Since recent events are leading people to boycott every product/service owned or operated by a certain person (including Twitter/X), I’ve seen people labeled as a Nazi for promoting/using Teslas.
Does endorsing this product somewhat support the owner either directly or indirectly? Perhaps. Does that mean you necessarily agree with all of his views/actions? I don’t think so, but it might be seen as tolerating them enough to not want to distance yourself from him/cease participating in any action that could in any way support him entirely? Or maybe just prioritising certain things above those principles, or not believing that your use of the product is meaningful in message or impact in relation to support for the figurehead?
It’s a shame because while there are a lot of other EVs, Teslas are a popular line that are in many ways leading the world in electric & hybrid vehicle technology. A boycott of Tesla could do some harm for the world & hinder the fight against climate change (similar to a boycott of Greta Thunberg’s climate efforts over her position on Israel). Is it worth that risk to disassociate from/remove any possible support for the person? Maybe?
Also, notably, the person in question didn’t found the company, contrary to popular misconception, and simply purchased it when he saw a business opportunity like he did with multiple other companies. So it would be a shame to forever link the brand with him inextricably rather than recognising its origins and potential to exist outside of his orbit (and maybe it will divest from him eventually, possibly as a necessity for commercial viability/brand image in the wake of this apparent boycott).
Lastly, some have pointed out that while the owner’s views on climate change issues are mixed at best (with quite a few scientists having accused him of climate misinformation-spreading), his association with climate-friendly tech innovations could inspire the political group he is now heavily embedded in to reconsider the potential utility of such technologies or the need to address climate change in general, many of whom are currently resistant to those ideas.
yeah i’m conflicted about it, we have a leased tesla through my so’s company and 3 years left on the contract. it would cost so much to get out of it right now that we can’t seriously consider switching the car. but we wake up every day wondering if we’re going to have to scrape off stickers, or wash a fresh spray painted artwork off the hood.
that sucks so much because we really enjoyed that car, and nothing really came close on the market when we got it. Polestar or Ioniq look better and better and we will probably switch to one of those when we give the Model 3 back.
As long as you’re not driving a cybertruck, you’re safe in my books
Throw one of those “I bought it before I knew he was a nazi” stickers on your bumper
Have you actually had those things happen, or do you just fear them? I can see vandalism becoming a problem with owning a Tesla but I didnt think we were there yet.
vandalizing a Tesla is such a bad idea given that they are rolling surveillance machines
Gotta keep an Elon mask in your car
so far just a casual “fuck elon” drawn in the dust with a finger, but i’ve seen photos of spray painted swastikas and there’s this website where you can order stickers for free to cover teslas: https://www.stopelon.eu/stickers
we’ll see, our area is really quiet and we have good relations to everyone living around, but it could happen anywhere when parking in town.
get a custom sticker that says “fuck elon, fuck my lease”
That site seems to be more about Tesla owners displaying something which says "Don’t target me. I’m against Musk too. "