Unfortunately, the piece is behind the Times paywall but the article centres around Musk claiming that Orwell was an advocate of free speech, and the perils of a totalitarian state.
Rifkind counters Musk's assertion with, this important paragraph:
"What Musk misses, though, is that Orwell is not attacking the actual concept of policing speech. In fact, he’s nuanced on that, acknowledging even in his preface to Animal Farm that anyone should have the right to print what they believe to be true, “provided only that it does not harm the rest of the community in some quite unmistakable way”. Musk doesn’t only throw out that last vital clause. He also ignores the context of almost everything Orwell wrote about anything. Which was one of rising totalitarianism, particularly in the Stalinist East, and the risk it posed to individual liberty."
A good contemporary take on the impact of Orwell's writings, and how selective thoughts can be commandeered to support virtually any argument.
What would Orwell think about Elon Musk's devotion?
There is a thoughtful comment piece in this morning's Times by Hugo Rifkind about Elon Musk's claiming of Orwell for the populist right: What would Orwell think about Elon Musk's devotion? (£)
Unfortunately, the piece is behind the Times paywall but the article centres around Musk claiming that Orwell was an advocate of free speech, and the perils of a totalitarian state.
Rifkind counters Musk's assertion with, this important paragraph:
"What Musk misses, though, is that Orwell is not attacking the actual concept of policing speech. In fact, he’s nuanced on that, acknowledging even in his preface to Animal Farm that anyone should have the right to print what they believe to be true, “provided only that it does not harm the rest of the community in some quite unmistakable way”. Musk doesn’t only throw out that last vital clause. He also ignores the context of almost everything Orwell wrote about anything. Which was one of rising totalitarianism, particularly in the Stalinist East, and the risk it posed to individual liberty."
A good contemporary take on the impact of Orwell's writings, and how selective thoughts can be commandeered to support virtually any argument.