this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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[–] jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 194 points 2 months ago (3 children)

In posts on X following the incident, Tesla CEO Elon Musk called the incidents “terrorism” and said the company “just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”

OK buddy.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 75 points 2 months ago (3 children)

The cars suck, but he's right that the company hasn't done anything to deserve this. He's the one who chose to make himself the face of Tesla, though, so however people feel about him, they'll feel about any business he owns.

Terrorism, though? Hardly. It's protest. He's the one doing terrorism by dismantling the government.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (12 children)

Terrorism, though? Hardly.

Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature

Pretty much the definition of terrorism. Doesn't necessarily make it wrong.

That's what was so terrifying about the Patriot Act for so long.

[–] Initiateofthevoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 2 months ago (16 children)

Violent, criminal acts

Property damage is not violence and nonviolent protests are not terrorism. They will claim it is. They are lying.

[–] kofe@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Gonna disagree with the anarchist viewpoint because physical damage to inanimate objects can still cause PTSD, battered spouse syndrome with enough incidents over time, etc. It's the threat of danger that matters.

Just because it doesn't fit your ideological view doesn't mean people are lying by looking at it differently

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Yep the idea of terrorism bad is honestly kinda overly simple. Can it be bad? Sure especially if you don't have a specific target but well the IRA, American Revolutionaries, and Zapatistas have shown that there is a good way to go about it. The term of the day is damage minimization.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Yep. Nobody (okay, very few people) want to burn Teslas, or make car bombs, or dress up as indians and throw a shipment of tea into the Boston harbor, but when you live in a state where the government is no longer governing for the people (even if the people knowingly, or unknowingly selected that government), ignores it's citizens or even actively harms them, then you don't have much choice. You have to defend yourself.

[–] Yondoza@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Surprisingly, Star Wars is a great example of this. A rinky dink political group (rebels) blowing up a military installation (death star) is terrorism. That does not mean the action was unjustified.

It's not terrorism if it's war.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Terrorism that succeeds is called revolution.

It’s the threat of danger that matters.

Correct! It is the threat of danger that matters. Domestic violence as you described is threatening and abusive, and therefore violent.

Is it the same thing when the property is owned by a company, not a person?

Is graffiti terrorism? It's property damage. It can be ideologically motivated. If someone had spray painted the cars, instead of lit them on fire... would it still be terrorism?

Who was threatened here?

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[–] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 24 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (10 children)

Yes, but that definition also defines... basically all the most heinous things that Trump and those around him have done in the last... 5 years, lets say? ... as terrorism.

Remember CPAC, 2022?

... kinda speaks for itself.

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[–] MCasq_qsaCJ_234@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 months ago (7 children)

Rather it is vandalism, because Terrorism, its acts cause terror in the population.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 8 points 2 months ago

nobody is terrified, except for billionaires, like crybaby musk.

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[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Not sure why some people are disagreeing - it for sure fits the definition. I'm not exactly sad about it - Musk is helping to rip apart the country and I have a hard time blaming people who feel that helping to rip apart one of his companies is about all they can do - but committing arson to further an ideology is terrorism.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Not sure why some people are disagreeing

They don't like the connotation. Which is fair. Nuance is hard and if you say "yes, we're terrorists" there's no way that's not going to be wielded against "your people" in the court of public opinion.

But facts are facts.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Spraypaint a traffic camera, violence.

So what I'm hearing is, if you burn Tesla because their CEO is a scum-sucking useless billionaire who is dismantling the social services that you and your family rely on (and paid for!), in order to cut taxes for the 1%, your a terrorist.

If you set shit on fire because you like to watch stuff burn, you're just a plain ol' arsonist.

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[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 2 points 2 months ago

criminal acts

With this definition, a government can do anything it wants without it being terrorism because it gets to decide what's criminal. So while it may be terrorism by definition, that definition is pretty useless without a lot of context.

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[–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

The cars are poorly designed to the point of being dangerous. They deserve it a little.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 11 points 2 months ago

This is terrorism. Storming the capitol is clearly not.

[–] fitgse@sh.itjust.works 25 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The board needs to remove Elon today.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

yep. I don't get why they haven't. He's tanking their shit badly.

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 24 points 2 months ago (4 children)

They just paid fucking 60 billion dollars to him to keep him from quitting. Maybe a smidge of sunk cost fallacy.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Sigh. Fuck Elon. I hope the piece of shit goes bankrupt. Probably wont happen though :/

[–] baggachipz@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

If trump had lost the election, he would be in jail and Elon would have been destroyed. Instead, we got… this.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 months ago

yup. It's a sad state of affairs right now :/

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[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Good. Let them drown with their sinking ship. They enabled his power grab in the first place and decided something as perverted and absurd as granting a single man $60 billion. Let this be a lesson in history books.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 3 points 2 months ago

the honeymoon from the election is just wearing off.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Did that actually get paid out? Last I heard the judge said no, multiple times.

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Yep. There was another shareholder vote and he won it.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 months ago

the board are his handpicked toadies that have him a bonus despite tesla losing money

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You can remove him from the board but he'll still have all of his shares. And I'd bet he's not really doing much as Tesla these days anyway.

[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Not much except getting their dealerships torched.

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[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Even if they do, protests and boycotts need to continue past it. A lot of his wealth is in Tesla stock, and he's going to benefit from the shadows if the public moves on and TSLA recovers.

[–] ragingdachshund@lemm.ee 16 points 2 months ago

It’s not terrorism. They were just peacefully touring the dealerships. Just like January 6. Peacefully touring.