So, Elon Musk purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter yesterday and today we learned that he will be given a board seat, according to, well . . . Elon Musk and The CEO of Twitter, whatever the fuck that dude's name is who took over after Jack Dorsey resigned last year.
This news sent shockwaves through the internet yesterday, with many people hoping that Musk might be able to re-instill free speech principles to a platform that is run by someone who believes that Twitter role is "not to be bound by the First Amendment".
Musk, being the world's first Billionaire shit poster, tweeted his response to this news true to form:
So, this is a good thing. A very good thing. But before I spend a few 'graphs giving Elon a proverbial tongue bath with my words, it's important to acknowledge what this is NOT.
Elon Musk is not the CEO of Twitter, he's a member of Twitter's Board of Directors.
Elon Musk cannot unilaterally change any policies. Elon Musk cannot unilaterally bring Donald Trump back to Twitter (which I think, for now, would be bad for Donald Trump and good for Joe Biden). Yet, as incredibly famous dude and being largest share holder of the company (not the majority shareholder), he will likely have sway over how other board members vote.
Elon Musk is not a conservative or even Right Wing by traditional standards. Musk has described himself as "moderate", a "socialist", and "socially liberal and fiscally conservative". In fact, in 2020, Musk donated more to Democrats than he did Republicans by a 57/43 split.
This means that, if you expect political purity, Elon Musk will likely disappoint you. Musk seems to care much more about what he thinks than what you think.
I don't think this mean he hates you, like most Libs do, but I do think it means that you're setting yourself up for sadness if you expect him to throw on a MAGA hat any time soon.
Now, here's the good news - while you do not own Elon Musk and he might not be your ally on every issue, he does appear interested in being your ally for one very important issue: respect for traditional free speech principles (not to be confused with your First Amendment right to freedom of speech, which Twitter, as a private company, is not required to afford you).
Judging by his public tweets before moving forward with his stock purchase, it sure seems like Elon made this move specifically because he believes that: 1) Twitter has replaced the public square; 2) free speech is essential to democracy; and 3) after farming this question out to his followers, that Twitter does not adhere to that principle.
So, what does this all mean? I don't fucking know. Musk is an admittedly weird dude and might have just bought the shares for the lulz.
I THINK it means that people who are against censorship FINALLY have a powerful and public advocate taking up their cause.
Not just with his words, but with his YUGE bank account.
That takes balls and is desperately needed in a time where the Cathedral and its acolytes are openly advocating that "speech is violence" (while ignoring ACTUAL violence) and pushing censorship here, there, and everywhere.
Free speech, and its supporters, needs big, bold, public allies. It's one thing for Elon Musk to bemoan censorship in a tweet. It's an entirely different thing for Elon Musk to flop his fat nuts on the table (to the tune of nearly $3 Billion) in effort to shift the platform away "crazy progressive campus culture".
Twitter is no longer just some message board type thing, where people share pictures of their cats (they still do that, though). It's now the place where ideas become movements, statements ruin lives and where the current Chief of Staff spends the majority of his day liking and retweeting the sentiments of regime-friendly sycophants. No, whether we like to admit it or not, Twitter has, unfortunately, replaced the town square.
This means that things that happen on Twitter are given, undue weight and importance (only 22% of adults in the United States use Twitter). Given the significance of its role, Twitter has shown, time and time again that it is not worthy nor capable of fairly administering something as important as the free exchange of ideas, criticisms of a given orthodoxy (masks work!) or defense of another (men can't give birth to babies). A market place of ideas that excludes certain opinions is no market place at all - and that's the point, that's why the Cathedral likes Twitter and the castle walls it provides.
Accordingly, it was vitally important that Musk opted to go the more difficult route - trying to change Twitter and reclaim the public square for more voices - rather than trying to launch his own alternative. If Musk had decided to "make his own Twitter" it would've failed because Cathedral types wouldn't have adopted Musk's new platform and it would've become a partisan bubble, where ideas shared would remain stuck in their own ecosystem.
That's why Elon Musk taking a sledge hammer to the castle walls of the Cathedral to give himself (and hopefully, by proxy, you) a seat at the table could mean a great deal. It's not just giving people place where they can speak their mind, those places exist all over the internet, it's about reclaiming the ability to challenge The Narrative where it has the most impact, in the public square.
It's an opportunity to reclaim what has become their turf and make it the turf once again.
That's the hope, anyways.
Whether or not Musk stays true to his word, dedicated to the objective, withers under media scrutiny, or if Musk's best efforts will have a meaningful impact remains decidedly undecided. Still - Musk put his money where his mouth is - something that far too few influential people are willing to do these days when the unless the given cause is embraced by Liberal Elites.
That's worth celebrating, for now.
Happy Tuesday and God Bless America.