The (affective) polarization of Elon Musk — and why it matters

Examining Elon's contemptuous, conflict-amplifying manner of engaging with his "enemies"

In June of 2024 I got an op-ed in The Hill about Elon Musk’s polarization — specifically his affective polarization: his extremely negative views of his political opponents and the high-contempt ways in which he engages across disagreement. With Trump’s election and Elon getting a lot more attention, I thought I’d make a podcast episode about that topic. That video is here:

The truth is that many of us behave in high-contempt ways these days when it comes to our political divides. And the more divided we become, the more influence is given to people who take high-contempt approaches — and the more those people in turn influence our discourse to be more toxic. It’s a complex and self-reinforcing cycle: everything is connected.

The entry for this Elon Musk episode is here: https://behavior-podcast.com/elon-musks-polarization-examining-his-contemptuous-approaches-to-political-disagreement. It includes links to related resources and a transcript.