Speech is a tool that transcends ALL forms of media and it can be used for good or it can be used for evil. Speech is absolute and it is powerful. But this is no reason to deny FREE SPEECH to the common man unless they are openly promoting violence.
Somewhere along the way, Political Correctness became far more important than Truth or Free Speech. Last year I predicted the slippery slope that social networks would begin to impede upon Free Speech. Once I started hearing the Far-Left say things like "Free Speech reinforces and amplifies injustice" and "Free Speech is Hate Speech", I started tuning into their agenda to understand their ultimate goals.
Soon thereafter the first phase of their attack was launched and within a matter of hours, hundreds of large-audience conservative websites were banned from Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, iTunes, Spotify, Instagram, and Pinterest in what was clearly a "massive orchestrated purge". There were no substantial quotes presented showing any "Hate Speech" and no evidence was brought forth to a jury to decide whether or not these websites promoted violence of any kind. These conservative (yet informative) platforms were hastily taken down in their entirety for basically no compelling reason whatsoever... POOF!
Since then, many other Conservative platforms reach have been dialed back between 50-90% so that the Democrats can attempt to completely control the online narrative. Oddly enough, the multitude of websites that openly call for the assassination of our US President have NOT been de-platformed, it's absolute insanity! I thought that the Democrats used to be all about Free Speech... remember Vietnam? Have the Democrats become so defeated, so disillusioned, and so lost, as a last resort they are now saying "Fuck It, The First Amendment Must Go"?
What exactly is HATE SPEECH anyway and who exactly decides what is considered hate speech versus a 'different opinion'? What definition of hate speech are these Social Justice Warriors using to eliminate hundreds of factual news and informational sites that millions of readers go to on a daily basis? And why are they going to such great lengths to take down any content that offers a 'form of truth' beyond the lies that CNN shovels down our throats?
If we now live in a world where Factual News Sites are getting completely de-platformed for simply using their voice, then we have a very serious problem on our hands and a rather bleak future. I don't think anyone should be silenced based upon where they reside on the political spectrum so long as they are encouraging productive conversation/thought and NOT promoting violence.
America was founded upon the premise that:
Freedom of speech and press, or freedom of expression, are 'fundamental rights'. Without these freedoms a truly free society cannot exist. By definition, they allow the citizens to communicate their ideas both verbally and in print. Free expression lets anyone speak their mind on anything. I'll take that over CHINA any day!
Denial of such rights doesn't eliminate fearsome speech - it simply ensures that only the powerful tech giants (bowing to SJWs) will have recourse to shut anyone down who uses Free Speech that does not fit in with the 'status quo'. If we don't start fighting for Free Speech now, we might not have the ability to fight for it later because advocating for Free Speech is currently being deemed "Hate Speech"... WTF? Are you kidding me?
In a dystopian totalitarian future, the 'allegedly' tolerant Liberals will work as their own Social Justice Army controlling ALL speech and silencing ANYONE who is not completely onboard with their 'nihilistic views and values'.
The Democrats know that they can't compete with conservatives in a truthful and open forum (without 'sky screaming', crying, threatening, or using violence). Therefore, it's easier for them to simply censor the hell out of their opponents 'at any cost'. Anyone whom is not on board will be deemed Racist, Homophobic, Sexist, Islamophobic, Transphobic, Misogynistic, Robophobic, Nazis and hence they will be de-platformed, period. That doesn't sound very democratic to me...
I'm not sure if the social media companies themselves are caving into pressure from millions of NPCs, or if it is part of their own agenda to control the internet public opinion and future political outcomes. But it's obvious that there are major double standards going on here and the tech giants don't seem to care whatsoever about Freedom of Speech in America.
This hurts average Americans more than anyone because the internet is where many people (including myself) obtain factual information since there's no way in hell you can trust CNN, etc. Sources such as Breitbart, WikiLeaks, and the Drudge Report are known for their fact-checking and integrity, but they might be next to be de-platformed, who knows?
The entire basis for Democracy is that every single person gets a vote. And that's based upon the assumption that voters will make their decisions based upon ALL of the information available to them at large. But now in the digital era, we are being told that the free exchange of information on the internet is all of a sudden a bad thing. Ummmm, what? Tech companies are openly saying that democracy cannot function unless State Controlled Media tells the population how to think and how to vote, meanwhile they de-platform dissenting users with the click of a button. Should they be allowed to have this kind of power and WHY are we giving it to them?
The main stream news is a failing model and they cannot compete with certain online entities. Rather than changing their stance or business model, they instead go after anyone more popular than them online and simply harass and vilify them... just look at what happened to WikiLeaks. At some point somebody needs to step in and Save Free Speech before it's too late.
The fact that Google is now testing new censorship algorithms in China that totally cripple the free flow of information should be of major concern to everyone because it's only a matter of time before they start using those same algorithms here in the USA. That will truly be the End of Free Speech and Democracy as we know it. There will be very few options left at that point (if any) where you can go online for in-depth, factually accurate, and unbiased information.