The left worries that if it loses the power to censor Twitter it will lose more elections
The left continues to be worried about the possible return of the political right to Twitter sans censorship, as a result of Musk’s probable acquisition of the platform. This obviously constitutes an admission that the left believes such censorship has been vital and perhaps even necessary to its success.
“Be afraid, be actually afraid.” Those words from former Politico Magazine editor Garrett M. Graff captures the hyperventilation in the media this week. No it is not Vladimir Putin’s threat of unleashing a nuclear war or the word that our national debt has reached a staggering $31 trillion. No, it is the news that Elon Musk may go forward with the purchase of Twitter and . . . [trigger warning] . . . free speech protections might be restored on the platform. The pearl-clutching of various media and academic figures shows how engrained the censorship culture has become in the United States.
After Musk indicated that he was going forward, the Twitter stock quickly soared. The news that Musk might bring an end to Twitter’s extensive censorship system had previously drawn people back to the platform. However, the media is in full panic mode that the control over speech could be loosened with Musk. Twitter employees also previously panicked at the thought that they might lose some of their control over the speech of others.
NBC News reporter Ben Collins quickly raised the most immediate concern that the sudden ability to speak freely on Twitter could impact the midterm elections: “For those of you asking: Yes, I do think this site can and will change pretty dramatically if Musk gets full control over it. No, there is no immediate replacement. If it gets done early enough, based on the people he’s aligned with, yes, it could actually affect midterms.”
There is no question that in 2020 social media censorship “affected” the election and gave a large advantage to Democrats and the left (the two are quite redundant, I know). Not only that, but the left’s rhetoric fully justifies such a process by saying that it is merely the censoring of “disinformation.” Yeah, right – like Hunter Biden’s laptop, which was the opposite of “disinformation.”
The claim of “disinformation” has become an Orwellian tool of the left.
The same for the word “democracy,” which the left is always saying that it promotes and that the right blocks. The left actually believes that the left is the rightful party and anything that attempts to keep it out of power is by definition anti-democratic. That’s why the people shouldn’t be allowed access to information that contradicts the leftist narrative, and why the left is correct to block such messages in the name of coaxing the reluctant and/or stupid masses into the proper form of democracy: that which places the left in charge.
It’s also why someone such as Turley, who is not on the right but who leans libertarian, breaks away from the Democrat line because of his overriding commitment to free expression and the open marketplace of ideas. As I’ve said before, and as many others have said as well, the left is only for non-censorship when it’s not the group in power. Once it succeeds in getting into power it is all for blocking free expression of the ideas of its opponents.
Proves they ruled over the 2020 election if they can’t rule over mid terms or 2024 without it
It certainly seems like Musk is having a great time jerking the Left’s chain with his off again on again deal to buy Twitter.
His actions may have even alerted–one of his main purposes?–a lot more people to Twitter’s actions and to their fake bot accounts.
This whole Twitter mess is a great demonstration of how 21st century human beings are no more sophisticated and rational than their ancestors. Why have conservatives remained on Twitter even as it censored and silenced them? Why are liberals afraid to leave Twitter if it is no longer under their control?
Nobody’s making money on Twitter and the only place it has any real influence is among people who are on Twitter. Why do people care so much about it?
It’s because Twitter is not just a platform. It’s a community where these people have invested too much of their lives and egos. It’s not really a community in any real sense of the word but it’s the closest many of these people have to it.
Mike
I’ve been somewhat surprised to find how many smart & thoughtful people do most of their posting on Twitter…even though many of them have their own blogs or websites. For example: Paul Graham, venture capitalist and very interesting essayist. Claire Lehmann, founder & publisher of Quillette. Wretchard the Cat, blogger extraordinaire. Lots more.
In addition to the censorship, the site structure is just…weird..for anyone writing things of any length. People regularly break up what they have to say into a string of 5 or more tweets.
Extra!
John Podhoretz has (finally) woken up….
“Biden’s War on Democracy”—
https://www.commentary.org/articles/john-podhoretz/joe-biden-war-on-democracy/
And we know where this one’s going…
“The American Dream Defamed”—
https://www.commentary.org/articles/matthew-continetti/american-dream-defamed/
Well, better late than never, I guess…
“I’ve been somewhat surprised to find how many smart & thoughtful people do most of their posting on Twitter“
Twitter and TikTok are the same. People get addicted to that sweet, sweet dopamine hit from very little effort.
Mike
These intellectual cheaters should feel afraid. Their socialist side will lose elections if they are not propped up. By the way new poll on Telemundo has “Hispanics” now overwhelmingly supporting the GOP. Off the plantation! The irony is delicious.
Another conceit of a lazy mind; people in the olden days were just not as smart or discerning as we moderns. Its a good thing that we can so easily see their folly, stupidity, and ignorance.
“The left worries that if it loses the power to censor Twitter it will lose more elections”
As they damn well should. Those who dwell in darkness ever hate the light.
“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, “This you may not read, this you must not know” the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives.”
Something about Eve and an apple comes to mind.
We keep thinking the Left is expressing concern about “Our Democracy”.
They’re only-ever just talking about “Our Democrats, -see?”
A world of difference there.
^ Hah! A_Nonny-Mouse, you nailed it!
The left are vile fascists; I think most people here know that.
@ David Foster > “People regularly break up what they have to say into a string of 5 or more tweets.”
Or longer, and it’s absurd and tiring trying to read them. It’s also why someone created ThreadReader to unroll & stack them back together into an intelligible essay.
As here –
https://threadreaderapp.com/user/Doc_0
As if we needed more examples, here is proof that the ignorance of the general public (especially on the left) is almost insurmountable.
From the comments on Turley’s post:
I have never joined Twitter and have no intention to do so. I do look at a few posts when linked by others. The “Social Media” has made the last two generations less capable and possibly less intelligent.
A book that explains it.
When the United States government, Congress mainly, but I’ll wager the Executive too, demands private companies to censor and they do, then that should mean these private companies are now agents of our government and should be subject to the Constitution.
Even more troubling is Musk’s declaring social media akin to a public square. I think that’s apt. Can a city constitutionally shut speech it doesn’t like? Constitutionality no, but it’s been done.
We are experiencing authoritarianism. It’s from the left and Democrats almost exclusively today. We, the US, have a long history of authoritarianism darn near close to after our birth, think Alien and Seditious Acts, McCarthy hearings, the political minders telling what can or cannot be said or portray in film and television. Some of that was from the right, but as Al Gore’s wife, Tipper, demonstrated, a lot of Democrats did it too.
Oh, someone above stated something about Eve meaning Adam and Eve and implying that mankind is doomed.
Well, Eve was made from Adam’s rib. That inherently means they are related. No human was on Earth till them two. Their progeny Cain and Able were boys. Cain killed Able.
No other human exists at that time, but we all now do.
Hmmm …. I get it, original sin and then “Am I my brother’s keeper?” from Cain because he sinned against God.
Still, no other humans existed except for them.
The only reason I bring that up is what is happening now cannot be explained away by Adam and Eve.
In other words, we can never live up to perfection because of Eve and even if we can get past that we are all related making us all sinful again. Then why bother since we are doomed coming and going?
}}} The left actually believes that the left is the rightful party and anything that attempts to keep it out of power is by definition anti-democratic.
What is truly hilarious is that the DNC admits it is not a democracy.
They are under no obligation to follow the dictates of their constituency.
https://ivn.us/posts/dnc-to-court-we-are-a-private-corporation-with-no-obligation-to-follow-our-rules
This happened following/as part of the lawsuit when they ignored the votes of those supporting Sanders in favor of Hillary.
They don’t have to run the candidate elected in the primaries, they can run whomever they want to, and screw the voters if they don’t like it… what, are they gonna vote for the Republican?
They aren’t that smart.
}}} In addition to the censorship, the site structure is just…weird..for anyone writing things of any length. People regularly break up what they have to say into a string of 5 or more tweets.
LOLZ. I just shot down some jackwad on FB who said he does “not bother to read anything more than 5 lines long” — told him to go back to freaking Twitter, where people like him, whose entire sensibility fit onto a bumper sticker, belonged.
}}} When the United States government, Congress mainly, but I’ll wager the Executive too, demands private companies to censor and they do, then that should mean these private companies are now agents of our government and should be subject to the Constitution.
Actually, this is the position of the current jurisprudence, and there are, in fact, lawsuits about this kind of thing going on right now. As usual, the process is glacially slow, and the damage the charlatans can inflict in the meantime is severe.