American writer Joyce Carol Oates shook the X (formerly Twitter) world after she called business tycoon Elon Musk “uneducated, uncultured” while wondering why he never shows a side of himself that indicates enjoyment of the simple pleasures of life. Check out her tweet below:
So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s… https://t.co/xMxQGSVqEt
The author’s comments drew mixed criticism from fans; some lauded her for speaking out, while others defended Musk, claiming he’s occasionally shared many of his interests in the past, such as films and books.
The issue stemmed from a post of the tech billionaire after Senator Roland Gutierrez accused Musk of wanting to become a trillionaire off the backs of American taxpayers.
Joyce Carol Oates Clarifies Controversial Post Slamming Elon Musk
Oates’ commentary on Musk drew strong attention from the public, and along with praises for her bold opinion, there were others who criticized her for stirring up unsolicited conversation. To explain her earlier statement, the 87-year-old award-winning novelist posted:
In speculating about the “wealthiest man in the world “ I did not actually state any name. I was thinking of the emblematic—the type of being that great wealth can make possible. But such wealth must seem unreal. Or ironic.
It is impressive that Elon Musk allows critical… https://t.co/RuPyncXPrT
As one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the world, Musk maintained his branding on social media as a goal-driven, business-minded type of person, radiating the impression that he rarely makes human connections or, at least, expresses his interests in other things outside of the sphere of work.
Musk was not pleased with Oates’ remark about him, responding to a post that she’s “a liar and delights in being mean” (via X/Twitter). He also said she’s not a good human being, as fans showed support for the businessman.
Oates’ Claims Allegedly Affected Musk, Starts Proving He’s a Real Human
In an allegedly desperate attempt to prove Oates wrong, fans noticed Musk started engaging with an account that regularly posts clips from movies. The Tesla shareholder commented on several posts with short remarks, mostly showing appreciation for the film and nothing more.
Joyce Carol Oates at 87 got Elon Musk so good saying he doesn’t have the capacity to enjoy life so he proved her point by spending the day posting about movies he saw decades ago. pic.twitter.com/F5YuBtX62B
In fairness to Musk, he posted about movies and books occasionally in the past, notably recommending the audiobook version of The Iliad.
However, there were instances when he embarrassingly got them mixed up, just like when he described the new Tesla Cybertruck vehicle as “an armored personnel carrier from the future – what Bladerunner would have driven” on X/Twitter, with fans correcting him that there’s no character named ‘Bladerunner’ in the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.
What are your thoughts about Oates’ observation of Musk? Let us know in the comments!
