EGO OVERLOAD

Elon Musk says 'aneuro-typical' people should be in charge of the world, but Eleanor Mills argues in an age of soft power and empathy, high-status males are the least capable leaders

- Eleanor Mills

Surprise, surprise. Elon Musk, the self-proclaimed ultimate alpha and sometimes the world's richest man (I'm sure he can't stand it when his stock price dips and he isn't, poor thing) has declared that "only high-status men" and "alpha divergent" or "aneuro-typical" people should be in charge of the world.

I’m sure there are better-qualified people than myself to discuss the point he (albeit clumsily) makes about those with neurodivergent thinking. However, as for his belief that highstatus men should be in charge of the world, well, having been surrounded by them keeping the seats of power warm from the boardroom and beyond, for most of my life, I am definitely qualified to pass judgement on that.

Let’s count the ways that having men with huge egos, who think only about themselves, in charge has been such a boon for the last millennia: the military-industrial complex, endless wars, patriarchy, the Catholic Church, colonialism, and slavery. Yes, all those movements that have gone down in history for making our planet such a – ahem – wonderful place to live.

When we look at the list of what happens when high-status men have their way, it makes you question whether high-status males should be in charge of anything at all. What with their special skills of being myopic, self-obsessed, possessing a win-at-any=price mindset and everything.

With their unique talent of refusing to listen to anyone who challenges their worldview, aren’t they the people least capable of leading the rest of us to a better and brighter future?

In Musk’s world, most women and men whom he sees as “low T” (I think that means low-testosterone men, ie, ones that aren’t complete asshats) are too subject to “groupthink”. According to him, their physical “weakness” and desire to stay safe muddy their judgement. For these reasons, he believes, they should be kept out of positions of power.