buying a cybertruck.
A full wrap would make sense. Glorified stickers with a business name don't really offer protection.
"Political" in this context just means "bad."
There's a few jokes about capital-G Gamers that I think apply here: "there are two genders: male and political," "there are two races: white and political," "there are two orientations: straight and political," etc.
In his mind, whatever he does is right because whatever republicans do is de facto correct. After all, just a few months ago, Trump was hyping up Musk and doing QVC-tier advertisements for his cars. Therefore it can't be political because it's right and good. But getting angry at him for supporting a fascist billionaire who is in the Epstein files by buying said fascist billionaire who is in the Epstein files's cars? That's the wrong opinion, so it's political.
They don't understand that every action is inherently political because they only view politics through the lens of transgressions, of rejections of their status quo. There is no deeper meaning in their minds.
(That's also why they screech about "DEI," "the wokes," and "modern audiences": because if you hire anyone who isn't a cishet WASP man or cater to an audience besides cishet WASP men, that's being political.)
I'm not sure what you call it, but it's basically disliking the label but not the action. "Political" now has a negative connotation because it was used as a cudgel to silence people for so long, like against brands/athletes/games/influencers/etc making political statements. Now there's dissonance between wanting to be apolitical while supporting their views, and we end up with this. At least, that's my take on it.
Yeah, I was reading elsewhere yesterday about the notion that boils down to "to them, it's worse to be called racist than to do racist actions". Some people are trying to completely disassociate their actions or condonations with the idea that it reflects badly on them. Even if they meet the textbook definition of that concept.
I guess Heinlien was right
...and because truth is stranger than fiction, one more line after that...
Can't make this shit up.
Well, I think in this case the SS is for Super Sport, it's a pretty big and old car customization business.
I'm aware; it was more of a comment on the coincidence of the truck's owner and the naming of the wrap company.
All circumstantial in this instance of course, but many a person buys things based on the name of the company selling/making it alone. Since none of these wrap companies make the vinyl and are just installers, which are also a dime a dozen, it's their marketing and brand that draws customers. I wouldn't put it past a guy that stormed the capitol because his favorite fascist lost an election to pick a wrap company that reminds him of nazis.
This guys story really hit me as suspect because he apparently RAN A CYBERTRUCK THROUGH THE RUBICON TRAIL. Now I'm the "just tagging along" guy when my brothers go off roading and I'm there for the free camping trip and BBQ. But I've seen Jeeps and Toyotas almost break the laws of physics, because they have long history of reliably getting people and gear places where there are no roads. Don't see that when I look at the Suburban Pixle. I figured this guy was at least an off road enthusiast and was putting the new tech claims to the test.
And nope. His a Road Toaster influencer and his car was practically dragged most of the way through. Its an ad. His testimony here is an ad. I don't think his wife left because she didn't like the car. I think she left because he bet everything on becoming a Cybertruck Ad and it didn't work.
Its all that same type of speaking you see from the meme coin grifters begging for Elon's attention to VC applicants panhandling for millions of dollars. A little cultish and very sycophantic. Penitant and remorseful for experiencing product issues outside thier control and they make the brand and its associated personality their whole identity. It's almost like how LLM can end up communicating where it sometimes makes the user the center of some fantasy narrative.
I don't understand... Is this guy implying that he got divorced because he has a cybertruck? Or he can't get a date because he owns a cybertruck?
I don't know if I believe either of those things. Seems to me a classic case of questionable cause. Seems like the kind of guy that would buy a cybertruck would just... Have issues that would make a lot of women steer clear
FB groups aren't a good measure of actual ownership. Bots, companies that make parts, people that are just fans and can't afford the vehicle, people that hate the vehicle and join just to troll, and people that just "collect" groups are all going to be in that count. Due to the "political" nature of the vehicle, there's likely a good number of oxymoronic members that both want to espouse muskrat's nazism and would never own an electric vehicle because of the "liberal" connotations of it.
My dog has facebook and instagram accounts and some of those groups have membership that exceeds original production numbers or exceeds the possible number of vehicles remaining.
You're assuming there's some sort of verification required to join the group, it's facebook, it's not that serious. My dog is in half a dozen "owners only" groups because they have parts that apply to my Frankenstein'd builds.
As discussed it has become a bit of a political symbol so I also imagine there’s people who either want to own one or want to support the idea of owning one because they agree with musk’s political views. But it’s an expensive vehicle so they wouldn’t be able to afford one.
https://archive.is/CGSdw
From the article:
I remember when the Cybertruck was announced, I also went and plopped down my $100 interest free loan/deposit for the top of the line model (not called the "Cyberbeast" then) as a DeLorean pickup truck is right up my design-peaked-in-the-80's style.
Then of course the price increased by $40k, muskrat outed himself as a nazi, and it turned out to be a massive pile of shit. Long since got my Benjamin back.
Boy is it apt that this happens not too far from LA. It seems like every cybertruck made has been sold over here.
People are making comments on how these people generally seem like normal down to earth guys. But having spent a lot of time talking to right-leaning Californians, they all have their tells. The story of the man who confronted the lesbian and made her apologize in tears particularly gave me that happened energy. The fact that he thinks having Jewish heritage precludes him from being a nazi also implies he doesn’t understand history. Then of course there is the disconnect of how these people are flabbergasted that their purchase could be political, as if they didn’t give nearly $100,000 to a company owned by one of the most visible fascists of our time who is literally caught on camera performing nazi salutes to a crowd.
This article is full of right wingers doing what they do; sanewashing their actions. And honestly, even with the editors notes, it kind of feels shitty for Wired to publish this.
A lot of my frustration with the Cybertruck is the safety mentality of it (although I also disagree with Musk's politics). The Cybertruck is the pinnacle of the worrying safety mentality of "who cares if other people in the incident are injured, I just care about coming out of the accident unscathed." I recall Musk making a statement along the lines of "if you get into an accident in a cybertruck you will win in that fight." The problem is, is that an accident is not a fight, and framing it as such just increases the growing size of vehicles. There is also the lack of crumple zones and all the hard edges that must be brutal for pedestrians and cyclists being hit by it. I really wish my country followed the UK and EU and ban it from roads due to not meeting safety standards
This is only true because it's illegal to shoot it with an RPG. Cars are a weapon, and plenty of counter-weapons exist.
And in case you're thinking "that's a stupid argument, obviously we're excluding illegal use of weapons", an explicit selling point of Cybertrucks was it being bulletproof and having a bioweapons defence mode.
BTW, if RPGs/anti-vehicle weapons were legalised then the number of road rage incidents towards cyclists would decrease.
I agree with your stupid argument, and am critiquing the use of that rhetoric in the first place (by Musk, not you). I get the argument that vehicles have the ability to kill, and therefore framing it as a weapon implies that there is responsibility by users to prevent that. However, I believe that this rhetoric of accidents being a fight that you need to win by surviving at the cost of others in the accident is extremely troubling. I think this rhetoric should be denounced rather than engaged with.
Slightly off topic comment critiquing large cars to protect occupants only (mentions fatal car accident involving a child)
On an aside of people buying large vehicles because they do not feel safe in smaller vehicles due to large vehicles around them, there is one article I am reminded of that a mother chose a large car to protect her family, but instead ended up accidentally killing her son with due to front blind spot. Therefore, I think there needs to be an engagement in society of not buying a vehicle to protect the occupants in the vehicle, but to protect everyone.
There are a lot of Teslas in my area.
A number of people have those "I bought this before Elon was crazy" bumper sticker/magnets
Those that don't I silently judge as being tone deaf and self centered people.
When I see cybertrucks I think of all of the articles describing all of the defects. I think to myself that the owners are ignorant people who happen to have a lot of money or people who have so much money they could afford to be lazy and not research such an expensive vehicle.
Everytime I see a Cybertruck the only thing I can think of is 'Dork Mobile' and I drive a Model 3!
"You've read your last free article"
Oh well, I guess I had 0 free articles to read in my lifetime and it's run out.
I did post an archive link.
You shouldn't have messed with the Don.