this post was submitted on 10 Apr 2025
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A 9-foot-tall statue depicting a bust of tech billionaire Elon Musk has been vandalized in South Texas.

A photograph showing two areas where it appears a top layer of material has been stripped from the statue, revealing a white or pale gray layer underneath. A tattered ribbon of the top layer material hangs raggedly from the chin of the Musk sculpture.

The vandalism of the Musk sculpture joins a pattern of vandalization of property and vehicles associated with Musk, whose appointment as a top Trump adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has drawn ire nationwide.

The Rio Grande Valley hasn’t been spared from that trend.

In February, a mural of Musk located in downtown Brownsville was defaced by graffiti that read “Deny Defend Depose,” along with an anarchy symbol that was scrawled in black spray paint over one of Musk’s cheeks.

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[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 119 points 2 days ago (15 children)
[–] athairmor@lemmy.world 88 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Holy shit. I assumed you quickly made a ridiculously bad AI approximation what his 9-foot tall bust would like. But… that’s real… even the “memelord” inscription. WTF.

[–] dmention7@lemm.ee 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I had to google that shit myself thinking you guys were both having a giggle. No fucking way...

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Lmfao is he fucking serious with that thing…? What the actual fuck?

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 66 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 15 points 1 day ago

Nathan Bedford Forrest, seeing the statue from Hell:

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I can't tell who's on more drugs the horse, Forrest, or the gun.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

Literal pea shooter

[–] SupaTuba@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Your comment really got me good. Ahahaha. Was not prepared for the gun.

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[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago

How is that real and not AI Slop?

[–] Moose@moose.best 25 points 1 day ago

He got the same sculpter as Ronaldo.

[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 33 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is this after it was vandalized?

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 days ago

No, it looks better now

Damn, that's the worst case of vandalism I've ever seen!

[–] ArtVandelay@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

It's like Ron Swanson shaved his mustache, got stung by bees, then had a stroke.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 11 points 1 day ago

New Bioshock/Idiocracy crossover just dropped

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 8 points 2 days ago

Insecurity, probably.

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[–] Nougat@fedia.io 69 points 2 days ago (2 children)

There's a long history of people pulling down authoritarian monuments.

Not in the US. Yet.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 46 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Could’ve sworn the US had started pulling down those stupid confederate monuments. Doesn’t that count?

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

we got a bunch of civil war monuments removed, we are on the way

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sanctioned removal of monuments is one thing. Angry people throwing chains over them and pulling down with trucks is another.

[–] Bahnd@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (3 children)

There was that Christopher Columbus statue in Baltimore that got the Boston tea party treatment.

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[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It was created by an Elon Musk superfan who identified himself to ARTnews as a French tech entrepreneur under the pseudonym “Louis XXII."

His other pseudonyms include Adrian Dittman and Doge Designer

[–] Botanicals@lemmy.world 40 points 2 days ago
[–] frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 36 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Why does this fuckhead have a statue? What is wrong with him?

[–] jared@mander.xyz 24 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Could you imagine the actual diagnoses.

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago

The words “Sociopathic Narcissist” would probably play into it.

Pathology: See Elon Musk

[–] Mohamed@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 days ago

And apparently a mural... which was vandalized in February

[–] lupusblackfur@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

That is one fucking ugly statue to begin with...

But then, look what the artist had to work with. 🤷‍♂️

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 20 points 2 days ago (5 children)

It's fiberglass with a coating over it. It's a fake bronze statue like those animals in the play area at amusement parks.

Hmmm, trump uses fake bronzer and elon makes a fake bronze statue. Coincidence?

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[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

Next time deface the man himself.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@midwest.social 8 points 1 day ago

You love to see it. Keep this civil disobedience up! It probably won't fix anything, but it sure as shit annoys them.

[–] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

In other words, good. Also, no one gives a shit about billionaire snowflake feelings.

[–] Punchshark@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Never let that POS have a moment of peace in his life again!

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Did he pay for a statue of himself?

[–] belathus@bookwormstory.social 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'd be impressed if that statue remains un-vandalized for long without significant security.

[–] griff@lemmings.world 8 points 2 days ago

Save government money by destroying it now

[–] Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago

It's not nationwide, it's multinational, although obviously not for the same reasons. Several countries in Europe are also protesting and vandalising Tesla and Musk-related stuff.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 days ago

There is too much left

Nazis shouldn't have statues

Billionaires should have statues

Scammers shouldn't have statues

Racists shouldn't have statues

Thieves shouldn't have statues

Assholes should not have statues

So Elmo musk shouldn't have a statue

Fuck Elmo musk

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