<
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-why-its-time-to-ditch-the-myth-of-the-heroic-billionaire-252641>
"In February, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, wielded a chainsaw at a
conservative gathering as he gleefully spoke of his new role as head of the
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he’ll soon reach his legal
term limit. The chainsaw metaphor is brutally apt as he slashes government
spending, jeopardising the future of health care for low-income citizens,
consumer protection, education programs and humanitarian aid, among other
things.
Musk’s DOGE has instigated what has been called a lawless assault on United
States public services, threatening the jobs of hundreds of thousands of people
while undermining the institutions of American democracy. While other tech
billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg have
ingratiated themselves with Trump, Musk has become his chief henchman, seeking
to axe up to US$2 trillion from the US federal budget.
But as a special government employee, there is a strict 130-day limit on his
position, expected to expire in late May or early June. “He’s got a big company
to run … at some point he’s going to be going back,” Donald Trump told
reporters on Monday. “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him.” A senior
administration official told
Politico on Wednesday that Musk will likely
retain an informal role as an adviser.
Musk, an unelected official with multiple business interests, including his
companies Tesla, X and SpaceX, presents himself as a billionaire version of the
vigilante hero – a cultural icon that looms large in the American imagination.
A vigilante takes the law into his (it is usually his) own hands, professing a
personal morality superior to the one inscribed in society’s laws and enacted
by its officials and institutions. Vigilantes believe individual action taken
outside the functioning of government is the only way justice can be achieved.
The classic vigilante usually achieves this through brute force.
In pop culture, vigilantes come in many forms, from superheroes like Batman and
Superman to Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Mad Max and the stars of vigilante films,
perhaps most famously
Death Wish (1974), starring tough-guy character actor
Charles Bronson.
Death Wish, like many other vigilante movies, is based on
the premise society is under a moral threat and the authorities who are meant
to protect citizens – the government, the law, the police – have failed in
their duty. In this genre, in the wake of this kind of crisis, one person
(generally a white man) emerges as a saviour who can achieve justice."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
