Though Elon Musk runs the gamut from frightening comic-book villainy to cartoonishly out-of-touch tomfoolery, nothing unites the internet quite like mocking his latest antics. The billionaire’s recent baffling behavior on the red carpet of the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony evoked Simmish mannerisms, and the internet has already done what it does best by recreating the viral moment in The Sims character creator.
Girl Rewind shared the Musk/Sims side-by-side as an Instagram Reel, which saw the maligned mogul testing out fitting personality traits, such as evil, snob, and goofball. Many pointed out that, much like The Sims character creator, Musk was even perfectly positioned on top of a circle on the award show red carpet. The event in question was the 10th annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, which celebrates achievements in science and technology. Musk was far from the only controversial celebrity involved in the award show, which was hosted by former late-night comedian James Corden.
As is the nature of meme culture, Musk’s red carpet poses have already taken on many lives of their own for those of the extremely online persuasion. However, as with many past occasions in which Musk has become the subject of public ridicule, a discussion regarding his autism diagnosis has likewise cropped up regarding The Sims video.
Billionaire status alone inherently evokes political sentiment in folks on either side of the aisle, but Musk’s business decisions and outspoken stances on a wide range of topics have furthered his polarizing nature over the years. While he’ll seemingly always have a minutemen-style army ready to take up arms on his behalf at the slightest whiff of criticism, there are also those starkly against Musk who still caution sensitivity when mocking behaviors that may stem from his diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
According to Business Today, it would take Musk 673 years (or approximately eight lifetimes) to exhaust his wealth if he were to spend his money at a rate of one million dollars per day. Essentially, Musk is exploiting The Sims‘ “motherlode” cheat code in real life. For this reason, it often becomes a murky and contentious hotbed of discourse when some seek to defend Musk memes against a seemingly ableist slant.
Though Musk has spoken publicly about his autism diagnosis, he also exists in a tier of wealth that severs him completely from the reality experienced by the rest of us; therefore, it’s not necessarily cut and dry whether moments like his Sim-style poses stem more from a legitimate disability or just a life of out-of-touch affluence. Though the answer may be a combination of both, and ableism is certainly a genuine issue, the latter often makes it difficult for the general public to sympathize with Musk and fosters an environment ripe for memes like The Sims one to catch fire.
