New Yorkers react to strikingly indifferent statue of Elon Musk with cheering hostility
(2021/06/30)
- Reference: 1625058970
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/06/30/elon_musk_statue/
- Source link:
The city of New York received an addition to its trove of [1]often obscure and peculiar statuary when a life-sized polyester resin figure of famously charismatic Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk was unveiled in Downtown Manhattan.
The statue, which commemorates Musk's 50th birthday on 28 June and was erected by online stock trading firm Public.com – for some reason which doubtless made sense to them, at least – depicts a smiling individual with an almost passing resemblance to Musk with their hands on their head, wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
Go say hi. 👋 [2]pic.twitter.com/fBO81PF5bR — Public.com (@public) [3]June 28, 2021
The response to the statue from New Yorkers, a breed of people well known for their tolerance, forbearance, and thoughtful opinions on public art, has been mostly positive.
"Thank you," [4]wrote one on Twitter . "It's getting hard to find public toilets."
"How much to dump this crap in the East River?" [5]pondered another .
[6]
"What better way to commemorate his contributions to our society [than] with an expensive, self-promoting but ultimately useless expression of showmanship no one asked for," [7]effused a third .
[8]
[9]
There was also considerable widespread support for the idea of treating the statue with the same respect and reverence that the denizens of Bristol, UK, had shown to a statue of [10]merchant and slave trader Edward Colston .
[11]Youtube Video
[12]
The statue's startlingly distant resemblance to its inspiration has also elicited comment, with many pointing out its similarity to [13]the famously striking bust of Cristiano Ronaldo , commissioned to grace the entrance of Madeira Airport when it was renamed after [14]the oleaginous Portuguese football star .
[15]SpaceX spat with Viasat: Rival accused of abusing legislation to halt Elon's Starlink expansion
[16]You were supposed to be watching him. Letters from SEC claim Tesla breached deal to police Elon Musk's tweets
[17]Tesla owners win legal fight after software update crippled older Model S batteries
[18]Elon Musk shows world that he is truly awful at something
Others put forward other ideas. "If George Bush Sr. and Elon had a baby it would look like this," [19]suggested another Twitter user .
We at The Register feel that the statue certainly resembles a US president, but we are torn as to whether it looks more like [20]a young Ronald Reagan or the statue of Jimmy Carter the residents of Springfield erect in The Simpsons and then later turn into a somewhat unconvincing tribute to Marge.
[21]Youtube Video
The people of New York have only a short time to enjoy this addition to their fair city's fabled urban landscape, sited on 14th Street next to the High Line stairs, as Public.com are in the process of auctioning the statue on eBay.
[22]
If you wish to own a life-sized plastic figure of a generic 20th-century US president which looks deeply suspicious when viewed only from the waist up, then [23]you have until 7 July to put in a bid . At the time of writing, the going price is a very affordable $2,550, although we imagine that will go up by at least another $15 or so over the next week.
Alternatively, if that is beyond your budget, then Public.com are also giving everyone [24]the chance to own one of 100 14-inch miniatures of the statue to love and cherish forever. And you can imagine exactly what the denizens of Twitter have suggested [25]they might do with those . ®
Get our [26]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/king-jagiello
[2] https://t.co/fBO81PF5bR
[3] https://twitter.com/public/status/1409531203817029634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4] https://twitter.com/maxwellmaxwell/status/1409567923346186240?s=20
[5] https://twitter.com/millenniumgrand/status/1409761820592599041?s=20
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://twitter.com/castlecraver/status/1409576187438014465?s=20
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-42404825
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04NXGb1pA6g
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44518595
[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KZpBHri3_s
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/16/spacex_viasat_legal_dispute/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/02/sec_to_tesla_were_not/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/24/tesla_software_norway/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2020/01/31/elon_dont_doubt_ur_vibe/
[19] https://twitter.com/Rinvi11/status/1409613645550604292?s=20
[20] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tMEktjZ44k0/UJm1V_BGEdI/AAAAAAAAfBg/JbfTGpmPl9w/s1600/Ronald-Reagan_young.jpg
[21] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OWHjPj5_Eg
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://www.ebay.com/itm/393415810826
[24] https://twitter.com/public/status/1409531199035428867?s=20
[25] https://twitter.com/no_goblins/status/1410133707961159683?s=20
[26] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The statue, which commemorates Musk's 50th birthday on 28 June and was erected by online stock trading firm Public.com – for some reason which doubtless made sense to them, at least – depicts a smiling individual with an almost passing resemblance to Musk with their hands on their head, wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
Go say hi. 👋 [2]pic.twitter.com/fBO81PF5bR — Public.com (@public) [3]June 28, 2021
The response to the statue from New Yorkers, a breed of people well known for their tolerance, forbearance, and thoughtful opinions on public art, has been mostly positive.
"Thank you," [4]wrote one on Twitter . "It's getting hard to find public toilets."
"How much to dump this crap in the East River?" [5]pondered another .
[6]
"What better way to commemorate his contributions to our society [than] with an expensive, self-promoting but ultimately useless expression of showmanship no one asked for," [7]effused a third .
[8]
[9]
There was also considerable widespread support for the idea of treating the statue with the same respect and reverence that the denizens of Bristol, UK, had shown to a statue of [10]merchant and slave trader Edward Colston .
[11]Youtube Video
[12]
The statue's startlingly distant resemblance to its inspiration has also elicited comment, with many pointing out its similarity to [13]the famously striking bust of Cristiano Ronaldo , commissioned to grace the entrance of Madeira Airport when it was renamed after [14]the oleaginous Portuguese football star .
[15]SpaceX spat with Viasat: Rival accused of abusing legislation to halt Elon's Starlink expansion
[16]You were supposed to be watching him. Letters from SEC claim Tesla breached deal to police Elon Musk's tweets
[17]Tesla owners win legal fight after software update crippled older Model S batteries
[18]Elon Musk shows world that he is truly awful at something
Others put forward other ideas. "If George Bush Sr. and Elon had a baby it would look like this," [19]suggested another Twitter user .
We at The Register feel that the statue certainly resembles a US president, but we are torn as to whether it looks more like [20]a young Ronald Reagan or the statue of Jimmy Carter the residents of Springfield erect in The Simpsons and then later turn into a somewhat unconvincing tribute to Marge.
[21]Youtube Video
The people of New York have only a short time to enjoy this addition to their fair city's fabled urban landscape, sited on 14th Street next to the High Line stairs, as Public.com are in the process of auctioning the statue on eBay.
[22]
If you wish to own a life-sized plastic figure of a generic 20th-century US president which looks deeply suspicious when viewed only from the waist up, then [23]you have until 7 July to put in a bid . At the time of writing, the going price is a very affordable $2,550, although we imagine that will go up by at least another $15 or so over the next week.
Alternatively, if that is beyond your budget, then Public.com are also giving everyone [24]the chance to own one of 100 14-inch miniatures of the statue to love and cherish forever. And you can imagine exactly what the denizens of Twitter have suggested [25]they might do with those . ®
Get our [26]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.centralparknyc.org/locations/king-jagiello
[2] https://t.co/fBO81PF5bR
[3] https://twitter.com/public/status/1409531203817029634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4] https://twitter.com/maxwellmaxwell/status/1409567923346186240?s=20
[5] https://twitter.com/millenniumgrand/status/1409761820592599041?s=20
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://twitter.com/castlecraver/status/1409576187438014465?s=20
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-42404825
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04NXGb1pA6g
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44518595
[14] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KZpBHri3_s
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/16/spacex_viasat_legal_dispute/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/02/sec_to_tesla_were_not/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/24/tesla_software_norway/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2020/01/31/elon_dont_doubt_ur_vibe/
[19] https://twitter.com/Rinvi11/status/1409613645550604292?s=20
[20] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tMEktjZ44k0/UJm1V_BGEdI/AAAAAAAAfBg/JbfTGpmPl9w/s1600/Ronald-Reagan_young.jpg
[21] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OWHjPj5_Eg
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YNyVIwcjyQpl5GMd5MrXqgAAAFY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://www.ebay.com/itm/393415810826
[24] https://twitter.com/public/status/1409531199035428867?s=20
[25] https://twitter.com/no_goblins/status/1410133707961159683?s=20
[26] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Good to know
Potemkine!
At least we know that "public.com" likes to lick balls.
Genuine question
My-Handle
Do you have to ask someone before you can make a statue in their likeness and then sell it?
Additional question: is the above question valid if the likeness in question is questionable?
Re: Genuine question
Natalie Gritpants Jr
Obviously it's satire and so is protected as free speech.
Pascal Monett
Not sure that that argument applies : money is being made off of it.
Kind of generic
disgruntled yank
It looks a little like Bruce Willis, or maybe a little like Benjamin Bradlee, for many years the executive editor of The Washington Post.
It's deffo a winner on Twitter
ST
[1]https://twitter.com/public/status/1409531203817029634
[1] https://twitter.com/public/status/1409531203817029634
Another Slaver gets a Statue
adam 40
Well, at least NY is keeping with tradition.
The High Line
Martin-R
Skip the statue, but do visit the High Line if you get a chance - it's a 1.5 mile stretch of disused, elevated railway converted into a public park. Great place for a stroll on a warm evening!
I don't know about 14" miniatures of Elon but a playmobil version would allow El Reg to have some fun.