Should you be afraid to drive a Tesla?
by Stephanie Van Hook
Should you be afraid to drive a Tesla? Should anyone?
No.
I live in California, the land of Silicon Valley, so I see Teslas everywhere. In fact, there are at least two Cybertrucks driving around the town in which I live (we do notice them). I do not condemn people who chose these vehicles or question their moral choices. Just as I don’t condemn people for driving Fords (Henry Ford was a notorious anti-Semitic businessman who drew inspiration from Mein Kampf). I am concerned, however, about the soul of activism.
With growing anger toward Elon Musk and his insensitivity (to say the least) toward US governmental institutions (and the dehumanization of those within those institutions) through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), some activists have turned their frustration toward Tesla, seeking to reclaim a sense of power they feel they’ve lost. What began as protests at Tesla showrooms—some featuring signs calling Musk a Nazi (don't get me started on throwing that epithet around to anyone we disagree with instead of doing the work of actually addressing Nazism and its history)—has escalated into outright attacks on Tesla owners themselves. And heaven help anyone driving a Cybertruck.
Reports are surfacing of activists shooting at a Tesla dealership in Oregon, shooting at cars, setting Teslas on fire, destroying public charging stations, and harassing Tesla drivers directly. Anti-Musk activists have defaced vehicles, drawn lewd images on them, and gone out of their way to make Tesla ownership feel like a risk. While TeslaTakeDown.Com tries to distance itself from the methods of violence and property destruction, it might already be too late—and out of their control. At this point, I’ve seen only one post by #TeslaTakeDown about not using violence, and that only appeared on Instagram this week as far as I can tell.
If there is a strategy behind this broader movement, it appears to be one of intimidation: making Tesla ownership so unappealing that people fear buying the cars in the first place. It has quickly escalated to people taking on the risk being gunned down or harmed in their cars or at dealerships. This is unacceptable. Using threats and destruction to punish would-be allies—people who might otherwise support progressive causes and the broader push for electric vehicles—is counterproductive. At best, it’s a flash of catharsis for those who feel powerless against Musk. At worst, it’s a self-sabotaging act of performative outrage that will fade without leaving anything meaningful in its wake, just a more polarized and fractured society. The White House is calling it domestic terrorism. How does that judgment impact other activist groups? We know it will.
When Gandhi burned British cloth, he didn’t storm into people’s homes and set their fabric on fire—he led by example, and people chose to join him. If all we stand for is destruction and vilification, what do we expect to replace the current systems of power? To be honest—and effective—we have to be against the use violence as a form of retaliation, whoever is using it.