The clear message behind the stunning crackdown on conservatives is: Conform or else.
In the wake of the Capitol riot and the immediate and frequently over-the-top condemnation of President Donald Trump and his supporters, social media giants Twitter and Facebook began purging conservatives. The first to go was the president himself, but now the dominoes are falling. Big Tech platforms colluded to eliminate a competitor, Parler. Anyone suspected of being right-of-center is on the chopping block.
Before Donald Trump took office, it took a lot of effort to cross Big Tech’s conservative red line and get banned. Now, however, just question the results of the presidential election and you’ll be grouped with the same thugs who scaled walls, smashed windows, and tangled with cops at the Capitol.
The Jack Dorseys of the social media world have no problem branding as a threat anyone who isn’t sufficiently woke. As for free and fair elections, though, Twitter seems to care more about an honest and open discussion of politics in Uganda than here in the United States.
So what happens to millions of conservatives who’ve been censored by Big Tech?
The answer might be creating alternative platforms, but that doesn’t work when web hosting services refuse to do business with conservatives. Just ask Parler CEO John Matze, who now says his service may never come back.
The problem is that it’s not going to stop with social media.
Former Major League Baseball star Curt Schilling’s insurance company canceled his policy for being an outspoken conservative. Senator Josh Hawley’s book deal was rescinded by publisher Simon & Schuster. Donald Trump himself is being blacklisted by banks, politicians, universities, athletes, and sports organizations. Even New York City will no longer make contracts with the Trump Organization. People who worked for Trump are being fired from other gigs.
In the end, however, it’s not just about Trump. It’s about anyone holding traditional conservative views. As Michael Goodwin writes at the New York Post, “Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and their co-conspirators in Big Media and Big Tech are proving Trump was right when he said his supporters were the ultimate target.”
Is there any difference????
Make no mistake: Conservatives will be ostracized unless they repent and conform. They’ll have no place to work or go to school, and they’ll be unable to open a bank account, get a mortgage, or travel. What’s happening is the ripping apart of our country into two parallel worlds, and what may have seemed preposterous only a few years ago now seems like a grim reality.
While those on the Left may be giddy right now as they watch the collective flogging of conservatives, this isn’t going to end well for anyone. As The Daily Wire’s Ian Haworth writes, “It’s not difficult to envisage a future where everything is split along ideological lines — lines drawn by the Left. One set of utilities for the Left, and another for those they despise. One media for the Left, and another for those they despise. Restaurants, cinemas, airlines for the Left, and others for those they despise.”
So much for national unity. But maybe we can find a way to live within the system.
The organization 2ndVote rates companies according to their liberal or conservative leanings. This helps conservatives who are politically minded enough to vote with their dollars. Yet millions of Americans don’t or won’t do that.
Another solution might be for states to divest in Big Tech. Great idea, but it’ll take more than one state to make Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook reconsider their stance on free speech.
Patriots can also elude Big Tech’s tyranny by going back to old-fashioned politicking: printing newsletters, knocking on doors, organizing groups. After all, the greatest political movements in world history didn’t need Twitter.
For now, though, the drive to push conservatives into a distant echo chamber will create a greater divide and heighten tensions. We will no longer trust one another, nor look to one another for solutions.
And we will no longer be the United States.
Written by Brian Mark Weber for Patriot Post ~ January 15, 2021