When we shopped for an EV two years ago, we had our heart set on a Chevrolet Bolt EUV. As due diligence, we wanted to give Tesla a try. We had seen plenty of them around our neighborhood. It became a default for EVs, the same way iPhones are for smartphones. So, we test-drove a Model 3, which was the Tesla in our price range.

We were not impressed.

One-pedal driving was hard to get used to, and there was no obvious way to turn it off. Everything was controlled by the central touchscreen, even the vents. This required us to take our eyes off the road frequently, which is incredibly unsafe. We weren’t happy that basic things cost extra, including the charger and even a front license plate mount. Most important of all, the car seemed cheaply made. I saw YouTube videos of owners complaining about fit and finish. Mechanics warned us of problems even after a short period of ownership. We were happy the Bolt EUV we wanted arrived at the dealership, and we made our purchase. We’ve enjoyed that car ever since.

We didn’t realize then we dodged a bullet.

Humans have always used possessions as reflections of their personality. This includes cars, especially in California. People bought Teslas to show they want to do their part for their environment. Yes, there are issues with extracting raw materials and generating electricity. But Tesla owners believed they’re doing a net good for the world. So what are these same owners supposed to do when Tesla’s CEO makes his little salute, raids and guts federal departments, creates a truck that has become a symbol of excess and ugliness, and has become a driver of racism and dictatorship in our country and around the world?

It’s the same question as “can you separate the art from the artist?” In some cases, you can. But in Tesla’s case, you can’t.

I know people who still love the Harry Potter franchise despite all the awful things JK Rowling continues to say. But what if JK Rowling wasn’t just posting transphobic garbage on Twitter (which I refuse to call X)? What if she were the British Prime Minister trying to pass legislation to commit a genocide against trans people? Would you still go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and buy some butterbeer and a chocolate frog?

My family bought GM cars partly in response to Henry Ford’s antisemitism. By the time Mom bought me a Ford Mustang II in high school, Henry Ford had long since gone, and Ford was just another car manufacturer. Same with Volkswagen. The guy who started it died in a bunker in 1945. The Ford Mustang Mach-E and VW ID.4 would have been pricier, but acceptable options if the Bolt EUV didn’t work out for us.

But the CEO of Tesla is actively causing harm to millions of people. The destruction he’s done in just two months can take a generation or more to repair. And how many people will die because they lose Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security? Furthermore, Tesla stock is funding his mad power grab. The only way to stop him may be to drive down the price of Tesla stock so low he either has to back off from his attacks against the government or abandon the company. Even then, the damage to Tesla’s reputation may be too great for them to recover. How can you claim to save the earth when you destroy whole groups of people?

I don’t know what we’d do if we had bought the Model 3 two years ago. We might trade it in. (Ford and Rivian are offering deals to Tesla owners right now.) I know there are Tesla owners who are stuck in leases and car loans. Some are replacing the badges with those of other car makers or putting on bumper stickers that say, “I bought it before Elon went crazy.” But people who would be inclined to buy an EV to do a net positive for the world won’t buy a Tesla. Despite the infomercial on the White House lawn, “drill, baby, drill” right-wingers wouldn’t consider one either.

Tesla deserves all the scorn it’s getting right now. It especially deserves scorn for doing the worst thing a business can do: alienate your customers. And as a company that depends on carbon credits and federal tax incentives to boost revenue, gutting the government is like killing the goose to try to get the golden eggs. Tesla and its CEO will wind up joining the USFL, Atlantic City casinos, and everyone else who bet on the orange-faced bloviating huckster and lost.