Elon Musk calls British diver in Thai cave rescue a 'pedo' in baseless attack

[jspill]

1 hour ago, Cowboyshoe said:

In 50 years this 'deleted tweet' will not even be a footnote in the biography of The Man Who Took Humanity To Mars.  Which is - let us be honest - the real issue. "Those smarty pants elites! Let's take him down a notch! By gum, internal combustion was good enough for me! Hey you kids, get that rocket off my lawn!"

?

Err no, Musk is taking the taxpayers down a notch, he's received $4.9 billion in government support, and he hasn't delivered. A string of failures, rocket explosions, car spontaneous combustions, delays, Tesla and SpaceX on the brink of bankruptcy. 

 

Their anger is understandable at this point. 

 

I will retract this post in the event he takes humanity to Mars. 

[Daveyh]

A poor loser & complete idiot .......... he should behave better. What a muppet ......... grrhhh! Just looking at his photo portrays his character IMHO.

 

Edited July 16, 2018 by Daveyh

[bkkrooftop]

I get the beef between these 2 egos/ But why is Musk calling him "pedo" ...just  bc he is associated with Thailand?  

[shackleton]

Both as bad as each other no need for Vern to say what he did in the first place plus Musk replying 

the whole thing was initially what was the best solution for getting the kids out of the cave

now all we are reading is the mud slinging between the two

[Crustyhk]

Completely irrelevant now whether the sub would have worked or not. Or any of the other petty excuses 

 

What is relivant is:

Was Unsworths remarks about Musks sub and where he could put it defamatory and liable for legal action? Nope

 

Was Musks remarks calling Unsworth a paedophile defamatory and liable for legal action? You betcha!

 

A washed up lawyer working out of a Chiang Rai bar could win that one. 

 

Enjoy you settlement Vern. 

[Dustdevil]

4 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

Mr Musk is just a narcistic and egomanic genius who can't stand it if he get's criticized. Then he does not know anything else but retort with insults. 

 

But... he is in a boat with Donald Trump in all that, except that Trump definitely is NO genius, no matter what he claims

 

Sad that this is the current "Best" America has to "offer" to the world, can add Maxine Waters to that group also

Oh, so you're an expert on the American people. How long did you live in the U.S.?

[Wake Up]

4 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

Mr Musk is just a narcistic and egomanic genius who can't stand it if he get's criticized. Then he does not know anything else but retort with insults. 

 

But... he is in a boat with Donald Trump in all that, except that Trump definitely is NO genius, no matter what he claims

 

Sad that this is the current "Best" America has to "offer" to the world, can add Maxine Waters to that group also

Sad that two grown ups have to attack each other publicly and take away from the beauty of the rescue. Sad that you another grown man would embrace the qualities you criticize by publishing your biased attack words on America and Americans. To you, Vern and Musk my grandmother would wash your mouths out with soap. 

[Dustdevil]

7 minutes ago, jspill said:

Err no, Musk is taking the taxpayers down a notch, he's received $4.9 billion in government support, and he hasn't delivered. A string of failures, rocket explosions, car spontaneous combustions, delays, Tesla and SpaceX on the brink of bankruptcy. 

 

Their anger is understandable at this point. 

 

I will retract this post in the event he takes humanity to Mars. 

The first Mars Rover that took amazing photos of Mars was in 1976. That in a sense was already NASA's humanity to Mars.

[Berkshire]

3 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

On a serious note, Vern will not win this spat. The unfortunate truth, that many of us farang delude ourselves into rebutting, is that people (especially foreigners) affiliated with Thailand are given a poor reputation globally. Everyone is suspicious of farangs who end up here.

I'd often wondered (re your last sentence) whether this is true in America.  Americans are not like Europeans in that most from the US do not travel much outside the country and don't really know the rest of the world.  Frankly, most Americans couldn't find Thailand on a map.  So to hear Musk make such a statement--as if it was understood by the masses to be "possibly" true--is rather concerning.  Do Americans who've never been to Thailand think the same as Musk?  I wonder.

[Dustdevil]

Just now, Berkshire said:

I'd often wondered (re your last sentence) whether this is true in America.  Americans are not like Europeans in that most from the US do not travel much outside the country and don't really know the rest of the world.  Frankly, most Americans couldn't find Thailand on a map.  So to hear Musk make such a statement--as if it was understood by the masses to be "possibly" true--is rather concerning.  Do Americans who've never been to Thailand think the same as Musk?  I wonder.

You don't know anything about Americans. There are at least 2 million, excluding military, who live around the world outside the U.S. You seem to think you're an expert on the American people, but what I'm reading from you is tired stereotypes from Europe and the Commonwealth countries. Can you find Idaho on a map?

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

Vern should immediately file charges before a court in Thailand of DEFAMATION and violations of the computer crimes act, so Musk picked is up by the BiB or is dragged form his private jet and sent to remand in Thai Jail to prevent him fleeing. 

 

Love to see Musk on the ground to compelled to "graap" after paying Vern a hefty sum!

[Sir Swagman]

2 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

You don't know anything about Americans. There are at least 2 million, excluding military, who live around the world outside the U.S. You seem to think you're an expert on the American people, but what I'm reading from you is tired stereotypes from Europe and the Commonwealth countries. Can you find Idaho on a map?

I doubt most Americans could find Idaho on a map, lol. As a generalization I think the comment you replied to is true. Though not alone in this attitude, an insular, quite local awareness is pretty much all I have encountered from the majority of everyday Americans I have spoken to (in America btw).

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, Eligius said:

Right. What a horrible thing to say about a man who has just risked his very life to save others.

 

And I feel gratified to see that this great diver has said exactly what I posted on TVF about Musk's mini-submarine: it was clearly too rigid for the (sometimes very) narrow cave chambers. That was glaringly obvious.

It really, really was - I saw the thing on BBC and it is a length of at least a meter and a half, maybe more  and of steel or other rigid metal. Would never get through the twists and turns and S shaped passages of that cave and it is hard to understand why he would not have known this, the info on the terrain was readily available online through various media coverage. It would likely work in a place with straight passage but not here and probably not in most caves.

 

His attack on Vern is completely beyond the pale.

[webfact]

Tesla CEO Musk attacks British diver

By Thai PBS

 

 

Tesla and Space-X CEO Elon Musk came under fire yesterday after launching a bizarre attack on a British diver who helped rescue the “Wild Boars” soccer team trapped in Tham Luang cave last week, calling him a “pedo” in one of his series of tweets.

 

Musk’s attack was directed at Vern Unsworth, one of the dozens of international divers who joined the dramatic rescue operation, after he told CNN on Saturday that Musk’s idea to use a mini-submarine to move the 12 boys and their coach out of the cave was “just a PR stunt.”

 

The chief executive of the tech giant Tesla flew to Thailand and visited the cave after offering to assist the rescue mission with the mini-submarine. Thai rescue mission chief Narongsak Osotthanakorn politely turned down the offer, saying the vehicle was not practical.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/tesla-ceo-musk-attacks-british-diver/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-07-16

 

[hashmodha]

4 hours ago, MaiDong said:

For someone so apparently bright, this bloke comes across incredibly thick sometimes.

So right you are!.... Don't know much about the guy......but to stupidly try a motorized / computerized   sub in situations like this is ...... ??experimental......and PR.....no doubt about this.... There were lives at risk.....Joint thoughtful and strategic planning and our British divers together with the great Australian anesthestic Diver....(and all Thai and other divers ..plus the  support)...what a godsend combination in these circumstances??...

[bizboi]

4 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

Mr Musk is just a narcistic and egomanic genius who can't stand it if he get's criticized. Then he does not know anything else but retort with insults. 

 

But... he is in a boat with Donald Trump in all that, except that Trump definitely is NO genius, no matter what he claims

 

Sad that this is the current "Best" America has to "offer" to the world, can add Maxine Waters to that group also

Reading your post I would put one more in the boat with Mr Trump and Musk and thats YOU - what a sad off topic rant!!

[NanLaew]

9 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

Can you find Idaho on a map?

Does anyone want to?

[jspill]

9 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

You don't know anything about Americans. There are at least 2 million, excluding military, who live around the world outside the U.S. You seem to think you're an expert on the American people, but what I'm reading from you is tired stereotypes from Europe and the Commonwealth countries. Can you find Idaho on a map?

He didn't mean to be offensive, it's such a huge interesting country why leave. 1 in 10 Brits lives abroad, no surprise as it's so boring. 10% of the population. 2 million Americans would be 0.6%.

[cardinalblue]

Criticism of Musk is being launched only b/c of a happy ending...

 

and had their been a bad outcome and Musk would have held his idea b/c of liability concerns? I wonder if people would have criticize for not trying?

 

i hope people realize most great inventions are do to mistakes , errors, not the original intention or just dumb luck.....

 

i have learned one should never criticize effort....

[Classic Ray]

I am disappointed that the magnificent efforts of all involved in the rescue operation and the selfless sacrifice of the life of the Thai diver are being tarnished by this playground argument.

 

Whatever the sexual proclivities of Mr Unsworth, they are totally irrelevant to the work he did during the rescue, unless Mr Musk thinks this was purely to improve his access to children. Calling him a pedo is the trick that name calling schoolboys use, but this sort of behaviour seems to be increasing since the era of Trumpism, total lack of dignity and class.

 

Both Mr Unsworth and Mr Musk (as well as Mr Trump) should be banned from using keyboards or giving interviews until they apologise and promise to grow up. 

[retsdon]

6 minutes ago, sup3r1or said:

However there was also an interview where he 63 year old guy even admits he's been hanging around those caves for 6 years which are regularly frequented by young boys exploring. 

Hardly. He's been a recreational  caver all his life, and still is. Not the same thing at all as  'hanging around those caves....which are regularly frequented by young  boys...'  Why are you so intent on slandering the bloke? He didn't care for Elon Musk - so what? Lots of people don't.

[Rimmer]

Some off topic posts have been removed

[newatthis]

3 hours ago, Dexlowe said:

Musk has so completely lost the moral high ground that it's highly unlikely he will ever regain the trust of anyone ever again. Instead of standing tall in the face of Vern's (childish) remarks, he chose petulance and called Vern a pedo -- wow! That's the very worst thing you    can do to a man. This kind of mud sticks and it gets out of control very quickly. 

Internationally, this will pass. Millions will wake up tomorrow morning, have a nice breakfast and not even think about it. Sure, the media will do a bit more on it.  Here in Thailand amongst the expats and probably on TVF, it will get milked to death BUT, in the long run, it won't hurt Musk.

[HHTel]

25 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

You don't know anything about Americans. There are at least 2 million, excluding military, who live around the world outside the U.S. You seem to think you're an expert on the American people, but what I'm reading from you is tired stereotypes from Europe and the Commonwealth countries. Can you find Idaho on a map?

To put that into perspective, 5.5 million brits live abroad or almost 10%

Population of the US 325 million and 2 million live outside the US!

[Puccini]

From the news article cited in the OP:

 

Quote

Musk’s Sunday tweets came in response to a New York Times opinion piece entitled “What Elon Musk Should Learn From the Thailand Cave Rescue”. The Tesla CEO appears to be committed to proving his design would have worked. He wrote: “We will make [a video] of the mini-sub/pod going all the way to Cave 5 no problemo.”

 

Were the 13 boys and their coach not stranded in cave 13? If so, what will a video showing the the min-sub can go to cave 5 prove?

 

[mikeymike100]

20 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

Vern should immediately file charges before a court in Thailand of DEFAMATION and violations of the computer crimes act, so Musk picked is up by the BiB or is dragged form his private jet and sent to remand in Thai Jail to prevent him fleeing. 

 

Love to see Musk on the ground to compelled to "graap" after paying Vern a hefty sum!

Musk should not have said what he did say, but Vern Unsworth should not have said Musk can stick his submarine where it hurts in the first place. However what your proposing is ludicrous about suing for defamation. Musk is in the USA and not Thailand, so not subject to Thai law, he is also a billionaire, so even if he was sued guess what happens in Thailand, remember Red Bull heir???

[Bennukbin]

I used to quite admire Musk but reading this has really changed my view of him. The whole thing with the sub was a tasteless publicity stunt with little chance of viability in the conditions. Vern called him out on it, not very eloquently, but publicity is not his game then Musk reacts like a teenager on social media. I’m not into twitter but I hope that he gets some real heat for that comment. 

[Sheryl]

Vern's comments can be seen here live http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-15/thai-cave-rescue-diver-says-elon-musk-mini-submarine-pr-stunt/9995624

 

It was in an interview with CNN and indeed, the "stick it" comment seems to be made tongue in cheek

 

I suspect in any case that it was nto that which so set off Musk as the rest of his comments including that Musk was asked to leave the cave which of course runs counter to the version Musk was trying to spin

[0815]

4 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

Mr Musk is just a narcistic and egomanic genius who can't stand it if he get's criticized. Then he does not know anything else but retort with insults. 

 

But... he is in a boat with Donald Trump in all that, except that Trump definitely is NO genius, no matter what he claims

 

Sad that this is the current "Best" America has to "offer" to the world, can add Maxine Waters to that group also

Guess it's his outrage of jealousy bcoz he did not get access on the top of the heroic team.
What a <deleted> ! 

[hashmodha]

5 hours ago, JWRC said:

Grounds for a defamation case here.

Seriously....yes....and  claim puntive damages.. ...I am not a lawyer by any means....but have been involved in Corporate litigations when I was younger...and how I would love to see all this.....Unfold...it is all over the Media... just looking at Pedo in Google.... cause it's a Greek Latin word....and this guy shows up??