One of the common themes among the hyper-political online discourse is the idea of a “red pill”, which constitutes an antidote to your current belief system.
The term was popularized after a late 1990’s movie called The Matrix used a “red pill” versus “blue pill” gag in the dystopian film’s buildup. The idea was that the protagonist would need to choose to take the “awakening” pill, or red pill, in this case, if they ever hoped to live a normal life.
Now, Republicans are using “red pill” as euphemism for escaping the constraints of liberal thought…and Elon Musk may have just taken this concept mainstream.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has emerged as a champion of defying stay-at-home orders intended to stop the coronavirus from spreading, stirred the pot with a cryptic tweet Sunday.
“Take the red pill,” the Tesla CEO wrote to his 34 million followers.
Some followers saw it as a sign that Musk was pushing for the conservative cause. Adviser to the president and first daughter Ivanka Trump later retweeted it, adding the word: “Taken!”
Musk has been erring on the side of the Republican viewpoint as of late, as his Tesla factory in California has been operating outside of the Golden State’s virus lockdown protocols.
Musk has even gone so far as to suggest that he be arrested for the continued operation, in a statement that was seen as a “dare” to California’s authorities.
