Teacher Draws Outrage For Bashing Elon Musk’s Twitter Buyout To Class

A teacher is under fire for allegedly indoctrinating students with anti-capitalism propaganda regarding Elon Musk and the Twitter buyout.

By Erika Hanson | Published

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk remains in the spotlight, as he tends to do, after his monumental Twitter buyout that became official yesterday, April 25. And as with almost everything in America these days, America is split over the Tesla billionaire’s massive purchase. Even a teacher found himself in the crosshairs of the social media debate, as he publicly shared on Twitter his decision to discuss not only the buyout with his students but why it was an immoral move.

The teacher under fire is Enrique Sanchez. Sanchez is a teacher at the Central High School in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also running for the position of State Representative of District 9 in a mission to repeal tax cuts for the rich, something he has subjectively detailed in his Twitter post dictated by the wealthiest man in the world. Like millions of other Twitter users yesterday, Sanchez shared a Tweet after learning about Elon Musk buying Twitter. Obviously unhappy with it, Sanchez tweeted that he not only discussed the matter with this all of his classes yesterday but also told them how it was the “worse thing that could have happened.”

What really sets the teacher’s Tweet apart from others is the fact that it was retweeted by a popular conservative account. Libs of TikTok picked up the story and shredded Sanchez apart for his words. Calling out the teacher for using ‘anti-capitalist propaganda’, the recently doxxed women behind the viral account called out Sanchez, asking him if he also spoke to his class about billionaires other than Elon Musk who also own social media platforms. 

The most recent escapade involving Elon Musk and Twitter seemed to begin not so long ago, at the beginning of March. Back then, the 50-year-old billionaire bought 9% of the social media company. In the weeks that followed, speculators believed that his plan was to join Twitter’s board of directors. But on April 14th, Musk, in his usual egregious manner, publicly Tweeted an offer to the company to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, and reports suggested that the board was considering his offer. Yesterday, April 25th, the deal was consummated, and Musk officially became the owner of one of the world’s largest social media platforms. 

When Sanchez shared his disdain for Elon Musks’ buyout with his students, it was likely in sentiment with other liberal activists that fear Elon Musk’s actions are leading down a slippery slope. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a long-standing proponent in a fight to further tax the elite, shared her criticism of the purchase, saying it would further hurt Democracy in the United States. Warren and Musk have previously engaged in plenty of Twitter spats, spanning back to 2018 when Warren revealed that Musk paid no federal income taxes in 2018.

With as many attacks against the business mogul on social media, there are just as many proponents defending Elon Musk and his big purchase. Many conservatives are hailing the buyout as a big win for free speech. In the buyout, the Tesla CEO announced he would take the company private. In doing so, he also has announced he will bring transparency to how the platform operates, relaxing moderation protocols and promoting free speech rights. 

While everyone has their right to an opinion on the Elon Musk Twitter controversy, the case of the Rhode Island teacher sharing that he told his students it was a wrong move sheds light on a growing concern many parents have with public education. Increasingly, teachers are being singled out for what’s being called controversial ideals they might suggest to students in class. Claiming indoctrination, parents and outraged community members are coming out in droves to show contempt for teachers that they believe are doing so. And with social media platforms making it easier than ever to dig out controversial messages, the question on many’s minds is whether or not this is a new problem, or if the internet has simply exasperated the issue.