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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[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days 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 6 days 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.

[–] torrentialgrain@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago

It’s also braindead because on the one hand you have the richest man in the world backed by the most powerful man in the world. And on the other you have pretty much a very popular influencer.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 24 points 6 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 23 points 6 days ago (2 children)

She's a woman who speaks without being spoken to

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 1 points 3 days ago

The audacity

[–] zaidka@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 days ago

How dare she!

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 week 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.

[–] PanArab@lemm.ee 10 points 6 days ago

They play the victim card so hard.

[–] llamatron@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

If I was American I'd be so embarrassed

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

Interesting how he said elon musk and not donald trump.

[–] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 174 points 1 week 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 84 points 1 week 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 42 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

[–] LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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

Even worse. The paint chip eaters voted their manufacturers into office.

[–] QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works 45 points 1 week 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 1 week ago (2 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.

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[–] meeeeetch@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week 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 13 points 1 week ago

False equivalency is a celebrated fascist pastime.

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[–] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 90 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Still does.

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.).

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 71 points 1 week ago (2 children)
[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 70 points 1 week ago

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

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 67 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Greta Thunberg, famously in charge of... ?

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

...pissing off climate deniers.

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

while being a young neurodivergent woman

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week 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 64 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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

[–] SLVRDRGN@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago

This is a key difference.

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[–] SarcasticMan@lemmy.world 50 points 1 week 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 1 week ago (1 children)

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

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[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 45 points 1 week 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 21 points 1 week ago

Which is a shame...

[–] Tramort@programming.dev 38 points 1 week ago

How fragile are these men? My God.

[–] umean2me@discuss.online 35 points 1 week 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 33 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 27 points 1 week ago (1 children)

she got arrested again for being pro-palestinian.

[–] RangerJosey@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 week ago

Continuing to be based as hell.

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[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week 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 1 week ago

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

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What the fuck does that statement even mean

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[–] perestroika@lemm.ee 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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)

[–] datendefekt@feddit.org 13 points 1 week ago

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

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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 1 week ago

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

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

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

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[–] commander@lemmings.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Bullshitting is a profession.

These are professional bullshitters.

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