"Leave Tesla Alone" "It's possible to walk into a dealership and buy a car that drives itself on the freeway about as safely as you would if you were driving the thing. That car also doesn't use gasoline. And it's as fast in the quarter-mile as a Corvette Stingray. The future is here, as William Gibson once said; it's just unevenly distributed." "In any even remotely sane universe, this achievement would be celebrated in the most hyperbolic fashion possible by every man, woman, and child on the planet. Americans would be as proud of the Tesla Model S as we used to be about the moon landing or about winning the Cold War. The entire auto industry would be working night and day to make a car that could beat Tesla at its own game. Kids on their bicycles would pretend to be a Tesla P90D in Ludicrous Mode. (Or is it Ludacris Mode, where one is encouraged to "act a fool?") Needless to say, the world of 2016 is a thoroughly insane universe, so none of the above is happening. Instead, there's a cottage industry springing up of people who are trying to make a name, or a living, or both, disparaging Tesla and its products. Instead of celebrating the existence of a self-autonomous electric car, they are focused on whatever individual gain they can scrape for themselves off the bottom of Elon Musk's shoe." "These individuals are assisted in their quest by a media that long ago decided that it was completely okay with killing the society on which it parasitically feeds. Every potential flaw in a Tesla, every customer complaint, and every perceived shortfall from perfection in the product, the company, or its people is endlessly chewed into pulp by the mandibles of these filthy dung beetles in an effort to find a morsel of notoriety on which they can subsist. These people can't look away from their own navels long enough to contemplate the technological miracle of a self-driving electric car that runs elevens in the quarter. They'd rather focus on minor quality issues or customer-relations missteps." "We now live in an era where raising a billion dollars of other suckers' money and developing a new "app" to take selfies or find imaginary creatures in a porta-potty is considered the apex of human civilization but investing your entire fortune in a quest to build a self-driving electric car is treated like dangerous, egomaniacal adventurism." Leave Tesla Alone
Very good article, thanks for sharing. I love this part: "Can you imagine if the media had treated Henry Ford in the Model T era the way these idiots deal with Elon Musk? I can just imagine the headlines: Horrible Racist Anti-Semite Wants People to Do the Same Job All Day for Just Five Bucks Some Early Delivery Model Ts Are Breaking Owners' Wrists Model T Owner Runs Into Horse, Dies Ford Fails to Deliver Improved Quarterly Profits Or Stock Price Increases; Puts Money Into River Rouge "Gigafactory" Scam Instead Customers Are Triggered by Having No Color Choices on Crappy Little Car; Some Vow to Repaint It Themselves"
Yes, that was highly entertaining. I must say that a few years back, I didn't think the car mags were going to favor Tesla, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Road & Track laud the company as an American treasure. This op-ed further cements their position.
If I could get $100 every time Calisnow starts a new thread, I would definitely be able to afford the model S
I think the folks at Tesla are big boys and can handle criticism. I have no problem with the critic-for-profit nature of our press. No one is forcing anybody to consume any media they don't like. The time to worry is when there are forces opposing a critical press.
In any even remotely sane universe, TMC members would celebrate Calisnow in the most hyperbolic fashion possible ... They would be as proud of his beautiful prose as we used to be about the moon landing or about winning the Cold War. Needless to say, the world of 2016 is a thoroughly insane universe, so none of the above is happening.
The press has been exceptionally kind, and appropriately so, to Musk over the years, unless of course people expect 100% glowing reviews and comments no matter what happens. If isn't the press that is bad it, it is the fanboys. Musk can humbly talk about the challenges of the X, the hubris, etc, and the fanboys excuse or disregard that. LOL. It isn't as if there never was negative press about the Model T with jokes about the need to roll it down a hill to get it started. And even in retrospect, the press is not kind: "with its blacksmithed body panels and crude instruments, the Model T was a piece of junk, the Yugo of its day - Time Magazine." Ford understood this and actually had a strong communications team that worked with the press. Hmmm, being good at communications, now there is an interesting idea. And of course a lot of money spent on marketing which would drive demand while also dulling the criticisms of the press. Hmmm, marketing to educate the market - another interesting idea.
This is a terrific article. Thanks very much for posting. It is unfortunate that so many of the financial interests who feel threatened by Tesla have decided to dig in, cling to the past and engage in dirty tricks and propaganda campaigns instead of accepting what is obviously the future of transportation and energy and finding a constructive role to play in it. Very, very nice to see someone speaking so eloquently and powerfully on behalf of Tesla and the future.
Thanks for sharing this article ... wouldn't have seen it otherwise, and it's quite a treasure in these days worn thin with more people than you can shake a stick at crashing their $100k cars. And they have the audacity to shake their sticks at Tesla! Sheesh, people. -- Updated -- Sorry, I would have mentioned it, but I assumed you copied those bits from the article ...
I don't think Ford had to contend with millions of dollars of spending on politically motivated climate change denial propaganda and personal smear campaigns funded by the likes of the Koch brothers.
Great article. That isn't to say that Tesla should be exempt from any critique, nor that their products couldn't benefit from real world perspectives. But the feedback should be more akin to constructive criticism, and less financially and politically-motivated 'takedown culture'-styled potshots. And yes, what they have accomplished should be celebrated for the monumental achievements that they are.
There are certainly a lot of lobbyist funded by Detroit and oil money that want to shut down Elon asap. Sad reality in a capitalist society where everything is about money and self-interest.
Thanks @calisnow. Great to see R&T stepping up to the plate and hitting it out of the park. A voice of sanity. Elon and Tesla can weather this tempest in a teapot and move on.
When he reply like this.. it just.. so good to read, and when time after time he continue to be consistent i really love this