What if Big Tech was censoring black speech instead of conservative speech? And what if Parler was primarily an African-American social networking site being targeted for shutdown by Twitter, Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon?
We know exactly what would happen. There would be cataclysmic outrage across the board, and justifiably so. The bigger question is, why isn't there cataclysmic outrage right now over what is happening to conservative speech? If these monopolies can effectively censor a massive group of 75 million people, they can surely come after your group next. Wake up, America.
Imagine if the old AT&T chose to police all telephone calls on their platform in order to bleep-out falsehoods and certain types of political speech they didn't like. Sounds outrageous, like something from the old communist Soviet Union, right? Yet, this is exactly what the Big Tech monopolies are doing today. Their actions are a tacit declaration of war against America and the spirit of 1776.
As George Washington University Law School Professor Jonathan Turley writes, “Twitter serves the same communicative function between consenting parties; it simply allows thousands of people to participate in such digital exchanges. Those people do not sign up to exchange thoughts only to have Dorsey or some other internet overlord monitor their conversations and “protect” them from errant or harmful thoughts.”
"Freedom of Speech" is the centerpiece of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for a reason – because it is the cornerstone constitutional right that enables and protects all our other rights. And the Big Tech monopolies are taking a hammer to it.
The leaders of at least six different nations have condemned the recent Big Tech censorship of conservative speech...including Mexican President Manuel López Obrador and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Yet, in the United States, this censorship is being applauded by academics and most everyone in the Democratic Party. George Orwell was more prescient than he ever could have imagined.
With respect to conservative speech being shut down, we “suddenly” have tens of millions of new believers in the free-market on the socialist left as well. Most repeating the same talking-point that these are private companies and thus can censor whomever they wish. Our hands are tied, they say (with a smile). Oh really? And would this be their stance if it were black speech being targeted? Of course not.
We all know what is happening is wrong – whether you are being censored for your skin color, hair color, religion, creed, political viewpoint, or anything else. We are individuals and should each be judged as such. If a person is not breaking the law and not at their employment, that person's freedom of speech should always be honored and defended. Freedom of speech is the core of America.
Donald Trump is not the threat to democracy the media gargoyles would have you believe, but Big Tech most certainly is.
As Voltaire famously said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” And, yes, that means for President Trump as well. Freedom of speech is fundamental to a democratic society, period. The Big Tech Monopolies need to immediately alter course to preserve this fundamental core of America, as well as to provide for their own personal safety. But that is unlikely – arrogance tends to be all consuming and self destructive.
Thus, we are witnessing the death of free speech on the internet. Humanity is diving headfirst into dystopia.
With this in mind, perhaps Elon Musk (who has plans to put 42,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit) and other forward thinkers would consider establishing a satellite-based new internet where freedom of speech is defended at all times for all law-abiding citizens around the globe. There are close to 8 billion people ready to sign on.
The dystopian overlords can keep their old internet.
George Mullen is the author of "The Coming Financial Tsunami" (2005) and "Welcome to the Bubble Economy" (2006), which accurately predicted the 2007-08 global economic crash. He is spearheading Sunbreak Ranch in the effort to end America's homeless crisis. He is a principal of StudioRevolution.com in San Diego, California.