The approach of the end of the year always brings a series of award shows, but not all of them come from Hollywood or even the nation’s “distinguished” newspapers and magazines. At the New Yorker, satirist Andy Borowitz has released his own award ceremony honoring the “Most Exhausting Person of 2022.” Most of us who follow the news closely could probably come up with any number of nominees, but Borowitz has settled on someone who would likely be near the top of most of our lists no matter how you feel about him. This year’s honor goes to newly minted Twitter owner Elon Musk. But I believe even Borowitz would admit that Musk’s name wouldn’t have even shown up on the list had he not purchased the social media platform last month.
Recognizing him for his “relentless contributions to the weariness of humanity,” Time has named Elon Musk the Most Exhausting Person of 2022.
In bestowing the title on Musk, Time cited the Twitter C.E.O.’s “nonstop but fruitless efforts to fill the yawning chasm of his soul by seeking the attention of indifferent strangers.”
In order to win the Most Exhausting crown, Musk bested a formidable list of contenders, including Kanye West, Kari Lake, and Senator Joe Manchin.
This was clearly a list generated by a liberal and it speaks to the rapid shift in the media’s attention to the billionaire after he was “exposed” as having some (though not many in reality) conservative viewpoints. Borowitz goes on to point out the remarkable fact that Musk beat out Donald Trump, who he identifies as having won the award every year from 2016 through 2021.
The rapid and complete demonization of Elon Musk by the mainstream media has really been something to behold. For the longest time, he was a complete darling in the eyes of most journalists, and why wouldn’t he be? He was producing electric vehicles, so he had to be a hero among the climate change alarmists. His Boring Company is trying to expand mass transit, which is another popular idea among the same people. And his adventures above the atmosphere with SpaceX fired up everyone’s imaginations.
And then everything changed when Musk suggested that the Bad Orange Man might not be so bad after all. His threat to allow conservative news items and opinions to see the light of day in the digital public square made him an even greater “threat” to humanity. Musk was a monster and a threat to The Narrative who must be stopped at all costs. Journalists who had previously been entirely mute and seemed fine with censoring politically disfavored opinions suddenly transformed into an army of outraged First Amendment champions when their own accounts were briefly suspended.
But even with all of that said, I can’t entirely disagree with Borowitz. Speaking as someone who likes most of what Musk has done but has to cover and weigh in on the headlines he generates on a nearly daily basis, even I have found myself getting a bit “exhausted” with him lately. And yet I still consider myself a fan. (The guy sold me a flamethrower a few years ago and that buys a lot of forgiveness from me.) Still, there must be some other deserving candidates out there, right?
How about Karine Jean-Pierre? Sure, she’s a source of amusement and we make fun of her inept performances here on a regular basis, but she does get tedious after a while. I might have nominated Chris Cuomo if he hadn’t almost entirely disappeared from the media landscape after CNN fired him. Hanoi Jane Fonda could have been near the top of the list also, though she’s been a bit less active in her later years. I’ll toss in a sympathy vote for Stacey Abrams as well, if only for her endless, flailing efforts to remain somewhat relevant. Feel free to leave your own nominees in the comment section.
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