[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Tesla CEO and a White House senior advisor exchanged unexpected 'red pill' tweets, sparking heated discussions on the internet.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, posted on his Twitter on the 17th (local time) the phrase "Take the red pill." This tweet gained more attention when Ivanka Trump, White House senior advisor and daughter of President Donald Trump, replied with "Taken."
The 'red pill' mentioned by Musk CEO is part of a famous line from the movie The Matrix. Taking the blue pill means living a blissful life, but taking the red pill means confronting uncomfortable truths.
However, the American online media Business Insider explained that the red pill in his tweet "is commonly used on the internet to politically awaken the right wing" and "is often used to represent topics like President Trump."
Because of this, his tweet led to interpretations that he might have switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. Given the recent conflict with the Democratic-leaning state government over the reopening of Tesla's California factory, this interpretation has considerable plausibility.
Business Insider noted, "Last year, Musk tweeted support for Andrew Yang, a Democratic presidential candidate," and evaluated, "This tweet appears to be a signal of joining the conservative camp." Ivanka Trump's reply also added credibility to this claim.
However, on the internet, there were also strong reactions interpreting the tweet as advocating for men's rights. 'Red pill' is the title of an American documentary film that positively introduces the men's rights movement and is used to support men's rights. Previously, Ivanka Trump faced criticism multiple times for advocating women's rights despite her father, President Trump's, history of discriminatory remarks against women.
Lilly Wachowski, the Matrix director who became a woman through gender reassignment surgery, also joined the controversy. On the same day, she targeted Musk and Ivanka with a tweet saying "Both of you get lost," expressing discomfort over the political use of the Matrix line.
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