Anagha Sainath Week #10: Sorry, MLK

    


 Last Monday, on Martin Luther King day, a day of celebration for how far our country has come, something very un-peaceful occurred. I can say with confidence that almost everyone tuned in to watch the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States were definitely not expecting to see what they did. The sight, of course, that was met with horrified gasps from viewers across America, is none other than a Nazi salute executed not once, but twice, with rigor and passion by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. 


    To be honest, in the week since this aired on live TV, I have been in shock. It’s difficult to believe that in a progressive era such as this, in the year 2025, that bigots with such hatred in their hearts still exist. Now, to stop this blog from getting too political, I’d like to focus on exactly why this salute is a bad omen for our country, regardless of partisan beliefs.


    There was a time when people in power were extensively media trained, choosing evasive and diplomatic answers over strong statements. I’m sure politicians still receive media training today, but with the advent of social media, their beliefs and values are much easier to publicly access. Today, Donald Trump has no issue saying that “‘Male’ means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell,” a biologically false statement taken directly from the White House’s website. In my AP Biology class, we are currently in our genetics unit and we are quite literally learning about how the SRY gene only activates at around six weeks post-conception, technically making every male female/non-binary by Trump’s decree. I know my point seems a bit tangential, but isn’t it a little wild how a position of power allows a singular person to begin a rampant tirade of spreading misinformation?


    Anyways, back to the salute. Remember my point about media training? Well, the thing is, Musk is a tech CEO appointed for a government position by Trump. His actions are a chilling reminder of the responsibility that goes hand in hand with a position of power. Whether one is a politician, CEO, or any other public figure, their actions carry immense weight, influencing not only public discourse but also societal norms. A Nazi salute from someone so influential doesn’t just shock—it normalizes hate and emboldens extremism. Just take a look at the crowd footage from the inauguration. Rather than outrage and fury, the double salutes were met with cheers and even reciprocated salutes. Public figures must be held accountable, as their words and actions shape societal norms.


    Remaining silent allows such abuses of power to persist. It’s up to us to demand accountability and ensure that positions of influence are used to promote truth and equality, not division and misinformation. Especially on MLK day. 

Comments

  1. Shreya BaroniaFebruary 5, 2025 at 7:24 PM

    Hey Anagha! I remember scrolling through Instagram and suddenly coming across a reel in which Elon Musk very intensely performed the Nazi salute as he addressed the crowd. I was shocked and taken aback. Why was the crowd cheering?! I rushed to the comments, only to find a few defending him, saying it was “his autism” and that he did not know what he was doing. However, after looking further into it, I never saw Musk ever claim that he was not trying to Nazi salute on any social media. It was really scary, and I definitely share your sentiment of being in shock. I still cannot believe that people continue to support him even after witnessing this disturbing sight. I also didn't know that Trump made the claim about a person’s gender, though it does not seem unlikely in the context of everything else he is currently doing. It truly is a scary world we live in today and, as you highlight in your blog, it shows clear abuse of power. Thank you for reminding us that when someone has too much power, it can go to their head; they can easily say or do whatever they want, seemingly without consequence.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flying for the first time, as the piolet. Raymond Holmes-King Week 13

Image
Have you ever flown a plane before? That is my favorite question to ask people because the answer is usually no. I am lucky enough to have flown a plane at a very young age. I don’t know how old I was exactly, but I believe I was around 8 years old.  My grandpa used to own some planes, and he took me up flying with him once. Once we were in the sky, he let me control the plane. My young mind couldn't believe it! Me, flying a plane? Sign me up! My grandpa told me to GENTLY move the control stick(the joystick looking thing)up, so of course my little self yanked the control stick upwards, and up went the plane. My older brother, who was also in the plane, yelled at the top of his lungs, “WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!”(I will always remember that part very fondly). I gently moved the joystick back to its original state, and I quickly learned that you have to be very sensitive with the control stick. I am very grateful to my grandpa for letting me have the experience of flying in the sky in ...
Read more

Raymond Holmes-King Week 14: Japan

Image
 Japan is a place I have been only twice in my life time, but the time I have been there will always be in my memory forever. One thing about me if you didn’t already know, I love Japan, I love the culture, the people, the atmosphere, and the food. I could go off and right a full essay on Japan and enjoy doing the essay, that’s how much I love Japan. The first time I when to Japan was during the summer after sophomore year. I went with my grandma to Japan for 15 days. Once I landed in Japan, I realized how polite people were and how clean Japan was. I was shocked. I also had to be in charge of directions, which I wasn’t expecting, and I learned that Japan has a very easy public transportation system. I loved the trip with my grandma so much that I decided to go to Japan again, this past summer. I when on a study abroad trip to Japan with other kids from around the world for four weeks. During that trip, I learned that I wanted to live in Japan because of how nice it was and clean. ...
Read more

Wesley Guo Week 16: Reaching For Tomorrow.

Image
Reaching For Tomorrow.   Throughout history, there have been countless events that have brought forth great tragedy, often resulting in permanent scars even across generations. Yet in the wake of disaster, it is only made more important to instead look towards the future, and make for the best possible tomorrow.  It is extremely easy to spend too much time caught up in the tragedy of the past. Indeed, it is almost impossible to name any time period where no tragedy occurred somewhere. But wallowing in sadness and trauma does nothing to make for a better future.  After all, the past is already set in stone, but the future opens up to endless possibilities.  There are some memories too difficult to forget, too painful to forget. But we can move on. And life goes on no matter what.  In the 1970s, the People’s Republic of China emerged from over a century of disasters - the Opium Wars, Taiping Rebellion, Sino-Japanese War, 8 Nation Coalition, the Great War, the Warl...
Read more