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Billionaire Elon Musk was mocked by Twitter users after he insisted he is "not brainwashed" and shared a meme that shows a stick figure emblazoned with several icons, including those of CNN, the religion of Islam and a derivation of the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag that brings marginalized people of color, transgender people, and those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have been lost to the forefront.
The stick figure is also shown wearing a face mask while stuck with several needles, a sign the meme embraces COVID-19-related conspiracies and anti-vaccination talking points.
But eagle-eyed Twitter users were quick to note that the Twitter logo is featured on the stick figure's right leg—where it is shown in the company of other social media platforms like Tumblr, YouTube, and Facebook.
You can see Musk's tweet below.
\u201cI\u2019m not brainwashed!!\u201d— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1672211475
Musk officially acquired Twitter in October and has repeatedly insisted Twitter needs to go private if it wants to become a platform for free speech, though he has already come under fire for silencing his critics and spreading misinformation.
His stewardship of the company has sent advertisers scrambling and even prompted Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren to launch an inquiry into the harm Musk has caused to Tesla's investors since using Twitter as his "private plaything."
Moreover, a slew of chaotic policy decisions have further alienated the platform's users and Musk has walked back previous moves banning journalists while caving in to calls for him to appoint a new chief executive.
All of these developments—and more—did not go unnoticed by Twitter users who pointed out the meme's blatant disrespect for the platform Musk currently operates.
\u201cElon you bought Twitter for 44billion dollars\u201d— Hot TERF takes (@Hot TERF takes) 1672250122
\u201ckinda funny how the megacorp owner who hangs out with every other billionaire has managed to convince millions of people that he's a part of the "resistance" because he posts reddit memes and knows who ichigo is\u201d— theodora :^) (@theodora :^)) 1672249641
\u201cgirl your own social media is stamped on the left guy\u201d— pilk @ ew 6.1 !!! (@pilk @ ew 6.1 !!!) 1672237418
\u201cThe irony Mr. Musk\u201d— Perla Sugimura (@Perla Sugimura) 1672251802
\u201cSo you agree.\nYou\u2019re brainwashing people.\u201d— Alex Rochon (@Alex Rochon) 1672237256
\u201cMusk is going to save Twitter, one bigoted, conspiratorial meme at a time.\u201d— Judd Legum (@Judd Legum) 1672239809
\u201coh the irony\u201d— Santa's favorite reindeer (@Santa's favorite reindeer) 1672231818
\u201cI like that the CEO of Twitter included Twitter as one of the brainwashers\u201d— Willie Muse (@Willie Muse) 1672234817
\u201csomeone come get grandpa he's out here throwing shade at his own companies again\u201d— \ud83c\udf3f stick \ud83c\udf3f (@\ud83c\udf3f stick \ud83c\udf3f) 1672236944
Musk continues to post inflammatory tweets even though his actions are having an adverse impact on the price of Telsa stock.
He posted his "brainwashed" meme a mere day after shares in Tesla plummeted to a 52-week low of $113 by midday, December 27, and as news outlets reported that would be reducing production at its factory in Shanghai, China by next month.
The Nasdaq Stock Market, the most active stock trading venue in the United States by volume, has fallen by 34 percent, around half of Tesla's losses, during 2022.