I had people defending CNN in a few threads the other day, here's how CNN reported Musk's Nazi salute.

[ZonkerHarris]

In very odd and circumspect language, CNN’s Erin Burnett first called Musk’s action an “odd looking salute.” Her on-screen companion added, “it’s not something you see at an American political rally.” Newsweek Opinion Editor Batya Ungar-Sargon had another take. “This is a man with Aspergers exuberantly throwing his heart to the crowd,” the journalist said, calling Musk “a friend to the Jews.”

Fuck all TV news media.
they are all corrupt and on the side of fascism

Yeah Jim Acosta and any good reporter should get the fuck out of there and work someplace better..

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. This was no mistake-Elon Musk gave two back to back Nazi salutes at the Trump inauguration parade

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[no_hypocrisy]

2. The Roman Salute preceded the Nazi/Hitler Salute

Even Mussolini was copying it before Hitler.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_salute

?resize=1200,1200

[ForgoTheConsequence]

5. Yes it has been used by other facists.

And it was used by one today.

[Evolve Dammit]

28. May they perish in similar fashion...

[ProudMNDemocrat]

19. "We who are sbout to die, salute you!"

Yes. The Third Reich was modeled after the Roman Empire down to the use of the Eagle and huge banners.

[karynnj]

39. However, since WWII, it has been uniquely identified with the NAZIs

In popular culture from comedy to drama to documentaries, it is known immediately at least to people of a certain age.

[ificandream]

4. CNN is still miles and miles ahead of Fox.

I would support CNN over Fox any day of the week. Where are all the complaints about Fox?

[brush]

11. Why support either? CNN has gone way right a while back except for a few anchors like...

Acosta, Keilar, Coates.

[ificandream]

14. The news isn't right or left

It’s impartial. It’s not a cheering section.

[brush]

17. Naivete. News is news but the way it's presented can and quite often does lean one way of the other.

Like CNN reporting Musk's Nazi salute as Aspergers enthusiasm. That's called slanting the news to make magat actions not seem so fascist.

[ificandream]

21. No, it's called commentary, not reporting.

It was commentary by someone looking for words to say. It wasn't smart, but it also wasn't news. The problem today is too much commentary is called news. Commentary isn't, no matter who does it.

News is factual and adheres to the who-what-when-where-why formula that reporters use in writing stories. Commentary is commentary, dumb as it may be.

Oh, and I worked at a daily newspaper for over 35 years.

[brush]

23. Ok. Like I said, news is news, but rarely are just the facts reported. Very rarely.

CNN swung way right a couple of years ago when Licht was in charge and pledged to voice more rethug views.

[ificandream]

26. It's there, but sometimes it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

One other point -- I don't appreciate pundits. Their views are all over the place in terms of commentary. There are a few good ones -- Lawrence O'Donnell is one. As is Rachel Maddow. I also like Chris Hayes. But too many people make their living off of commentary. It makes hard news hard to find sometimes.

[brush]

41. Try C-Span. That's where you get most straight facts.

[Dem4life1970]

33. It's normalizing...

...and Neville Chamberlaining (my newest coined word).

[brush]

38. Agreed. Seems all the billionaire news platform owners are rolling over for trump and moving way right.

We're losing the republic. That bloviating, convicted, lying criminal is not worth it. That bastard is the best the rethugs could come up with.

We're fucked.

[tenderfoot]

18. Attributing an obvious Sig Heil salute with "Asperger's" isn't being impartial.

It's being willfully obtuse.

[0rganism]

20. Ideally, news would be thorough and impartial. Practically, it is not.

Today, it's very much a "cheering section", no serious attempt to hide it either.

[ificandream]

24. I don't agree completely.

Again, it has to do with the use of commentary. News commentary is a little too prevalent for my tastes, but that's where the cheering is. But on the other hand, real news can include things we don't like -- as in comments from Trump. If you're looking for CNN to characterize Trump in a negative way, they do. Maybe not like Fox does or as often, but they do. The thing is real news outlets have standards they have to follow -- something Fox as a non-news station doesn't do. Real news is not the same as what Fox does. It never will be.

[lapfog_1]

30. A person that supports the German AfD party

which is so far right that France's Marie Le Pen will have nothing to do with them.. and is trying to divide the British government and create an far right wing takeover in Britain... and is the world's richest person by many estimates... gives an out and out Nazi salute to the new President of the United States... that is actual news.

And the "commentary" as you put it is the lame "Because he has a mental condition or he was awkwardly throwing his heart to the crowd" is not news... that is commentary on the motivation. The NEWS would be "Elon giving a Nazi salute to the new President"

[ificandream]

36. The commentary doesn't deserve that much importance.

Yes, the Nazi salute is news. But the evaluations of it are commentary -- and nothing important. Commentary doesn't deserve the importance it's getting sometimes.

[Dem4life1970]

37. It's not that hard...

if Elon Musk stood up showed his middle finger up, all of his other fingers down and/or the two closest to the middle finger crouched slightly, a kindergartner could tell us he was flipping us off. I know a Nazi salute when I see one, esp. from a South African apartheid loving, ADF supporting, X ruining person like Elon. It's really not that hard.

[ificandream]

40. I'm not questioning what he did.

I'm saying the evaluations of it really don't mean as much as we apparently think it does. If some dumb commentator tries to stretch the meaning, it doesn't change the facts.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. You're kdding right?

[erodriguez]

44. This idea is like living in a dream world.

These assholes helped bring about the situation we are in right now

[underpants]

27. WTF else are you going to watch ?

MSNBC okay. Any other options? Realistic options?

[brush]

34. MSNBC Nicole Wallace and afterwards is about it and C-Span. MSNBC is being sold and probably...

won't be around much longer. So many are rolling over for trump now. The nation is in bad shape and no telling for how long.

[Magoo48]

42. Central Nazi News. Stopped watching 15 years ago. Haven't missed any MSM. Tuned out 12 years ago.

[Cirsium]

53. No, no, no

Don't do that. Do not set the bar that low. Being better than Fox, being better than MAGA, being better than Republicans - I should damn well hope so! That is a woefully inadequate standard.

We need to demand, and to do, much, much better. "At least we are better than them" has not worked. It is an excuse for poor performance, compromise and complicity.

[ZonkerHarris]

66. Thanks for the dose of false equivalency. I'm gonna have to build up a tolerance the next four years.

[ecstatic]

6. so now they're using Aspergers as an excuse

GMAFB! eLoon has zero emotional intelligence, but he is not an idiot.

[tenderfoot]

48. I don't think he's on the spectrum - he's just a psycho

eom

[thesquanderer]

67. Yeah the Asperger's "social inappropriateness" is all they have left to hang their hat on...

... because the only other two possibilities are that he's a nazi or he's a moron. It's a stretch, but it's all they've got.

[mzmolly]

7. Gosh, the people I now with Aspergers don't

'throw their hearts' around with Nazi salutes.

[BoRaGard]

8. Corporate "news" gaslighting (R)

expect more of this bullshit

[La Coliniere]

10. Gaslighting and fart blowing on truth telling.

CNN stinks to high heaven and gets worse every day.

[Klarkashton]

9. They step lightly these days. They might get sued.

[Peregrine Took]

12. I;m keeping a wary eye on my favorite evening MSNBC hosts hoping they don't waver:

Chris, Lawrence, Rachel and Joy. NO wavering!

[SilasSouleII]

22. If you wouldn't mind, please update.

Havent since 11/5 and still don't watch any cable news.

[CousinIT]

13. Well, I call CNN the "Conservative Nazi Network" for a reason. REMEMBER WHEN...

....the media all had a HISSY FIT (and the MAGAts too) over the Obamas' "terrorist fist bump"?

The double-standard is SHOCKINGLY obvious. Still.

Screw the MSM (for news). Other than a few MSNBC hosts, I don't watch them anymore. AT ALL.

[ificandream]

16. There's a difference between news and news commentary

It’s going to be there whether you like it or not.

[senseandsensibility]

35. Yes, there is a difference

I don't think anyone said there wasn't. The point is there is too much rightwing commentary. And we criticize the networks for CHOOSING to air too much RW commentary. This decision is theirs, and calling it commentary does not absolve them.

[brush]

54. Exactly right. Seems some need that explained.

[Evolve Dammit]

32. K&R; nailed it

[osteopath6]

15. I think its forced controversy

People only have so much energy for such things. The throwing his heart out thing makes sense. He was excoriating racists over H1 visas, I don't think its a nazi thing

[Aussie105]

25. Both the swastika and salute go back a long way in history.

But Elon is just a bit suss using the salute, don't you think?

(Elon is offensive enough without it.)

[state of stupid]

31. We had controversy here over saluting the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute

[LymphocyteLover]

43. "Friend of the Jews"???? Good lord that is thoroughly disgusting

[SouthBayDem]

47. Said by someone with a Berkeley PhD

and who (from what I’ve seen elsewhere) is a practicing Jew. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batya_Ungar-Sargon

Ungar-Sargon had been a liberal just 10 years ago but somehow decided to hop on the MAGA gravy train.

[LymphocyteLover]

55. Ah, I've looked her up before after seeing Steve Bannon rave about her. She's bad news

another fucking sell out.

[mamajudi]

45. Obscene salute...

While I was in Australia this past October, I guy was convicted of using an obscene gesture. I thought it would be flipping off a cop, but nope! He was giving the Nazi salute... The guy earned himself some jail time giving it. Makes me sick seeing what Elon did.

[SouthBayDem]

46. Typical sanewashing nt

[LittleGirl]

49. DU taught me that this was the Nazi salute

I consider myself informed but I did not know until today that what .musk did was that salute. Not to defend CNN but those analysts are young and may not know it either.

I’m disgusted by Musk. It looked intentional to me.

[UTUSN]

50. And here I pondered that was being hyperbolic

Last edited Mon Jan 20, 2025, 08:53 PM - Edit history (1)

[rpannier]

51. He has Ass-bargle Syndrome

I'll go that far

[alarimer]

52. Yes, they will be the death of America

Worse even than the Vichy Democrats is the kowtowing media.

[Baron2024]

56. Vichy Democrats

Good one. They really are. But who is in the French Resistance?

[alarimer]

59. No idea.

I feel that most people will only be able to keep their heads down and get on with things and I can't really blame them. I hope it never actually comes down to actually fighting and that maybe some institutions will hold.

I don't think most Democratic politicians are up to the moment, either. I think they are still trying to play the usual game, like this is just some other GOP politician they disagree with. But he definitely isn't.

[Baron2024]

62. Good Analysis

Playing the usual game doesn't work against someone who doesn't play by the rules. You are right.

[ificandream]

57. The death of America is in the freaking White House now.

And thank the stupids who voted for him. The media didn't do that.

[WarGamer]

58. The ADL said it isn't a Nazi salute.

[Silent Type]

60. Agree. Think if you look at the whole motion, Musk is just an oddball POS who'd still be in his basement but for money.

Just looked it up after reading your post.

“It’s a new day and yet so many are on edge. Our politics are inflamed, and social media only adds to the anxiety. It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge,” the ADL stated.

"“In this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath,” it added. “This is a new beginning. Let’s hope for healing and work toward unity in the months and years ahead.”"



This may be best piece of advice I've seen today.

[LudwigPastorius]

64. What's next?

Hitler's invasion of Poland was just an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm?

[Silent Type]

65. I'm not living my life in fear of nonsense, though Musk is a POS.

[ZonkerHarris]

61. I'm not letting the ADL gaslight me. I know a Nazi salute when I see it done twice like that.

[tishaLA]

63. The ADL is giving him a pass, too

people everywhere caving like they're fine with all this mess.

[Tickle]

68. Went to Hebrew school': Elon Musk reveals SA 'Jewish roots

Elon Musk has reflected on his “Jewish roots” during his childhood in South Africa. The world’s richest man – who was born in Pretoria – shared his experience during the European Jewish Association conference, which took place over the weekend.

Musk – who is the owner of the X platform – emigrated to Canada and later the US as a young adult.