What the Burning of Teslas and Interplanetary Travel Have in Common

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

In recent years, I have learned to shut my mouth more often than not. This is quite challenging for a writer who prides herself on being increasingly vulnerable and real. This is also taxing for a person who reads a lot, remains open-minded, absorbs endless information and seeks truth amidst the chaos.

Somehow, however, we have been witnessing the quick ending of friendships, the removal of family invitations and the blind judgement from people who disagree with another’s political stance. The surprise is not the fact that people vehemently disagree with one another — that’s been going on since we first gained the ability to voice opinions. The surprise is in the hateful, vengeful way that people have been acting toward those with different views.

Burning Cars as Freedom of Expression

It was hard for me to even type that ridiculous subtitle, yet that is the current state of our mental health breakdown: Many people (not just a select few who have been skipping their appointments with their mental health care professionals) believe that burning the cars of innocent people will somehow hurt the richest man in the world. They think that painting a swastika on Grandma Nancy’s Tesla will somehow upset the car’s creator. They think that keying Johnny’s car will let the world know: “We don’t stand with Elon Musk.”

Have people lost their minds? Have they become numb to the impact their actions have on their fellow neighbors? On other voters (many of whom were fellow Democrats who believe electric cars are good for our planet)? On innocent drivers who are trying to make a living and get to work on time? On parents who are rushing to the school’s pick-up line to get their children? On the environment as more auto parts have to now be made to repair the damaged vehicles? On the car insurance industry who will now have to raise rates in order to process the onslaught of claims?

Please, tell me I’m in a bad dream. I have felt that I was in a bad dream since October 8th — since the day after one of the worst attacks on Jewish people occurred in our lifetime. Instead of people mourning over the brutal murders of newborn Israeli babies … instead of young adults crying over the innocent concert-goers who got raped and murdered or taken into tunnels as hostages … instead of parents envisioning with horror their own children being ripped from their arms, many people immediately celebrated the terrorists’ attacks.

Will the Sane People Please Stand Up?

Many quickly stood by the sides of the terrorists (aka: rapists and murderers). They had anti-Israel flyers ready to go with images of paragliders. I could go on and on but, sadly, it’s not the blatant antisemitism that has me wanting to move to another galaxy. I’m used to “irrational Jew hatred.” Actually, that’s all I’ve ever known.

What I’m not used to is “irrational public figure hatred.” I still feel sick to my stomach when I see support for the man who openly murdered the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. There was actually a DEBATE about this issue. A debate about the murder of a father who worked for a company that many people detested. If you don’t like the way that UnitedHealthcare had a reputation for denying certain claims, then go with a different insurance provider or feel the pain you feel overall toward a non-perfect health system.

Do something to enact change. Start a fund for those who are denied life-saving claims. Don’t think, “hmmm, maybe I’ll kill the CEO of the healthcare company instead.”

With that irrational line of thinking, I’m surprised people who have lost loved ones to lung cancer haven’t murdered the heads of tobacco companies. I’m also surprised that people who have watched their partners die from obesity-related illnesses haven’t tried to strangle the creator of the Twinkie.

The hypocrisy and blatant stupidity is endless.

But, let’s head back to the antisemites for a minute … you know, the ones who demanded that their universities “divest from Israeli companies.” Well, guess what those students didn’t divest from? They didn’t stop using social media — pretty much ALL of which was created by Jewish geniuses. They didn’t stop using instant cameras, word processing computers and mobile phones, all of which were also invented by Jewish people. They didn’t burn their teddy bears. (Yes, teddy bears came about in the early 1900s when a Jewish couple who were store owners created a toy bear for Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.)

Let’s Climb Back into a Figurative Tesla

So, back to Elon. He recently rescued two of our treasured astronauts who no one was able to get home from the International Space Station. They had been stranded there since June of 2024. Do the protestors outside of his dealership even know this story? Or do they only have ears and eyes for the stories that the richest man in the world is “out to get them” by trying to uncover fraud and waste within our own government?

Let me be very clear about something (and I’m going to be EXTRA clear since I fear that the minds of some of my peers have become contaminated, to say the least): You can dislike Elon Musk. You can hate the way “he” (obviously it’s a whole team) have seemed to flippantly cut jobs. You can think he’s a bad father or an overall whacko. You can even forget that every administration comes in and quickly cuts thousands and thousands of jobs. You can hate Donald Trump. You can despise Kamala Harris. You can believe stereotypes about religious groups or races if you choose to be so ignorant.

I don’t care! Just remain rational. Or, do something civil, professional and legal to take a step toward the positive change you want to see in the world.

Don’t hurt innocent people. Don’t burn cars. Don’t spray-paint dealerships. Don’t harm your neighbor and your own economy. Don’t give people reasons to have you committed to a mental hospital.

If you feel the need to voice your concern, then do so in an educated, mindful way. Don’t buy a Tesla! That’s a way you can impact the stock. Don’t purchase its vehicles.

Don’t vote for certain candidates. Choose not to date a Jewish person. Do whatever you want to personally do, as long as you’re not spreading violence, hate and endless stupidity.

Multiple-Choice Test Time

When I was a teen and I found out that the owner of Oberweis Dairy didn’t believe in abortions in the case of incest and rape, what do you think I did?

a.) Did I go to my neighbors’ houses, grab their glass milk bottles and throw them through their windows?

b.) Did I go to the Oberweis Dairy factory and vandalize it?

c.) Did I stop buying Oberweis products?

I beg you …

Please, please, please: Free me from fantasizing about traveling to a different planet or a different galaxy. Please consider adding to the restored health of our nation. Please consider being less judgmental (and even less hateful) toward others with differing political views. Please be openminded and willing to learn and grow. Please don’t trust many news sources that have clearly shown their extreme biases.

Please do your small part to help restore order, kindness, understanding, love and sanity to this world.

I am endlessly grateful for your willingness to entertain my feelings, my fears and my hopes. I promise you I will entertain yours, as well, as long as you are not burning anything down or screaming for the demise of my people. Keep it safe and legal, folks. Keep it making sense.