After his caricature generated a huge social media controversy, the author of the political cartoon Elon Musk used to depict his current political views is hoping to cash in.
Colin Wright, a contributing editor for Quillette, an online culture commentary site, is selling the cartoon as an NFT on the OpenSea digital marketplace and has launched bidding.
There were at least two active bids on the drawing’s auction page, called “my political journal.” The highest bid for 1.25 ether, a popular cryptocurrency token, is almost $3,600.
“The auction for @elonmusk’s #NFT of my political cartoon (230K retweets, 1.3M likes) is currently at 1.25 $ETH!” There are 13 days left to bid, so don’t miss your chance to own a bit of internet history!” On Friday afternoon, Wright tweeted an update.
The auction for the #NFT of my political cartoon that @elonmusk shared (230K retweets, 1.3M likes) is currently at 1.25 $ETH! There are 13 days left to bid, so don't miss your chance to own a bit of internet history!$BTC $ADA $SOL #DOGE #cryptocurrency https://t.co/zjAFH73er0
— Colin Wright (@SwipeWright) April 29, 2022
When Musk tweeted out Wright’s cartoon on Thursday, it generated quite a commotion. It displays a stick figure who was slightly left of center on the political spectrum in 2008, only to become a right-leaning conservative in 2021 as a figure labeled “awake progressive” moved further left in the intervening years.
Musk, who is in the process of buying Twitter for $44 billion, later clarified his political views, stating that he was a strong admirer of former Democratic President Barack Obama. He claims, however, that the Democratic Party has been “hijacked by extremists.”
“The far left hates everyone, themselves included!” Musk sent out a tweet on Friday morning. “But I’m no fan of the far-right either,” Musk added minutes later. Let’s have less hate and more love.”
Wright’s attempt to monetize the animation isn’t limited to the NFT sale. He also placed an Etsy listing for a mug displaying the political doodle in a post praising Musk for his post.
Wright claimed in another tweet that he “truly [liked] the discussion it has sparked.”
Musk’s choice to share the image has infuriated left-leaning Twitter users and pundits, who have already expressed fear that his zeal for free speech may pave the way for more nasty and negative messages on the network.
The cartoon’s auction page is on OpenSea, and it’s titled “my political journal.” A mug displaying the political doodle was also listed on Etsy by Wright.
The NFT had two active bids at the time of writing. The highest bid of 1.25 Ether ETH/USD is around $3,600.
Musk revealed his political views in one of his tweets, stating that he was a strong supporter of President Barack Obama.
