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Elon’s Answer To Twitter Shutting Down Free Speech

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Elon Musk is not happy with Twitter. “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy,” he tweeted. He then proceeded to poll his Twitter followers. “Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?” More than 2 million people voted on the poll with more than 70% voting no.

He then followed the post up by saying, “The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully.”

In the following reply, Elon said, “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?”

Not finished yet, he continued, “Is a new platform needed?”

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Just what solution Elon has in mind remains to be seen. Starting a new social media site is a difficult proposition because you are basically starting a ground zero. Elon’s recent Tweet asking his audience if the “Twitter algorithm should be open source” sounds as if he is seriously considering creating a new site.

While Elon has not aired the specifics of his personal grievances with Twitter, there are plenty of instances where I can agree with the poll’s findings.

On Jan. 9th, 2021, President Trump’s Twitter account was permanently suspended. Twitter had been the media of choice for President Trump to get his message out to his followers unadulterated by the alt-left media’s chronic twisting of the facts in order to warp the public’s view. Twitter effectively silenced the sitting president’s voice.

On Jan. 2, 2022, Twitter suspended the personal account of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia. The company said she violated its policies for Covid-19 misinformation.

It seems that Twitter has made itself the defender of liberal thoughts by silencing mostly conservative voices.

In history, progress was never made by silencing opposing voices. Take for instance communist Soviet Union, the Cambodian massacres, Nazi Germany, and the Catholic Church of the Dark Ages.

Instead, progress is made when ideas, theories, and beliefs are allowed to be challenged publicly. Take for instance the Greek philosophers, Thales, the Milesian thinkers, Socrates, and Plato, or the early movers and shakers of the Protestant Reformation such as, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Anabaptists.

These individuals all had ideas that were against popular belief. Some of them even faced prosecution from governments and religious leaders of the time. I would venture to say, if there had been something called Twitter back then, they too would have been banned!

It’s easy to look around us at the “cancel culture” and think that this is a new fad. It isn’t. The alt-left didn’t come up with a new idea for their playbook, they are borrowing it from the worst of times in human history.

If you want to squash opposing views, you must silence the opposers voice. Evidence of this can be seen on all major social media sites, in universities, schools, and in the media in general. Silence their voice, make them look like idiots, accuse them of hurting society, fire them for not conforming, and on and on the list could go.

Let’s hope that we as a country will be able to mend. Not by thinking alike, but by allowing the founding principles of truth, justice and freedom to flourish.