As IF Times

link:  https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/25/23028323/elon-musk-twitter-offer-buyout-hostile-takeover-ownership

The biggest story of the past week is not the on-going conflict in Ukraine, nor the suspicious election in France, nor the ongoing implosion of the US economy and thankfully, not the pearl clutching moaning about Covid.

Edging out by a nose the trials and misadventures of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard was the news of billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter.

For years, the Twitter platform had been accused of being a biased environment wherein conservative voices were censored in favor of narratives more in line with woke sensibilities.  This has always been denied at the company, but oddly, now that the buyout will move management into the hands of a presumably more libertarian owner, the bleating cacophony from the outraged twits is what you might hear if you dared remove food from a murder of crows.

Twitter rose from being a public bulletin board on which anyone was free to express their views on any topic; a virtual free speech soapbox.   Since mass media is so tightly controlled by a few players, having an open forum to vent views was clearly something that resonated with the public and the platform grew from just a virtual bathroom wall to become a monstrous commercial juggernaut with enormous reach and worth billions ( 45 at last count).

It was because of the monolithic aspect of mainstream news and media outlets that Twitter achieved such gravity.  However as time went on, the platform took on the role of moderator of views rather than being a conveyor of them.  Increasingly there was less and less effort in hiding the fact that hard core woke people had taken over the platform.  Thus, influential people were banned from the platform when stating things that, while true, did not pass the sniff test of the Twitter gatekeepers.  Oddly, the most despotic people on the planet continued to have voice there, Iranian mullahs for example.  It became high school on steroids where the cool kids allowed you to play….or not.

If we are to believe the deniers, who up until recently controlled the levers at Twitter, that they were not restricting access to undesirable views, then what possible difference would it make to have a new owner on board.  Clearly, the truth and reality will be revealed for all to see.

Obviously, some kind of free speech platform is needed as a counterweight to the overwhelmingly biased and laughable content offered by all other media outlets.

Many other free speech platforms have tried to copy Twitter’s model in the past few years, but most have fallen into the same trap as Twitter by censoring certain voices, so ‘free speech’ was still determined by somebody.  Even the much anticipated Truth Social is hamstrung by not being available on the Android platform.  To my knowledge only Gab has remained free of any restrictions.   It’s worth noting that CNN promoted a product labelled CNN+.  It failed after only 3 weeks in operation.  We’re unclear as to why anyone would think there’s a market for more CNN.  It’s evident that the marketplace wanted voices other than the tiresome drivel offered by mainstream media.

In a time when information is so heavily managed, platforms in which real truths can be shared and consumed are a necessity and should not be controlled by biased elements.   We’ll see what changes will come with Musk’s ownership, but it may be that the tyranny of the woke may be over.  Perhaps this will spur other organizations to see that the market for real news and unbiased reportage is huge….worth at least 45 billion.

Source: Colin Kaepernick earns support from diverse chorus, including John Brennan, over Nike ad | Fox News

Many may recall back in our university or college days, that the targets of student antipathy were the large mega- corporations that were ostensibly responsible for inflicting all kinds of ills upon society.  Big oil in particular was seen as evil since they were heartless goliaths that trampled upon the rights and freedoms of the plain folk in their single minded pursuit of the dollar. 

Valid or not, protests against the perceived evils of these large corporations became more common as people use their voices to hold large companies to account for their activities.  To this day, if a rare species of grub may be endangered by a pipeline or a dam, a veritable village  of protesters appears to protest the project and by extension, the company behind it.  The standard pushback was against “the military industrial complex” which was the oppressor of the people.  Today, the issues that get people to wearing masks and holding signs are more bizarre and comical, ranging from the protests against drinking straws and grocery bags, all the way to free speech in general. 

With the passage of time, the perception of the evil corporation has not really changed, though many have made significant concessions to public sensibilities.  What has gone unnoticed is the rise of other corporate behemoths whose reach and negative influence is far more pervasive than those demonized in past generations.  

Without exaggeration, the majority of the world is now subject to the activities of a handful of powerful companies.  Unless you have been living in the deep Amazonian rainforest, your life has been touched by Google, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix,Twitter and Apple.  Together these companies influence virtually every aspect of people’s daily activities.   They all have the same common denominator of providing some form of convenience to a public that needs and craves instant gratification.  This is best expression of capitalism; a need is identified and is addressed by a service.  This continues the legacy of Henry Ford, Eli Whitney and Jacob W. Davis of Levi Strauss fame.  

What’s different about today’s modern behemoths is that they aren’t content just to sell people on products and services.  They are also very much intent on shaping the way people think.  Not happy just to make billons of dollars by selling lifestyle, they are shaping mindsets.  As if they were characters in a Bond film, we have actual real life “Villains” who are controlling the thought processes of hundreds of millions of people. 

The recent announcement by Nike of their new sales campaign posting Colin Kaepernick as their icon, adds that company to the list of mercenary companies that would have been loudly protested back 30 years ago.  To be fair, Nike’s business demographic are younger people, particularly the black demo, who are more likely to sympathize with Kaepernick’s actions.  Older people, less likely to support Kaepernick’s actions are less likely to be customers anyway.  But if this decision is based solely on business, they had every opportunity to propose someone who is of genuinely heroic stature; a guy like Pat Tillman springs to mind.  Some may know that Tillman gave up his professional football career to serve his country by joining the army in the wake of 9-11 and then was tragically killed in action. 

Instead, Nike has chosen to insert their political viewpoint in championing Kaepernick, not in spite of, but because of his protests against the national flag.  He is the Jane Fonda of the modern epoch. 

People once mobilized against what they perceived to be the evilness of large corporations. It’s ironic now that corporations have never been more invasive and manipulative…and no one protests.  It’s much more disturbing that the people currently being celebrated for their actions, are anti-heroes… instead of real ones.