At the root of most political crimes are bad ideas. And at the root of the #TwitterGate was the notion, widely spread by the political class and the media, that “disinformation”, essentially propaganda, posed a critical threat to our society and had to be urgently restricted.
The ‘inciting incident’ for this argument was Trump’s victory in 2016. The more the media blew him into a threat to mankind, the stronger the argument became for urgently regulating speech. With the combination of Russiagate and garden variety demonization, the goal of making speech into a threat was achieved.
Everything that followed was corruptly inevitable.
The idea that unregulated speech was “disinformation” or “misinformation” and that no society could survive free speech was widely dispersed among the educated classes. It was eventually taken on faith.
I have frequently said in the past that the ability to define the problem is also the ability to define the solution. It’s one of those things that the Left does really well. It invents a crisis, homelessness, global warming, racism, speech, gives it a political name and then hammers home the idea that this is a problem that only they can urgently solve. And it pulls off the same trick over and over again.
The invention of disinformation was a particularly daring trick because it reclassified a universally agreed on right and virtue, speech, as a threat by changing its name.
TwitterGate just shows how this particular meme played out within the confines of one organization in its interactions with government officials and activists. But that’s a microcosm of what was taking place across the tech industry and much of the corporate world, governments and institutions.
The invention of disinformation meant that everyone was now expected to grapple with a new crisis. They did so by imposing restrictions on speech where they were able to, conducting political propaganda in offices and funding leftist groups.
TwitterGate exposes some of these abuses, but much of the audience that needs to hear it is guilty of the same thing.
Freedom of speech we, in the west, consider a human right, but this shows that the U.N. does not consider it a right, they have manipulated the term:
“The Covenant deals with such rights as freedom of movement; equality before the law; the right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of opinion and expression; peaceful assembly; freedom of association; participation in public affairs and elections; and protection of minority rights. It prohibits arbitrary deprivation of life; torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment; slavery and forced labour; arbitrary arrest or detention; arbitrary interference with privacy; war propaganda; discrimination; and advocacy of racial or religious hatred.”
They have used and abused the alleged pandemic to implement their agenda.
Next up, agenda 2030 and population reduction, they don’t mean African or muslim population reduction.
“at the root was the notion that disinformation posed a critical threat to our society”
Excellent point. What struck me is that 95% or more of information in public discourse is disinformation (like someone said, Democracy always chooses the right path, after trying every other possible path 🙂
‘Marxist’s voting activity turned out to be a great cheat.’
f’d up 2016, 2020 correction, 2022 proves new normal is holding.
meanwhile pushing and shoving continues
there was no voter fraud because didn’t find any because didn’t investigate any because there was no voter fraud because…
ignore, stop, checks and balances enough to hold power equals crimes – another reset by whoever has the control etc.
WW3? or is it already begun – secretly, with the COVID-19 clot shot crap…or earlier…9/11? earlier?
Proverbs 21:20
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up.
Twitter is a private company. Regulating speech on a social media platform owned by a private company is not a violation of freedom of speech. It isn’t. You know it too.
It baffles me that a writer who regularly peddles misinformation – about elections, about COVID, about climate change, about his political opponents – is complaining that somehow we live in a totalitarian state that doesn’t allow free speech.
Rest assured, oh you racists, you incels, you homophobes, you fundamentalists, that you will continue to be allowed to spew your bile and your lies under the protection of the First Amendment. And that’s a good thing.
On Twitter? Maybe, maybe not. If not, you will continue to whine. So it goes.
Under the present arrangement, every asshole gets to mouth off.
“Regulating speech on a social media platform owned by a private company is not a violation of freedom of speech.”
It is when the regulating is done in partnership with the government.
Have a nice free speech day
Let’s say that your #Twittergate conspiracy theory is correct. It’s still a private company. It is still not a violation of the First Amendment.
And you are still whining that individuals are not able to spread misinformation, when you actually make a living from spreading lies.
It certainly is if Twitter is actively collaborating with government to suppress speech government doesn’t like.
The 1A says that government can’t abridge your speech. That means that government ALSO can’t force, coerce, or canoodle with a private company to abridge your speech.
If that isn’t sufficiently, you are either a troll or are willfully foolish.
LOL Twitter has Terms of Service. If you violate it you get banned. It’s as simple as that. I thought the right was about law and order?
Twitter is a private company. It doesn’t owe you anything. If you don’t like it use another platform.
Is that your fallback, lol? Then why did they lie about it? Why did they secretly collude with democrat buraucrats and NGOs to do it? Why do they claim to be a social media platform and not a publisher? Dems always want to have their cake and eat it too.
Twitter is exempt from libel lawsuits because it claims to be an open source format. In reality, it is a publisher. that choose what to make public. Thus, it should be liable to defamation cases if it refuses to have an open source format.
I think I have the flu and the following ramblings may be just that so please bear with me.
Normally businesses don’t do things without the bottom line in mind. What the Four Horsemen (+) of the Twitterverse did (to varying degrees) seemed to be personal rather than a business move. Then suppose Musk somehow got wind of it, or reasoned it, then.
Mr. Elon could have pulled off something brilliant. If the things we are learning now about Twitter had come out w/o the Musk buyout, Twitter stock could have likely taken a swim in the old toilet.
But with Musk’s purchase of Twitter and now releasing the same information, it’s having the opposite effect.
Also, could it be that the timed weekend releases of information is sort of like a weekly booster shot?
Or maybe I’ve just having hallucinations.
The booster shots are probably the cause of your hallucination, get well soon, oranges and sunflower seeds will help without paying big pharmaceutical companies a dime.
Thanx Mo. Not flu, my daughter came by and tested. Yup! Covid me and wife. Oh Well we’re hanging on.