Tesla fans are passionate people, and it does not take very long to realize that. The brand itself has a certain appeal to it, and those who have the company’s most uncomfortable products, such as the Roadster 2008, have almost as much passion as those who have the $ 3,000 Model 3 variant. People love their Tesla products back and forth. Most of the time, enthusiasm for a car company lies within the diehards who “supe” their cars as lifelong buyers from the same manufacturer. For example, some people swear by Ford trucks so much that they will place a sticker on their rear windshield of a comic strip that urinates on a Chevrolet logo.
The toxicity of loyalty to brands lies in every camp. There is a point where there is love for a company that you openly support too much, and your passions get in the way of being a responsible person and considering other points of view. This is something I have noticed with some Tesla fans who are willing to attack other motorists and enthusiasts from different brands, and it seems to be based on the fact that there is disagreement about which car company is superior .
To be clear, I think there are a lot of great people in this community. I, personally, have learned a lot about Tesla cars in my year (so far) at Teslarati. When I got this role as a transportation writer, I had very limited knowledge, and I considered myself a novice in terms of what was happening in the Tesla world. I was right.
Now I consider myself to be an expert on the subject, but I am certainly not omniscient, and that is good. I continue to learn a lot from the people who have surrounded me throughout my journey as a writer, and a lot of the time it is because many influencers in this sector are supportive, smart and really nice people.
However, there is a small selection of people in the EV community who are cruel and want to take over their passion for an electric car company. I feel that a disagreement or argument is okay every now and then. Having these ugly communications back and forth, on what seems to be daily, is what makes a bad name for the Tesla community.
Earlier this week, Complex, a popular media and lifestyle outlet, shared the news that CEO Elon Musk had become the fourth richest man in the world. While flipping through the responses to the Tweet that was shared, I noticed someone who stated that Elon “did nothing for nothing but himself” and “did nothing to help people.”
This is where I got involved, only stating that Elon’s mission, as described in the Tesla Master Plan, was to help people.
This person and I sold several tweets back and forth, and it got to the point where we both realized that thoughts were not changing. I’ve talked about Tesla Solar, and how it’s three times less expensive than the American average, Elon’s mission as a philanthropist and entrepreneur, and I also debuted a few EV myths, such as Teslas not being able to drag or to drag.
My opponent, on the other hand, never made a relevant point. It was a discussion full of red herrings, and I decided it was probably a waste of my time to go on. It never went past 4-5 messages to each other. The conversation just ended, no one was blocked, no one was named, communication was simply stopped.
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This is not something I see very often when I write articles about other car companies. I also do not see it when someone with a large following Tweets has a supportive message about an emerging auto company. For example, when Lucid announced that it had reached a 517-mile EPA-rated range, the comments were “Make a car first,” and “Who cares.” Things of that nature.
I understand the frustration with car companies that Tesla always grants, but how is competition a bad thing? How is it that all these other car companies are worth admitting that Tesla’s benchmark is a bad thing? I can not find the answer.
Yes, Lucid has to produce a car for the public. Yes, 517 miles is a lot of range, but we still have to look at it on a production car that is delivered to a customer. Those are all reasonable assessments, but why should Lucid be attacked? They make electric cars, not gas. Isn’t that what this whole thing is about?
At one point, Tesla was the ‘new kid on the block’. It was a little known, scandalous company looking to make a name for itself. It had her fair share of problems, and it worked through her. Other car companies are experiencing the same things that Tesla did years ago. But when Tesla was new and fresh, gas-car enthusiasts said, “Who cares?” And “They should make a car that works first.” Here we are today, more than a million cars later, and refurbished to an annual production rate that has everyone’s wildest imagination left.
It’s almost ironic to me that the same things that now came out of the mouths of ICE enthusiasm are now coming out of the mouths of Tesla. Tesla’s loyalty is a good thing, to an extent, but the fact that competition is good should never shine. It would be the fact that other car companies now have to work to escape from gas engines. It should never seem like the fact that the global fight against toxic carbon emissions is slowly but surely turning in our favor.
There’s an old saying that goes, “If you do not have something nice to say, do not say it at all.” I think many of us have to remember this from time to time. If there is a similarity with someone who is online, then understand that points of view rarely come together identically. Understand that people will think your opinions are ridiculous. Lastly, realize that someone you disagree with is an opportunity for you to expand your mind and learn something new. Conversing with someone who holds opposing views or opinions is sometimes the healthiest thing for the human mind. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that round “Yes men / women” is a bad thing. People grow up in conflict, and there is nothing less than being a crowd of people with whom you have everything in common. Sometimes it is helpful to mix it up and hear things you do not necessarily agree with.
Next time you catch someone online, and they say something that seems to challenge your faith, take a minute and think about what they say. Does it make sense, if her idea is full of misleading and incorrect information? In the case of the brief interview I had earlier this week, I acknowledged that what this person said was truly false based on Elon’s merit and what he has done so far in his career for the world.
Do not block or alert anyone because they have told you something controversial. I would suggest a healthier way to end the conversation is simply to say, “I do not agree with you, but I respect your opinion.” When you call names is childish, and bending to the level they take when they start calling you names does not make you better than they are. There’s a reason it’s called “taking the high road.”
Tesla’s mission is about sustaining life as we know it on Earth, or perhaps, on Mars. However, if we do not learn to cherish and respect perceptions that differ from our own, our civilization will never make it. Breaking boundaries and listening to points of view that are not necessarily in line with what we believe is sometimes the best thing for us. Even if you leave a conversation thinking, “This person has no idea what they’re talking about”, there are a number of benefits. You walked away respectfully. You have learned that you and that person are incompatible. Finally you realize that there are people in the world who are the opposite of you. Those are just a few that come to mind.
I find it extremely important, especially at such a sad time in our world, that we respect each other as best we can. Whether you’re a Tesla fan, Rivian fan, or a Lucid fan, be kind to each other. We are all together here, and the pressure for sustainable transportation is growing because of the efforts of every company that decided to produce EVs.
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