Musk Realisation Syndrome Is Real

When did it strike you?

Musk Realisation Syndrome

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Ever wondered what you would do in a cult? We’d all like to think we’d be the first to notice the warning signs and dash to make a quick exit. But getting out is no easy feat. Cue traumatising flashbacks to Florence Pugh in Midsommar and video essays on Heaven’s Gate and Scientology. In reality, getting out of a cult is a shocking, agonising, and devastating process. Sometimes, it isn’t even a choice, as reality can forcefully eject people from the illusion. The sudden realisation that you have been deeply manipulated, that your worldview is totally fabricated, and the instant need to replace this void with some vestige of certainty can tear your soul to shreds. People have said there is a cult orbiting Elon Musk, and to an extent, they are right. At some point in time, we have all fallen under his allure. But his mirage is just as brittle as it is enticing, and as Musk tries to expand his cult to accommodate more and more of reality, that very reality is spitting his followers back out. This mass disillusionment needs a name: Musk Realisation Syndrome.

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Musk Realisation Syndrome
Definition: The moment Elon Musk authoritatively talks about a topic you understand with a painful lack of knowledge, context, or experience, creating a cascade of realisation that Musk is actually an incompetent, egotistical, fraudulent halfwit. This syndrome can cause depression, disillusionment, anger, bitterness, and, in some cases, deep-seated denial, cognitive dissonance, and even derangement.

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We need to treat Musk Realisation Syndrome (MRS) with a delicate hand. Musk used to be the golden boy of techno-positivism and capitalism. Once upon a time, he demonstrated that the free market and individualistic ideals of our society weren’t evil but could actually save the planet and propel humanity towards a brighter future. Vast swathes of people wanted to believe in him, not just because what he promised seemed so captivating, but because, for many, he proved the Western world was “free” and “fair,” just as was promised to us. So, as the early stages of MRS begin to settle in, these people fail to process how their life savings in Tesla shares, their silly stainless steel truck, and their open-mouthed idolatry of this figure were based on pure fabrication. In order to accept this situation, they have to reassess the entire social ecosystem they thought they existed in.

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As such, we need to offer those suffering with MRS our sympathy, time, and space. They are going through a lot, and providing gentle support can help them come out the other side.

We also need to recognise that the uncertainty of such a realisation can be deeply traumatising, causing certain individuals to grip onto Musk’s ankles even more tightly and justify their decision by ignoring the beating drum of their own cognitive dissonance. You only need to spend a few hours on Twitter to see this. Musk fans are spreading his blatant misinformation, not out of any genuine belief but out of an attempt at self-reassurance. An obvious dog whistle to connect with the rapidly shrinking number of Tesla fans trying to hold onto their own ‘godlike Musk’ belief for as long as possible.

Indeed, I suspect this is why Musk is able to push so much more false rhetoric than before. His followers desperately need something to separate them from reality, and it just so happens Musk’s increasingly aggressive grifting can give them this.

In other words, the fear of the many followers is being weaponised and exploited for the benefit of the cult leader. So, how can we help them?