Free Speech: A threat to democracy?
Elon Musk’s resumed bid to buy Twitter has sent the media class back into panic mode
In case you missed it …
Several climate change advocacy groups, including Greenpeace, are asking social media companies to treat “misinformation” about climate change the same way they treat “hate speech” and Covid “misinformation.”
Speaking of '“misinformation,” Spotify bought a company that is supposed to detect “dangerous misinformation” and “harmful content” as part of its efforts to improve the safety of the platform.
Here’s a look at the never-ending persecution of Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who was sued over refusing to custom-make a gay wedding cake.
Dear Friends,
Free speech and fairness.
It all comes down to the principle that Elon Musk summed up in one sentence.
To most of us, this makes obvious sense. But to those who’ve happily benefitted from the platform’s clear bias against conservative speech, they’ve finally met an “equality” they don’t want.
Politico peddles that Musk could turn Twitter into a “threat to democracy”, and offers up this nightmare scenario if a certain former president gets his account unbanned:
With a few keystrokes on a phone, Trump could awaken D.C. journos, fire off an endorsement of an embattled candidate or supercharge the latest conservative meme.
One shudders at the thought.
They literally fret that a politician could actually endorse a candidate or promote a political idea, the very essence of a functioning democracy. Truly, black can be white if you censor the right people.
Politico is far from alone in its supposed fear, however. Reports are crying “misinformation,” “guardrails” (a kinder, gentler term for censorship), and literally to “be afraid, be actually afraid.”
Not to leave out sexism and racism, of course, the panic from last spring has returned, where the Washington Post warned that “Women and people of color could suffer the most.” Politico agrees, writing “Twitter could become a harmful place for many minority groups who use the platform.”
And TIME's Charlotte Alter said that Musk’s call for free speech is a white male “obsession” (sorry, ladies) and just a way for him to get more power.
As always, it’s difficult to decide whether they’re delusional or purveyors of misinformation, as they would say. What’s clear is that the media class has lived in a Twitter bubble for years, and taking away their censorship hammer will make their partisan jobs harder.
Whatever their motivation, the more they talk, the more it’s clear that America could use a fairer, more balanced Twitter.
Challenging times have this way of revealing character and we are seeing in real time how badly the left is lacking in that department. All the drama over Orange McBadman, whom the media would be lost without and whom the DNC cannot get past. The howls of protest sound like a variation of a common meme: tell me you don't like free speech without telling me you don't like free speech.