this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2025
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Vice President Vance on Friday chided European leaders for their criticism of Elon Musk wading into their elections, comparing Musk’s actions to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg urging American leaders to take action on climate change.

“I believe that dismissing people, dismissing their concerns, or worse yet, shutting down media, shutting down elections or shutting people out of the political process protects nothing. In fact, it is the most surefire way to destroy democracy,” Vance said.

“And speaking up and expressing opinions isn’t election interference, even when people express views outside your own country, and even when those people are very influential,” he continued. “And trust me, I say this with all humor: If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

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[–] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 165 points 3 months ago (9 children)

How is that even close to the same thing? Greta pleaded with the people to think about their children's future (and actively partakes in protests and demonstrations all over), while Elon is only looking to enrich himself.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 79 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's not the same at all, but it sounds clever, so the base will suck it up and repeat it.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 39 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It doesn't sound clever unless you grew up eating paint chips

[–] LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Conveniently, the paint chip eaters are running the show right now!

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[–] QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works 42 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Okay but putting all morals, ethics, character, and opinions aside, looking at it completely objectively… its still completely different because we never put her in government offices and allowed her to make decisions for the entire country

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, but have you considered it from this angle? Elon Musk is a white straight extremely wealthy dude. Those are some strong qualifications right there.

[–] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

IDK, sounds like DEI to me

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[–] meeeeetch@lemmy.world 28 points 3 months ago

She also asked that people do things that she specially could not do due to having no authority to enact policy, whereas Musk is interacting directly with levers of power (whether he has any legitimate/legal authority to do so).

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 months ago

False equivalency is a celebrated fascist pastime.

[–] barsoap@lemm.ee 6 points 3 months ago

Greta snubbed Trump, Elon didn't, so it's obvious why Vance considers the one as evil, the other as a saint.

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[–] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 89 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Hilarious that a teenage girl once terrified the upper echelons of right-wing politicians.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 15 points 3 months ago

Still does.

[–] jonne 11 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Yeah, how do you compare a 16yo (or however old she is now) girl with no political office to the president of the United States?

I guess we can hope Trump ends up being as ineffective as she's unfortunately been (I also noticed she's been invisible in the mainstream media as soon as she started talking about Palestine. Same with Malala.).

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 68 points 3 months ago

ahh yes Greta famously known to spend a fraction of a billion to influence elections.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 68 points 3 months ago (2 children)
[–] Stern@lemmy.world 66 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Greta Thunberg, famously in charge of... ?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 41 points 3 months ago (1 children)

...pissing off climate deniers.

[–] hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

while being a young neurodivergent woman

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Right. Honestly, I'm so impressed with her being able to get inside these assholes' heads since she was 16.

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[–] oakey66@lemmy.world 58 points 3 months ago (2 children)

One person with no power vs one person with all the power.

[–] SLVRDRGN@lemmy.world 20 points 3 months ago

This is a key difference.

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[–] SarcasticMan@lemmy.world 45 points 3 months ago (1 children)

"If I can say dumb ass shit don't worry I will say some even dumber ass shit." - Assistant to Vice President Trump J.D. Vance.

[–] DharkStare@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I need you to rephrase all news to make it not so depressing.

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[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 43 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Europe didn't have to survive with Thunberg, she wasn't in the government and had no decision making authority.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 19 points 3 months ago

Which is a shame...

[–] Tramort@programming.dev 37 points 3 months ago

How fragile are these men? My God.

[–] umean2me@discuss.online 35 points 3 months ago

“I believe that dismissing people, dismissing their concerns, or worse yet, shutting down media, shutting down elections or shutting people out of the political process protects nothing. In fact, it is the most surefire way to destroy democracy,” Vance said.

The jokes write themselves these days.

[–] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 32 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

Funny how we don't see much of her anymore. Does it has anything to do with the fact that she publicly made the link between Capitalism, colonialism and the climate crisis ?
I guess we'll never know !

[–] lime@feddit.nu 24 points 3 months ago

she got arrested again for being pro-palestinian.

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[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 26 points 3 months ago

Yes, because a foreign climate activist trying to appeal to politician for a cleaner future is the same as an apartheid billionaire funding and endorsing a fascist party to get them elected.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 3 months ago

Knowing how the right has characterized Greta, comparing them like this is a huge insult against Musk from Couch Fucker Vance

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Question, what has Greta Thunberg done? Afaik, she's only protested and post on social media.

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 21 points 3 months ago (2 children)

She's a woman who speaks without being spoken to

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[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What the fuck does that statement even mean

[–] BenLeMan@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

He's probably run out of couches to fuck so he's getting bored.

[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago (2 children)

This is a brain dead comparison, Musk's influence is highly destructive to democracy, while Greta's influence is only advocating for a global shift to protect the future of the planet.

[–] Pilferjinx@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

He's mustering anger from his brain dead base. His words aren't meant for the rest of us. He needs to distract the Maga crowd from the damage Elon is actually doing.

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[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 16 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Bad headline: I already hoped they'd deport Musk to Europe, so we could have physical access... :(

Getting back real, Vance:

  • came without a credible peace plan

  • read moralistic bullcrap about how it's good to have your elections bought and manipulated (in the Romanian case where the court told to hold new elections - thousands of TikTok influencers and an unknown quantity of other actors working for a candidate who declared zero campaign expense).

  • proposed to Zelensky that Ukraine give up 50% of its natural resources for US support (Zelensky politely refused)

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 months ago

The Hill’s piece on Musk and Vance’s Euro-tour reads like a corporate carnival masquerading as diplomacy. Tech oligarchs playing statesmen while defense contracts and AI patents get shuffled under the table. Ukraine’s “security” is just a euphemism for profit margins, and energy “innovation” means privatizing public infrastructure until it’s another subscription service.

Musk’s private sector savior complex hits different when you realize it’s just a hedge against taxes. Vance whining about EU regulations? Classic regulatory capture—can’t let pesky consumer protections interfere with monopolizing the digital commons. Algorithmic colonialism wrapped in venture capital buzzwords. But sure, let’s pretend this is about “progress” and not entrenching power where accountability algorithms can’t reach.

[–] datendefekt@feddit.org 13 points 3 months ago

I'm sure Europe would survive a few months of Musk, but I'm not so sure about America.

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 12 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (4 children)

Man, a president Vance would really suck. He's coherent...crazy, but he can maintain a thought long enough to finish a sentence.

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[–] FellowEnt@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 months ago

Totally normal comparing Thunberg to Musk, they're so similar in so many ways

[–] PanArab@lemm.ee 10 points 3 months ago

They play the victim card so hard.

[–] Naich@lemmings.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's Vance's turn to say the stupid shit today then.

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[–] llamatron@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

If I was American I'd be so embarrassed

[–] commander@lemmings.world 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Bullshitting is a profession.

These are professional bullshitters.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Interesting how he said elon musk and not donald trump.

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