Maye Musk, the mother of Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, slammed The New York Times on Thursday after the paper released an abhorrent article that delved into Elon Musk's childhood in apartheid-era South Africa.
The Times accused Musk of having "white privilege" and was sheltered from the racism around him before he left the country at age 17.
"Elon Musk grew up in elite white communities in South Africa, detached from apartheid's atrocities and surrounded by anti-Black propaganda. He sees his takeover of Twitter as a free speech win but in his youth did not suffer the effects of misinformation," NY Times tweeted along with the article.
Elon Musk grew up in elite white communities in South Africa, detached from apartheid’s atrocities and surrounded by anti-Black propaganda.
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 5, 2022
He sees his takeover of Twitter as a free speech win but in his youth did not suffer the effects of misinformation. https://t.co/bciCJDWGGP
Maye Musk condemned the Times blatant hit piece and returned fire on Twitter stating, "In South Africa, if you publicly opposed apartheid, you went to jail. In Russia, if you publicly oppose the war, you go to jail. @nytimes, are you going to blame children for decisions made by governments?"
In South Africa, if you publicly opposed apartheid, you went to jail. In Russia, if you publicly oppose the war, you go to jail. @nytimes are you going to blame children for decisions made by governments? #StopTheWar ?? https://t.co/4wJt1ui0st
— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) May 5, 2022
The authors of the article, John Eligon and Lynsey Chutel, went to great lengths to paint Musk as a "racist" and went as far as reaching out to Musk's relatives and former classmates. However, their narrative failed when Elon Musk's black classmates recalled spending time with him as a youth. Others described Musk as a "loner" and none could recollect his past political views.
Authors Eligon and Chutel subtly implied that Musk's desire to defend free speech stems from his upbringing under apartheid-era South Africa, wildly claiming that the apartheid was caused by free speech being left unchecked.
"Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that saw the dangers of unchecked speech: Apartheid govt propaganda fueled violence against Black people. Musk didn't experience that. He grew up in a bubble of white privilege. @lynseychutel & I explored his early life."
Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that saw the dangers of unchecked speech: Apartheid govt propaganda fueled violence against Black people. Musk didn't experience that. He grew up in a bubble of white privilege. @lynseychutel & I explored his early life https://t.co/jixQoCriv5
— John Eligon (@jeligon) May 5, 2022
Despite detailing that Musk's father, Errol Musk, belonged to a political party that stood against apartheid, Elon leaving South Africa before he had to serve under an apartheid military, and Musk having black friends, the co-authors still attempted to paint Musk as a racist.
Individuals across social media were quick to slam the Times reporting on Twitter's new owner and interim CEO.
"This is your brain on CRT: Blaming a child for his skin color and for the discriminatory policies historically enacted by adults in his home country. NYTimes has gone full Maoist," Christina Pushaw, Florida's press secretary, said on Twitter.
This is your brain on CRT: Blaming a child for his skin color and for the discriminatory policies historically enacted by adults in his home country. NYTimes has gone full Maoist.
— Christina Pushaw ? ?? (@ChristinaPushaw) May 5, 2022
"Elon Musk didn't end apartheid in South Africa as a child, therefore he is evil now," Tim Young wrote.
The New York Times: "Elon Musk didn't end apartheid in South Africa as a child, therefore he is evil now."
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) May 5, 2022
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