(*) Not really, but keep hustling

  • 420blazeit69 [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Sometimes its purely a consequence of intimidation (I support the patriarchy because I fear reprisal for going against it).

    But there’s always more on the table than a blind belief.

    With Musk fanbois, whats incredibly is how little there really is on the table.

    For some people, on some issues, there really isn’t a direct material basis for believing what they belive. This is probably a minority of people and usually on culture war stuff, but it does happen.

    • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Not a direct material basis, no. But there is often an indirect or otherwise assumed material basis. Typically, it boils down to the assumption that my current (or future expected) quality of life is predicated defending the status quo or the current hierarchy.

      With Musk, you get a bunch of empty promises about a utopian techno-futurism. But when you consider what he ultimately delivers, it consistently feels more disappointing than comparable deliveries from someone like Henry Ford or Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. Nevermind the far more dramatic social/technological improvements made under a Deng or Khrushchev.

    • CheGueBeara [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      The cool thing about material bases is that you don't need to be cognizant of them not do they even need to be direct or overt. Billionaire worship follows from a consumerist way of life, itself a product of capitalism. It'll feed on people with insecurities or a desperation for someone to fix their problems or even just average folks that absorb pop culture nonsense like "Musk is a big inventor genius". The fanbois don't need a direct material interest in Musk's success to cheer for him, they just need to be part of the mass media discourse and a little unlucky.