Elon Musk's mother lashes out at NYT article. Here's why
What's the story
Elon Musk's mother has condemned an article in The New York Times that said the entrepreneur enjoyed "white privilege" during the apartheid era in South Africa. And that he was "sheltered" from its atrocities. Maye Musk, protesting against that piece on Twitter, a platform her son has now taken over, asked the publication to not "blame children for decisions made by governments."
Context
Why does this story matter?
Musk was born and raised in Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa. The tech billionaire shifted to Canada when he was 17-18. And, the apartheid existed from 1948 until the early 1990s. So, Musk was in South Africa throughout the dark times. Notably, he has always criticized the apartheid and his father also maintained "Musk and his siblings were fully aware of the horrors of apartheid."
Twitter Post
Read the tweet posted by the paper:
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
Information
What did the publication write?
The publication tweeted, "Elon Musk grew up in elite white communities in South Africa, detached from apartheid's atrocities and surrounded by anti-Black propaganda," while promoting the article. "He sees his takeover of Twitter as a free speech win but in his youth did not suffer the effects of misinformation," it added, hinting at Musk's first tweet on free speech after taking over Twitter.
Details
Musk's old classmates quoted, too
The viral article titled Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege also included quotes from Musk's old classmates and relatives who revealed that they were misinformed about what went on. It also claimed that Johannesburg, Pretoria (where Musk was born and grew up), and Durban were suppressed by the racist propaganda of the then government.
Statement
This is what Musk's mother, father said
Snapping back, Maye wrote, "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?" she lashed out. Even her ex-husband, Musk's father emphasized, "As far as being sheltered from it, that's nonsense...They were confronted by it every day."