2025 has been a year of political turbulence for the US. We've seen the return of Trump and Elon Musk to power, reshaping institutions fast.

Most Bay Area residents aren't a fan. So much so that anti-Musk Tesla memes have started popping up everywhere — especially as bumper stickers. Something to the tune of "I bought this before Musk went crazy."

Let's pause here. What role and purpose does that sticker serve?

It's a protest against the mad king billionaires. It's a statement to let the world know we've had enough of this, and it has to stop.

Here's my hot take: No, actually, it's not. Calling this a protest is generous at best, but realistically hyperbolic and passive. It smells more like virtue-signaling, a means of broadcasting your moral standing to like-minded peers. "I own a Tesla, but I'm not a bad person, ok!?"

I get it: part of a protest is claiming our views and letting them be known. If enough of us speak up, we shift the tide of public sentiment. Every bit counts, however little.

Look, I don't care if you own a Tesla. I don't care if you like or dislike Musk. But if you're gonna make a public protest against him, and if you have enough means to own a vehicle between $40–120k, do you think a bumper sticker is enough?

We need skin in the game if we want our protests to mean something. If you really dislike Musk and what he stands for, consider a more powerful statement. Sell your Tesla. Take the 10–20k loss and put your money elsewhere.

Maybe you can’t afford to sell your car — fair enough. But we don't need to pretend the sticker makes us revolutionaries.

Talk is cheap, and a sticker doesn't cut it. If you're going to take a stand, don't be lukewarm about it.

Sell the vehicle. Your sticker cheapens the real protest.