The "Hands Off" demos last weekend, all over America, were for "hands off" any DOGE cuts to government expenditure cuts. i.e. "Hands off" any cuts to waste, fraud and abuse. "Hands off" our money-laundering NGOs which enrich us. "Hands off" the swill in the pig-trough that we've been gorging on. HANDS OFF! Hands off the corruption! It's ours!
The message is sensitive. If you don't get it right, people might get the idea that you're just about protecting your own swill. Heaven forfend.
So the message has to be controlled. You demo people: either don't say anything, or say what we tell you to say.
On pieces of A4, which they're encouraged to read (I guess), but which remarkably few seem to have read, for when they're asked why they're there, most don't have a decent answer other than "Musk, he Nazi".
The signs say nonsense things like "Burn a Tesla; Save Democracy". How does that make any sense.
Here are some of the Vox Pop interviewers going around talking to these cultish folk. I must say they have the patience of Job. I'd be wanting to push back much more. Especially when they spout total nonsense and lies about my main man, Elon Musk. Flat out lies. Like he did nothing for Tesla, just bought into an existing company. Like he knows nothing about rockets. Like all he does is blow them up. Like he's not at all smart. This was a man that was at the top of the American popularity charts of public figures right up until he endorsed Trump. They thought he was the savior of the planet, with his ground breaking EVs, until he became a Trump supporter. What hypocrisy. What shallowness. Elon has not changed. They've just gone feral and tribal and switched on a dime to what the Party says they must say.
Anyway, back to the vids:There's been a mini industry of people going to these anti Trump anti Elon demos all over the US, talking to people. Trying to talk to people, because very often these people don't want to talk. Never mind that they're there with all sorts of signs, trying to get media attention for their "cause", such as it is. They don't want to talk to the Vox Pop interviewers, who they label at "Trolls", or "Far Right Trolls; Do Not Engage". Ready with signs for this as well.
The thing is, there are several themes that jump out at me.
First that the crowds are remarkably uniform. They're mostly elderly white people. They're my age. They're aging Boomers. Who haven't changed a single thought since the heady days of chardonnay socialism at Uni. Mostly women. For whom everything Trump does is Doom and Gloom, Democrcacy at risk -- though they can never say how. There are very few young folks, especially very few young men. Very few, if any, Black or Latino folks.
So, crows -- Boomer Doomers.
They all have pre-made signs that we can see have been brought to the demo in the hired coaches in which they too have been delivered.
They have talking points written out for the protesters, on A4 paper, though precious few seem to have read them. I'm not going to say that they can't read; maybe they can, but are just too lazy. I'm just here for the money, boss.
- Angel Rose, and Paid to Protest
- Willie Nelson
- Anton Daniels
- Triggered M8
- State of Daniel
- Sky News Oz, And also
- Kevin etc.
- Hands Off protests are a fraud
- Nate Friedman paid protesters
And what are they saying, these protesters? Well, first of all you have to get them to agree to talk. Lots and lots of them refuse to talk, because they've been told not to talk to "Far Right Trolls". Which is, like, anyone who asks them questions and wants to engage in conversation. Often they're quite aggressive, even rude, to the people out to engage them in conversation.
As an aside, if you go along to the opposite side of these protests, like the pro-Israel side at a pro-Hamas protest, or to a pro Maga rally at an anti-Trump protest, these people are all much more willing to talk and much more civil.
If they do answer, it's always with nonsense and outright lies. Which they appear to believe. Strongly. Sadly. Because how can things ever improve if we have the level of delusion that these people show.
Ok, of course I've got my own priors and biases. But when it comes to Elon Musk --- and Trump too, I'd say -- I know more about him than any of the people at these demos. I've followed him for more than a decade. I've read three books on him, including one that's an outright hit piece on him. I've followed more YouTube videos than I can count, on Tesla and on SpaceX, including ones by critics, and ones in extreme detail. I know more about him than anyone but his family and close colleagues.
So when these people say what they say about him, I know they're wrong. I don't even want to repeat their comments about him, because that only gives them more currency. Save to say he does not want or plan to cut Social Security or Medicare only to make them better. That he has not aim to cut government expenditure to give more money to his rich mates -- if that were so, this is the worst way to go about that.
They say they're there to "Save Democracy". When asked what's the danger they don't know. Asked How to save it, they reply "Burn a Tesla". Which is insane. Only two years ago, Elon Musk was the most popular business man in America for helping to save the planet from CO2. His companies reduce Carbon emissions by nearly half a billion tonnes a year. That hasn't changed. All that's changed is that he supported Donald Trump. Suddenly they hate Elon and hate the innocent cars.
When asked isn't it something that Elon's Space X was able to save those astronauts who'd been marooned on the International Space Station, the only company able to do so, they reply "meh"... That's just horrid. They're ungrateful shits. They don't deserve an Elon, but get him anyway as he can't help to work for the betterment of mankind, especially Americans.
Now a recent poll reported in the New York Post that 55% of self-described liberals in the Democratic Party think it's justifiable to murder Donald Trump. Murder! 50% of those same people agree that Elon should be murdered. This is new territory and it's not good. The new "assassination culture" which is foisted on us by the Media and the leadership of the Democratic Party.
I shudder for the future of America.
