Elon Musk got everyone’s hopes up when he bought 9.2% of Twitter, making him the largest shareholder inofthe social media giant. Musk is a free speech advocate, and Twitter is notorious for restricting the speech of those who stray too far from the Left’s list of acceptable opinions. Most notoriously, Donald Trump was banned after the spurious Jan. 6 “insurrection,” even while he was still president of the United States, in order to shore up the Left’s fictional narrative about what really happened on that day. But Trump is far from alone; innumerable voices of those who dissent from the Left’s agenda, including Milo Yiannopoulos, Tommy Robinson, Steve Bannon, Laura Loomer, Roger Stone, Gen. Michael Flynn, James O’Keefe, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and PJM’s own Matt Margolis, who was banned for pointing out that men who believe they’re women have a mental disorder, have felt the Twitter axe. And despite Musk’s presence, that is unlikely to change.
Musk had given a significantly different impression. He tweeted a poll on March 25 that read, “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?” He added, “The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.” Out of 2,035,924 votes, 70.4% voted no. Musk followed up with more questions: “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?”; and “Is a new platform needed?” By then, he had already bought his shares of Twitter, although the news hadn’t yet been made public.
Many were hopeful for change. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tweeted on Monday, “Now that @ElonMusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, it’s time to lift the political censorship. Oh… and BRING BACK TRUMP!” Monica Crowley, Trump’s Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, added, “Now that @elonmusk is Twitter’s largest shareholder, he should demand the end of political censorship, company-wide reform, and the reinstatement of President Trump.”
But Twitter is not exactly ready to become a bastion of free expression. Responding to the buzz around Musk’s acquisition and addition to the board, Twitter announced Tuesday that Trump and the others wouldn’t be invited back. The Twitter board, the company explained, “plays an important advisory and feedback role,” but the real decision-making was still firmly in the hands of fascists, and so nothing was going to change: “Our policy decisions are not determined by the board or shareholders, and we have no plans to reverse any policy decisions.”
Related: Elon Musk’s New Stake in Twitter Makes Things Fun Again
This was a shot across the bow to Musk. On the same day, however, Twitter top dog Parag Agrawal tweeted, “I’m excited to share that we’re appointing @elonmusk to our board! Through conversations with Elon in recent weeks, it became clear to us that he would bring great value to our Board. He’s both a passionate believer and intense critic of the service which is exactly what we need on @Twitter, and in the boardroom, to make us stronger in the long-term. Welcome Elon!” So maybe Musk will have some influence after all, at least with Agrawal.
Will Twitter end up listening to Elon Musk and become more hospitable to viewpoints that aren’t favored among the political and media elites? That remains unclear, as does the question of whether Trump would even return to Twitter if he were invited to do so. After all, he has his own social media outlet now, Truth Social, although that may turn out to be a damp squib, as the platform’s waiting list is still massive, Trump isn’t even using it (yet?), and two key executives have just quit the fledgling company.
Whatever the outcome may be of the Musk/Twitter fascists power struggle, there is absolutely no doubt that the hegemony of the social media giants must be broken. They exercise more control over the public square today than the Soviet Union or any other totalitarian state ever did in its heyday. They’re not government entities, but they work hand-in-glove with Leftist elites to enforce the Left’s agenda, as if all the Left’s delusions and fantasies were crystal-clear fact that only purveyors of “misinformation” and “insurrectionists” could possibly oppose. If Musk can’t open up Twitter, then the answer to his next question, “Is a new platform needed?” is a resounding yes. If one doesn’t arise, nothing less than the functional end of America as a free society could be on the horizon.
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