An Environmentalist's Tesla Dilemma Is One You'd Expect From a Liberal

You knew this was an issue when Elon Musk bought Twitter. Liberals seethed with rage at the man, a perceived threat to liberal America, but happily bought his products for their green energy value. Musk is the creator of the Tesla, an electric vehicle that doesn’t look ugly. Yet, that was before he was branded a neo-Nazi by the Left after he took over the social media company, promising to make it a bastion of free speech. Now, all these liberals are probably keeping their Teslas hidden in the garage, afraid that if they’re seen by their woke friends driving such a car, they’d be pegged as supporters of a man leftists find worse than Trump. Okay, the last part is an exaggeration, but Musk has driven a healthy number of progressives toward insanity.

So, meet John Blumenthal, a former magazine editor who apparently regrets his Tesla purchase due to Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. Blumenthal admits he’s a hypocrite: while supporting carbon-neutral initiatives, he continued to hold onto his “sentimental” gas-guzzling car. Pressured by his friends to ditch the vehicle, he bought a Tesla but now is “embarrassed” to drive it. The best part is that while a car designed for the green energy-minded, Blumenthal says if Musk doesn’t change his view to his liking, it would be as “untenable” as his old gas guzzler:

A few years ago, I bought a used Tesla, not because I’m a car nut but because I had been a hypocrite. For years, I had been outspoken about the dangers of carbon emissions. Yet at the same time, I was driving an old gas-powered heap that got about 25 miles per gallon, and that sounded like a rocket launch every time I turned on the ignition.
The car was impractical, but it had sentimental value. My environmental activist friends were not impressed by my assiduous urban composting, LED bulb installations and energy-saving appliances. I needed to do more to diminish my carbon footprint. The icebergs were melting, my friends said, and at least one polar bear was wandering around homeless and hungry because of me.
[…]
Because of the recent revelation of Elon Musk’s political views — all of which I abhor — I’m starting to worry about what sort of political statement the car is making. Will people see me as a symbol of right-wing environmentalism, a living oxymoron?
When I bought the car, I had no real opinion on Musk’s somewhat clouded political beliefs. Now that Musk has apparently swung to the far right — banning journalists from Twitter while reinstating neo-Nazis — I’m horrified to be associated with his brand whenever I drive anywhere.
[…]
It’s a beautifully designed car with no carbon emission, and initially, I was proud of owning it and being seen driving a vehicle that displayed my concern for the environment. But I’m a liberal, and if Musk’s politics don’t change radically for the better, driving a Tesla will become, at least for me, as hypocritical and untenable as driving a gas guzzler was.