Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has risen to popularity in a way not even AI could have predicted, becoming a part of Trump’s cabinet and a leader in the American government. President Donald Trump created a brand new department for Musk to lead, the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE — the same name as his failed bitcoin tycoon. Considering his online presence, it comes as nothing new hearing Musk being under fire for his rhetoric and platforming of dangerous and offensive ideations on social media, and most recently, doing a Nazi salute at the presidential inauguration. But something just as dangerous that has seldom been talked about is how the infantilization of disabled people further encourages Musk’s behavior rather than the necessary condemnation.
If we are to delve into the discussion of Musk’s influence on disabled infantilization, the context of his notorious controversies must first be dissected to understand the volume at which his misrepresentation is of an urgent matter.
When Musk first took over Twitter in 2022, he unbanned several controversial figures such as Jordan Peterson, Kanye West, and Andrew Tate. Peterson was banned for transphobic behavior, and West was banned for his anti-Semitic rant. Tate specifically has been known for perpetuating harmful misogynistic ideals into young men and was even arrested at the end of 2022 for allegations of rape and participating in human trafficking. These harmful themes being endorsed by men backed with a substantial following makes for an easy gateway for impressionable young minds to be negatively influenced, making for a platform littered with dangerous digital footprints filled with misogyny, marginalization, and aggravation towards minority and LGBTQ+ communities. Musk tolerating this behavior online allows for a warranted agenda being pushed, where practicing these subversive ideals is seen as acceptable in the outside world.
This raises even more concerns considering his recent onboarding in power on the national level, joining the Trump Administration. On Inauguration Day, Elon Musk undeniably did a Nazi salute. So why are people defending him and claiming he didn’t? Ableism and discrimination against disabled people play a huge role here. Some individuals said that Musk was expressing a symbol of giving his heart out to people, citing his autism as why the gesture seemed so ambiguous. The Anti-Defamation League took to X to speak out on the interpretation of Musk’s body language:
“It seems that @elonmusk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, but again, we appreciate that people are on edge.”
Taken from an X post by The Anti-Defamation League regarding Musk.
This stance was especially confusing for many, as the ADL is typically known for its unfavorable attitude toward anti-Semitism, given its support for pro-Israel beliefs. To add more cause for concern, following his gesture, news channels and broadcasters nationwide have already been attempting to censor Musk’s salute, giving off a more suspicious impression of the whole ordeal.
With this in mind, however, it must be noted that the original clip includes Musk telling viewers, “My heart goes out to you,” thanking Americans for their vote. For this reason, some interpret his gesture as “giving his heart out,” simply chalking his off-color behavior to be that of autistic tendency.
In considering this interpretation, concerned viewers were not satisfied. As a response, many moms posted TikTok videos asking their autistic children to show them how they would “give their heart” to someone, none of which followed the Nazi salute. In a video by user @juniperlikethetree, her three autistic children showed their different personifications of the gesture, none coming close to resembling Musk’s. While it may seem weird to claim that ableism is preventing people from holding Musk accountable, allowing the stigmatized disability to be used as a crutch for him is a direct insult to the autistic community.
Although I wouldn’t consider myself an expert in this field, I personally have experience with conducting extensive research over the past year for my honors undergraduate thesis, focusing on the impacts of the stigmatization of autism on autistic women. My work has explored various dimensions of this issue, including the discussion of infantilization. This infantilization of disabled people tends to be more evident with physically disabled people. For example, I’ve heard disabled people say that strangers told them how brave or strong they were when they were just walking/wheeling around in public. This pity makes it seem like disabled people can’t live fulfilling lives.
Explicitly focusing on autism, the main reason for this infantilization is that we primarily think of those with autism as children (though there are thousands and perhaps millions of autistic adults). While autism is a spectrum, and some autistic individuals are nonverbal and mentally younger than their physical bodies, plenty of autistic individuals are capable of critical thinking and acting their own age. In my research, I interviewed autistic individuals, and several were brought up experiencing infantilization. One of my participants mentioned that infantilization occurs because many people think of autism as only being present in children.
This infantilization is obvious in the comment section of Musk’s monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 2021. Here are some examples:
- “I’ve watched him do many interviews, and have a close friend with Asperger’s. That monologue may have been the hardest thing he’s ever done in his life. Kudos to him for doing a great job!”
- “As someone with social anxiety I give him respect….the fact he has Asperger’s and still did this is crazy.”
- “Learning he has Asperger’s makes SO much sense and explains a LOT about his personality. Makes his performance even more impressive too! Way too go dude. That’s incredible!”
Musk is 50 years old and has ample experience in public presentation, yet these remarks make it seem as if he’s younger, unfamiliar, and inexperienced. Interestingly, all of the comments referring to autism use the label “Asperger’s,” which, while he received that diagnosis, was removed from being an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM 5) in 2013 and now all iterations of autism are referred to as autism spectrum disorder. Because Asperger’s is associated with being brighter, the label is less stigmatized and more popular.
With Musk now spearheading a brand new department of the American government, citizens have a right to remain aware of his moves as he can be dangerous to us all. But I encourage you not to hesitate to call out people excusing his problematic and hateful actions because of his autism. Stop infantilizing disabled people; they’re capable of understanding the difference between a heartfelt gesture and a Nazi salute.