I actually just started part 1 today and haven’t made it to part 2 yet, but it is definitely worth listening to. (The entire podcast is worth checking out actually. The J.D. Vance episode especially).

I knew Musk didn’t have the best childhood, but after listening to this, I honestly cannot help feeling empathy for his childhood self.

To clarify, that is in no way an excuse for anything he’s done as an adult. It’s an explanation for why he’s the way he is, not excuse. When you have cPTSD, you get this weird ability to recognize the effects of trauma in other people.

Experiencing trauma is in no way the fault of the victim, but the cycle of violence and trauma will repeat over and over through generations until someone decides it will end with them, and seeks help. Elon Musk instead recently bragged that his tombstone will read “Never went to therapy.”

There is no way Elon Musk could have survived the childhood he did without developing cPTSD. It’s also clear from the statements of his former partners and himself about having a high tolerance for pain and chaos. Those aren’t quirky Elon traits. Those are signs of trauma related dissociation that emerge as coping skills following repeated traumatic experiences.

I don’t say that to mock him for his trauma. I say that because those are also traits I recognize in myself and others with cPTSD. It’s a sign you survived something you shouldn’t have had to go through, and while it may help you thrive in chaos, it’s not fair to put others through trauma because it feels comfortable and familiar to you. Repeatedly seeking out chaos and finding ways to reenact your trauma either consciously or subconsciously, is again, not a quirky Elon specific trait. It is a shared trait of many trauma survivors, and one of easiest ways the cycle of abuse gets passed on to others, especially from someone in a position of power.