'SNL': Elon Musk Causes Controversy With Medical Reveal During Monologue
Elon Musk raised a stir on SNL this weekend with an off-handed comment about his own [...]
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Elon Musk isn’t the first Saturday Night Live host with Asperger’s. Former cast member Dan Aykroyd hosted in 2003 and is a comedy legend. pic.twitter.com/Ks0va4AK6U
— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) May 9, 2021
Elon said he was the first SNL host with Asperger's... This is dan slander and I will not take it pic.twitter.com/bOhyzpHYRt
— Morgan (@QDoesStuff) May 9, 2021
Lol Dan Aykroyd STARTED snl with Asperger’s, but nice try.
— Joshua Simon 🥺 (@JoshuaSimonSays) May 9, 2021
First and foremost, fans thought Musk was doing a disservice to the past hosts who were also neurodivergent, including at least two with similar diagnoses to him. Many even argued that neurodivergent ingenuity was baked into the show's DNA via Aykroyd.
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Re: Elon Musk, SNL
Aspergers is no longer a recognized diagnosis in the DSM because Hans Asperger was a Nazi. When most autistic kids were sent to the the gas chamber, Hans sent “intelligent” autistic kids to the Nazi’s Aktion T4 program to be experimented on and euthanized. pic.twitter.com/hD1EeRnwWf
— Dylan (@dyllyp) May 9, 2021
Is it possible that Elon Musk wanted use as many Nazi white power references as possible by calling it Asbergers as opposed to AS: Autism Spectrum? Hence the hand signals later in the show.
Shame on #SNL for allowing this. @nbcsnl @HolocaustMuseum @ACLUhttps://t.co/rLOXdr9GkD
— BuildBackBetter:BidenHarris ❤️🇺🇸 (@i4dzn) May 9, 2021
Many users brought up the frought history of Asperger Syndrome's namesake, Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger. Asperger knowingly allowed some of his patients to be euthanized by the Nazi government, though some accounts paint him as a dissenter who saved as many as he could. His legacy is summed up at length in Steve Silberman's book NeuroTribes, which is available here on Amazon.
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I hope this will give strength to the people in the same condition and less lucky than him. This is a positive message. Stay strong and work on your weakness we all have. @elonmusk #AspergerSyndrome
— Michele Oscar [Миша] (@sicilian_abroad) May 9, 2021
“I’m actually making history as the first person with Asperger's to host SNL” — @elonmusk
Really loved that - such an awesome moment re representation of neurodivergent folks 🖤 https://t.co/iTgTf1dwhP
— Viv (@flcnhvy) May 9, 2021
Some took strength from Musk's confidence and hoped that other neurodivergent viewers would as well.
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Dan Aykroyd has Asperger’s and was one of the seven original seven cast members who basically started SNL. You’re not even the first shady businessman to host SNL. So sorry, Elon, you made a Tesla but you didn’t make history.
Was no one around to fact check that?
— Meredith Lee (@meralee727) May 9, 2021
Considering SNL's close association with Aykroyd, many questioned how Musk's comment made it past the fact-checkers who may have looked at his monologue ahead of time. Some thought that series creator Lorne Michaels at least should have seen it.
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What weird timing. It's almost like he's using it to try to explain why he's a creep.
— second nature (@second_nature) May 9, 2021
I’m an evil billionaire villain but hey I have Asperger’s. Cool?
— Son of Immigrants (@davidwindycity) May 9, 2021
Smart of Elon Musk to proclaim himself the first Asperger’s host of SNL, and then bring out his mom, to disarm his haters right off the bat
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) May 9, 2021
Others thought that Musk was mentioning his neurodivergence to distract from his personal controversies and gain sympathy in the realm of identity politics.
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Elon Musk is proof that with enough apartheid emeralds, dishonesty, and privilege “Asperger’s people“ can be harmful to society too! 🙃
— Rory - ADHD Autistic OCD (@roryreckons) May 9, 2021
Not looking forward to the army of white men suddenly claiming they are like him. Might even do more damage than Sia.
Musk coming out as having Aspergers is not a win and this is exactly why. People assume being a jerk is a symptom of autism when it's not. Further we don't use the diagnosis of Aspergers anymore but instead say Autism Spectrum Disorder because Hans Asperger was a Nazi eugenicist pic.twitter.com/pa9u0a4Sx3
— 🏳️🌈Kelly Greene ☕🍩 (@Greeninthemiddl) May 9, 2021
Mental health professionals and advocates feared that Musk's proud announcement of Asperger Syndrome would lead to a slew of self-diagnoses among his rabid fan base. They saw this as potentially harmful to real patients.
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im undiagnosing myself w autism this shit is so corny now
— dr teddy phd, atsumology and sunaosa studies (@doubletrucks) May 9, 2021
Finally, many people could see from a mile away that the responses to Musk's "announcement" would be awkward, unproductive and cringe-worthy. Some joked about "undiagnosing" themselves and stepping away from the discourse altogether.
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