Elon Musk Urges Boost in Italian Population as Key Guest at PM's Political Conference
Elon Musk, the renowned entrepreneur, attended Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's political conference as a star guest The annual event, hosted by the Brothers of Italy party, witnessed Musk's insightful thoughts on various subjects
Elon Musk made a stellar appearance as a guest at this year's annual conference hosted by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party. Against the picturesque backdrop of an ice-skating rink and an ancient castle in Rome, Musk arrived with one of his 11 children to highlight the importance of procreation.
Italy boasts one of the world's lowest birth rates. During his address, Musk encouraged the audience to increase the Italian population in order to preserve the country's culture, a priority of the Meloni administration. Despite Musk's recent children being born through surrogacy, a practice criminalized in Italy, Meloni has been a staunch advocate against surrogacy.
The owner of X (previously known as Twitter) appeared slightly disheveled, wearing what could be considered the least stylish shoes in a crowd mostly filled with Italian fashion, reminiscent of Donald Trump's former top adviser Steve Bannon at a conference in 2018.
The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also welcomed on stage by Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, during the Atreju political meeting arranged by the young activists of the Italian right wing party Brothers of Italy.
(Source: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images)
Meloni, who personally invited Musk, sat in the front row capturing photos of him. She established the Atreju conference in 1998, inspired by a character from the 1984 film "The NeverEnding Story."
With a deep love for fantasy, Meloni has expressed her admiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." In her youth, she participated in Hobbit Camps organized by the post-Fascist Movimento Sociale Italiano for young right-wing politicians, demonstrating her passion for the genre.
"The Lord of the Rings" is frequently regarded as a cornerstone of Italy's post-Fascist far-right political parties.
"I believe that Tolkien articulates conservative principles better than we could," Meloni expressed to The New York Times. "I don't view The Lord of the Rings as mere fantasy," she added.
Other past speakers have included Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orban, and this year's lineup featured Santiago Abascal of the Spanish populist party Vox and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In addition, Elon Musk was interviewed by an Italian journalist on Saturday morning.
The gathering took place at Castel Sant'Angelo, a structure linked to Vatican City by a towering wall. Erected in 135 A.D., it originally served as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian before being repurposed as a fortress by the papal state.
The Castel Sant'Angelo, founded in 135 A.D. as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian, was later repurposed as a fortress by the papal state. Linked to Vatican City by a high wall and walkway, it was used by popes as an escape route during attacks on the Vatican. Marie-Laure Messana/AFP/Getty Images
Woke mind virus
The site has been transformed into a public museum, while the adjacent square is currently undergoing a renovation. This has resulted in the entire area resembling more of a construction zone rather than a political event, with portable toilets and cranes visible through the fence.
Musk emphasized the spread of the "woke mind virus" in the US and its potential impact on Italy, describing it as "evil." He also noted that Italy's low birth rate makes it challenging for international companies to invest in the country.
He also discussed the concept of being a "multi-planet species" in the future and emphasized the positive impact of legal immigration, particularly if the immigrants are hardworking and can contribute to society. Irregular immigration remains a major political concern in Italy, with over 153,000 individuals arriving by sea this year.
"If its illegal immigration and there is no filter, how do you know who is coming in?" he asked to wild applause from the crowd.
The planet Mars
NASA
Elon Musk is still determined to colonize Mars, despite the immense dangers and exorbitant costs. When confronted about his controversial comments towards advertisers who left X, he evaded the question but did express his concerns about Disney's current direction, referring to it as the "woke mind virus" and pondering what Walt Disney would think of the company today.
Musk has also stated that artificial intelligence represents the "greatest inflection point since homo sapiens," and has gone as far as suggesting that "artificial intelligence will essentially be a new form of life." In addition, he has highlighted the potential threats to humanity and expressed his support for certain regulatory measures to control AI.
The birth rate is a concern, as well as the threat of nuclear war. Additionally, AI poses an existential risk, so we must proceed with caution. While AI offers great potential, it is also a potential danger. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for when it comes to the magic genie.
