Copyright Newsweek
Acclaimed American author Joyce Carol Oates sparked a debate on social media after referring to billionaire Elon Musk as "uneducated" and "uncultured." Oates wrote on X, the social media platform owned by Musk, that it was "so curious" Musk "never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates," including friends, relatives, nature, pets, movies, music and books. Musk has responded to Oates’ comments in several posts, calling her a "liar" who "delights in being mean." He also said that "everything she says in her post about me can be shown to be demonstrably false with a simple search." Newsweek has contacted Oates for further comment via an email to a representative. Musk has been contacted for comment via an email to Tesla’s press office. Why It Matters Oates’ post came in response to a post that had praised Musk’s response to Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez’s criticism of his $1 trillion Tesla pay package. While her comments appear to take aim at Musk personally, they also reflect a broader critique of the ways immense wealth and power can influence a person’s character and worldview. Meanwhile, Musk's public image has suffered since he bought X, formerly known as Twitter, and become more involved in politics. Earlier this year, Newsweek reported that Musk's unpopularity was an all-time high following his involvement in President Donald Trump's administration and subsequent departure. What to Know In her post on Saturday, Oates wrote: "So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates—scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history." She added: "In fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the ‘most wealthy person in the world.’" Musk has hit back in a series of posts in recent days, including one where he said "eating a bag of sawdust would be vastly more enjoyable" than reading Oates’ "laboriously pretentious drivel." Reactions to Oates’ comments were divided on social media. Some on X and Bluesy cheered Oates’ comments, with one person calling it a "severe, graceful dissection" while another said that Oates "said what everyone’s been thinking and did it with elegance." Some also noted that Musk has been replying to posts about movies on X in recent days. A user also shared a screenshot of an ad they’d been shown on X that said Musk "reads a lot." But many also defended Musk, praising his accomplishments and accusing Oates of overlooking his past posts that have referenced art, culture and other topics. On Monday, Oates took to X to say that her initial post had been rooted in genuine curiosity. "Truly it was out of curiosity: why a person with unlimited resources exhibits so little appreciation or even awareness of the things that most people value as giving meaning to life," she wrote. What People Are Saying Oates wrote on X on Monday: "In speculating about the ‘wealthiest man in the world’ I did not actually state any name. I was thinking of the emblematic—the type of being that great wealth can make possible. But such wealth must seem unreal. Or ironic. It is impressive that Elon Musk allows critical commentary of himself on X. That is not usually a magnanimity of spirit commensurate with the extreme type of non-empathetic person." She also said that Musk always wants to leave the places he goes "because when he gets there, he has brought his own self along; & whatever club he's invited to join has been devalued by the invitation." In one post hitting back at Oates, Musk wrote: "Everything she says in her post about me can be shown to be demonstrably false with a simple search. Oates is a lazy liar and…an abuser of semicolons!" Author Jacob Silverman wrote on X, alongside Musk’s comments about Oates: "An 87 year old novelist posting that he had no soul seemed to get to him." Sawyer Merritt, a Tesla owner, wrote on X: "Elon has literally publicly done every single one of these things…" What’s Next Musk could continue to respond to Oates’ comments in the coming days.
