I’m not sure “austerity theatre” is the best way to understand Musk’s dismantling of the US federal government. Like “security theatre,” it assumes that Musk’s goals are as stated but that his actions are simply for show, no matter how destructive they are in practice. It assumes a continuity with past practices, goals and customs that just isn’t there. As obviously destructive as Musk has already been, austerity theatre actually understates the scale of this catastrophe. (Also, Musk apparently…