Crash Course: Elon Musk's epic bumbling is a daily reminder that America is not a meritocracy

As the Supreme Court considers affirmative action, Musk's antics show exactly how white privilege works. [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0Q2aHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL2xldHRlci81ODc5VwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Elon-Musk] Getty Images / Muhammed Selim Korkutata / Anadolu Agency) Elon Musk's epic bumbling is a daily reminder that America is not a meritocracy Did you see the report about Musk telling software engineers to print out 30 days of code, [only to tell them to shred it when he likely realized this exposed](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0Q9aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXNjaGF0b25ibG9nLmNvbS8yMDIyLzEwL3N0dXBpZGVzdC1tYW4tYWxpdmUuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) how he doesn't know what he's doing? Or how [he plans to take a bazooka to the content moderation team](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RQaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3RlY2hub2xvZ3kvMjAyMi8xMC8yOS9lbG9uLW11c2stdHdpdHRlci10YWtlb3Zlci9XA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), even though doing so will likely send advertisers packing? Or [how he thought carrying a sink around was a hilarious joke](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY25uLmNvbS92aWRlb3MvYnVzaW5lc3MvMjAyMi8xMC8yOC9sYXRlLW5pZ2h0LWVsb24tbXVzay1zaW5rLXB1bi10d2l0dGVyLW9yaWctY3Byb2ctZmouY25uLWJ1c2luZXNzVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~)? Or how he tweeted [an asinine conspiracy theory about the Paul Pelosi attack](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0R6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMzEvZWxvbi1tdXNrLXVzZXMtdHdpdHRlci10by1wdXNoLXBlbG9zaS1jb25zcGlyYWN5LXRoZW9yeS10aGF0cy1xdWlja2x5LWRlYnVua2VkLWJ5LXBvbGljZS9XA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), only to delete it hours later? None of this should be surprising. From day one, this entire saga has been a story of a man with far more money than brains. After all, this all started when Musk stupidly offered to buy Twitter at a price way over its valuation, [for no other reason than a fit of trollish pique](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDQvMTQvZWxvbi1tdXNrcy10by10YWtlb3Zlci10d2l0dGVyLS1ub3QtY2FuY2VsLWN1bHR1cmUtLS1hcmUtcnVpbmluZy1kaXNjb3Vyc2UvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). It was only after he realized what a foolish idea it was to set $44 billion on fire that he [started coming up with disingenuous excuses to escape the deal](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvb21iZXJnLmNvbS9uZXdzL2FydGljbGVzLzIwMjItMDctMDcvdHdpdHRlci1yZWl0ZXJhdGVzLXRoYXQtc3BhbS1ib3RzLWFyZS13ZWxsLXVuZGVyLTUtb2YtdXNlcnNXA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), only to discover that it was too late, legally, to back out. Yet, somehow, much of this still feels surprising. The idea that Musk is "smart" has persisted through years of very public evidence to the contrary. Even now, many of his critics offer pre-emptive caveats that they don't think he's stupid, before explaining why the latest of his endless string of idiotic choices is a bad one. This notion of Musk's intelligence clings to the discourse around him for one simple reason: He is very, very rich. [Read more from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvZWxvbi1tdXNrcy1lcGljLWJ1bWJsaW5nLWlzLWEtZGFpbHktcmVtaW5kZXItdGhhdC1hbWVyaWNhLWlzLW5vdC1hLW1lcml0b2NyYWN5L1cDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) [Allen-Weisselberg] Stephanie Keith/Getty Images Trump lawyers throw Allen Weisselberg under the bus as he prepares to spill the beans at trial Lawyers for former President Donald Trump's companies on Monday threw former longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg under the bus during opening statements at a criminal trial over whether the company committed tax fraud. "Weisselberg did it for Weisselberg," Michael van der Veen, a lawyer for Trump's payroll company, said in court. He went on to suggest that Trump is the real victim. "Given the decades he was there and the projects he worked on and that he was with this family when times were good and when times weren't so good—he was trusted by everyone, he was trusted to protect this company," he said. "He was like family to the Trump family, and no employee was trusted more than he, but he made mistakes." But Weisselberg still remains on the company's payroll, which van der Veen suggested was out of the goodness of the Trumps' hearts. "Since his crimes were discovered, he has been treated like a close family member who made serious and even criminal mistakes," he said. "We all know the Bible story of the prodigal son—a man who put his own personal goals and desires ahead of his family's—and when it all falls apart, he is taken back in by the same family and allowed to move forward." [Read more from Igor Derysh.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0R6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvbGF3eWVycy10aHJvdy1hbGxlbi13ZWlzc2VsYmVyZy11bmRlci10aGUtYnVzLWFzLWhlLXByZXBhcmVzLXRvLXNwaWxsLXRoZS1iZWFucy1hdC10cmlhbC9XA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - Julie Powell, groundbreaking [author of the beloved book "Julie & Julia," has died](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvanVsaWUtcG93ZWxsLWdyb3VuZGJyZWFraW5nLWF1dGhvci1vZi10aGUtYmVsb3ZlZC1ib29rLWp1bGllLWFuZC1qdWxpYS1oYXMvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - [Disability activists](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0R-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvZGlzYWJpbGl0eS1hY3RpdmlzdHMtc2F5LWpvaG4tZmV0dGVybWFuLXN0cm9rZS1jb250cm92ZXJzeS1oYXMtdmVlcmVkLWludG8tYWJsZWlzdC10ZXJyaXRvcnkvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) say John Fetterman stroke controversy has veered into ableist territory - How a [zombifying cat parasite](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvdG94b3BsYXNtb3NhLWNhdC1wYXJhc2l0ZS1zdHVkeS9XA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) called Toxoplasma gondii conquered the globe - Why [Prince Harry's "unflinching" memoir "Spare,"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0R7aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvd2h5LXByaW5jZS1oYXJyeXMtdW5mbGluY2hpbmctbWVtb2lyLXNwYXJlLWR1ZS1vdXQtaW4tamFudWFyeS1pcy1hbHJlYWR5LWEtaG90LWJlc3RzZWxsZXIvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) due out in January, is already a hot bestseller - Here are [3 Costco food recalls](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvaGVyZS1hcmUtMy1jb3N0Y28tcmVjYWxscy15b3Utc2hvdWxkLWtub3ctYWJvdXQtcmlnaHQtbm93L1cDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) you should know about right now Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. [Nancy-and-Paul-Pelosi] Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The Pelosi attack was long foretold — and make no mistake, Republicans are thrilled Words have consequences. For the last six years — if not the last two decades — the Republican Party, its media supporters and its core voters have almost literally painted a target on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's back. In this context, the heinous attack last Friday in which her husband was seriously injured by a home intruder — who has told police he intended to maim or torture Pelosi herself — should not surprise anyone. Republican candidates, often armed with guns, have "hunted" Pelosi in campaign ads and "humorous" videos, and have made other none-too subtle threats against her. The right-wing media echo chamber has made Pelosi into a larger-than-life villain and evildoer who must be removed from power, by any means necessary, in order to "save America." The antisemitic QAnon conspiracy cult, with its deranged fantasies about Democrats and liberal celebrities who murder children and drink their blood, has also stoked hatred toward Pelosi. In effect, there is an entire right-wing new propaganda machine feeding its consumers a fantastical narrative in which Pelosi is a starring villain. [Read more from Chauncey DeVega.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvdGhlLXBlbG9zaS13YXMtbG9uZy1mb3JldG9sZC0tYW5kLW1ha2Utbm8tbWlzdGFrZS1hcmUtdGhyaWxsZWQvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "GOP push to monitor voting in Texas’s Harris County spurs outcry," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2VsZWN0aW9ucy8yMDIyLzExLzAxL2dvcC1wdXNoLW1vbml0b3Itdm90aW5nLXRleGFzcy1oYXJyaXMtY291bnR5LXNwdXJzLW91dGNyeS9XA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Plastic recycling is a myth, study says," [The Boston Globe](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYm9zdG9uZ2xvYmUuY29tLzIwMjIvMTAvMjgvc2NpZW5jZS9wbGFzdGljLXJlY3ljbGluZy1pcy1teXRoLXN0dWR5LXNheXMvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "The Next Big Addiction Treatment," [The New York Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RYaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8wMy8zMS93ZWxsL21pbmQvcHNpbG9jeWJpbi1tdXNocm9vbXMtYWRkaWN0aW9uLXRoZXJhcHkuaHRtbFcDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "What Obama Is Doing Behind the Scenes to Help Democrats Win," [New York Magazine](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9ueW1hZy5jb20vaW50ZWxsaWdlbmNlci8yMDIyLzExL3doYXQtb2JhbWEtaXMtZG9pbmctYmVoaW5kLXRoZS1zY2VuZXMtdG8taGVscC1kZW1vY3JhdHMtd2luLmh0bWxXA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Are Gas Stoves the New Cigarettes?" [The New Republic](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RPaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdyZXB1YmxpYy5jb20vcG9zdC8xNjgzMTcvZ2FzLXN0b3Zlcy1uZXctY2lnYXJldHRlcy1iZW56ZW5lLXBvaXNvbmluZ1cDc3BjQgpjT8hNYmMVm9EMUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "The College-Admissions Merit Myth," [The Atlantic](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0SDaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlYXRsYW50aWMuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzL2FyY2hpdmUvMjAyMi8xMC9zdXByZW1lLWNvdXJ0LWFmZmlybWF0aXZlLWFjdGlvbi1oYXJ2YXJkLXVuYy1jYXNlLW5hdGFzaGEtd2FyaWtvby1ib29rLzY3MTkyMS9XA3NwY0IKY0_ITWJjFZvRDFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Catherine-Engelbrecht] Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Judge throws True the Vote election conspiracists behind bogus voter fraud claims in jail True the Vote has spent years pushing bogus voter fraud claims and faces a lawsuit from a voting tech company. The lawsuit from Konnech Inc. accuses Catherine Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips of "racism and xenophobia" by making "baseless claims" that "the Chinese Communist Party is somehow controlling U.S. elections through Konnech because its founder and some of its employees are of Chinese descent." A judge during the trial ordered the True the Vote leaders to provide names of anyone who helped the group download the personal data on 1.8 million U.S. poll workers from Konnech's servers but they refused. The two leaders were escorted out of the courtroom by marshals and ordered to be jailed "until they fully comply with the Court's order. [Read more from Areeba Shah.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlRNLIP0RmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMDEvdGhyb3dzLXRydWUtdGhlLXZvdGUtY29uc3BpcmFjaXN0cy1iZWhpbmQtYm9ndXMtZnJhdWQtY2xhaW1zLWluLWphaWwvVwNzcGNCCmNPyE1iYxWb0QxSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). 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