There was a revealing “town hall” meeting of Twitter employees this week where they joined executives in open panic over what life would be like without their ability to censor others. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal attempted to calm the obvious angst that (perish the thought) free speech could return to Twitter.
As clearly distressed employees peppered him with questions, Agrawal admitted “Yes, we could have done things differently and better. I could have done things differently. I think about that a lot.” For civil libertarians, the vague admission left us cold. Agrawal spent his entire time as CEO as someone who dismissed or marginalized the very relevance of free speech values to the company.
Agrawal was asked early in his time as CEO how Twitter would balance its efforts to combat misinformation with wanting to “protect free speech as a core value” and to respect the First Amendment. He responded dismissively that the company is “not to be bound by the First Amendment” and will regulate content as “reflective of things that we believe lead to a healthier public conversation.” Agrawal said the company would “focus less on thinking about free speech” because “speech is easy on the internet. Most people can speak. Where our role is particularly emphasized is who can be heard.”
Twitter continued its biased censorship program, including bizarre suspensions of satirical sites and one site that re-posted liberals speaking about themselves.
What was striking was the attitude of employees that the actual owners of the company were out of line in seeking a return to a free speech corporate philosophy. Twitter has underperformed for years because it made its name synonymous with censorship. In the meeting, one employee declared “I’m tired of hearing about shareholder value and fiduciary duty. What are your honest thoughts about the very high likelihood that many employees will not have jobs after the deal closes?”
Another employee declared “The PR speak is not landing. They told us don’t leak and do a job you are proud of, but there is no clear incentive for employees to do this.”
There is an incentive, of course. It is called employment . . . even if you do not view restoring free speech to be a noble purpose.
By the way, Twitter employees were not the only ones having a meltdown. Over at Apple, an open letter addressed to company leadership objected that telling employees to return to work in-person was furthering white dominance and privilege at the company. The company had suggested a hybrid approach requiring workers to simply come in three days a week. That was met with outrage:
“Apple will likely always find people willing to work here, but … being in the office at least 3 fixed days of the week … will make Apple younger, whiter, more male-dominated, more neuro-normative, more able-bodied, in short, it will lead to privileges deciding who can work for Apple, not who’d be the best fit.”
That is not likely to amount to a viable EEOC complaint even in the Biden Administration. If anything, the Apple policy is more accommodating than it is required to be. It could legally demand a simple return to work in accordance with the new CDC guidelines.
What is obvious in Twitter censorship accounts is this: I have not read a rebuttal in replies to statements by people who’s accounts were later suspended by Twitter. You either get a dopey blanket statement that does nothing. It is an appeal to authority fallacy. What would work is to have someone post a rebuttal in replies.
It’s not really about Musk although that’s what the departing Twitter management wants us to focus on. People are saluting the hope that comes for any change ….
The elation we are seeing to the buyer, it could be anyone, is a testament to the disappointment many have, myself included, in what’s become of this website that started with such promise – to be the country and world’s town square for public comment.
To use one of Trump’s most effective 2016 lines: what have we got to lose?
Twitter became a shill for one ideology, one political party, putting a filter on the public eye and their thumb on the scale of public opinion.
The anger and fear shown by supporters of the departing Twitter management and those who benefitted from their efforts reveal their identity and their cheating hearts.
All Musk has to do is be sure that he gives all his employees at Twitter a Safe Room to go to and they will be happy.
Ole man says:
“I think that Musk said it well. He is shooting for the middle 80%. People to the far right and far left are going to be disappointed.”
How true. Talk is cheap. Once Musk removes a tweet or bans an account, the knives will be out. It will prove to be a no-win situation because it is impossible to please everyone.
Musk will find using Twitter is better than owning it. Not unlike when it comes to flying, floating or fornicating, it’s better to rent it than to buy it-
Musk has sized it up nicely: the extremes on both ends are calling the shots. That is mostly due to a broken party system, the duopoly, where both parties cater first to their partisans and special interests. They prioritize voters, which leaves those of us in the middle a lower priority. Free the political system, and the extremists will be put in their place on the table.
As much as I have enjoyed having access to the world wide web, the older I get, the less I care what other people think of my viewpoints (except my children). And so I do not participate in any social media, not since MySpace was the place to be and before Zuckerberg’s pigbook/facebook idea took root.
This country’s priorities appear to have changed to where a national treasure, a scientific genius and entrepreneur, who walks the walk every day, is not celebrated as one or our national resources of whom to be proud, but is assailed, labeled, belittled, by human beings in positions of influence but of far lesser brainpower.
You don’t have to agree with me — in fact, I don’t care whether you do or don’t. Now, before I spend any more time on this writing, it’s time to go outdoors and enjoy nature’s bounties. Y’all might oughta wanna do the same, y’hear?
Richard,
Blogs are a form of social media. You are participating in social media when you post comments here.
Don’t tell me what to do, old man.
The 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments are unconstitutional, deleterious and “injurious” to the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
These amendments are not feasible or viable without matriculation affirmative action, grade-inflation affirmative action, employment affirmative action, quotas, welfare, food stamps, minimum wage, rent control, social services, forced busing, public housing, utility subsidies, WIC, SNAP, TANF, HAMP, HARP, TARP, HHS, HUD, Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Labor, Energy, Obamacare, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental Income, Medicare, Medicaid, “Fair Housing” laws, “Non-Discrimination” laws, etc.
Rights, freedoms, privileges and immunities of Americans must denied in order to provide these many multiple forms of welfare and affirmative action to minorities.
The Constitution may not be modified to deny rights to some, in order to provide different, special and superior rights to others.
Rights, freedoms, privileges and immunities are provided by the Constitution to undifferentiated “people” and “individuals.”
Various and arbitrary, undifferentiated “people” and “individuals” may not be denied their constitutional rights, freedoms, privileges and immunities.
The 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments are unconstitutional.
The American judicial branch must strike them down en masse per the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
You’re “undifferentiated people” were being differentiated into some people and some property before the 13th Amendment. That kind of mangling on semantics was put to rest by the Civil War. Your lost cause finds no traction these days.
“…amendments desired…as will not injure the constitution,…”
” And if there are amendments desired, of such a nature as will not injure the constitution, and they can be ingrafted so as to give satisfaction to the doubting part of our fellow citizens; the friends of the federal government will evince that spirit of deference and concession for which they have hitherto been distinguished.”
– James Madison, Proposed Amendments to the Constitution, June 8, 1789
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The 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments have not only “injured” the Constitution, they are killing America.
An invasion was facilitated by traitors in 1863 when they failed to enforce immigration law, the Naturalization Act of 1802, and deport illegal aliens.
Biden is committing treason (per the unconstitutional 14th Amendment) by “…adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort…” through negligent dereliction of his duty to protect and enforce the border.
The American population is in a “death spiral,” more Americans die than are born; the population is being imported of foreigners since the fraudulent and improper ratification of the 19th Amendment.
American women who assume the roles of men bear insufficient numbers of American children and foreigners are invading.
America is vanishing and dying.
_________________________
Memo from the Founders:
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
– Declaration of Independence, 1776
Jonathan: There’s an update to my earlier comment about Apple’s new 3 day a week in person policy for its employees–a policy you support. Airbnb just announced a permanent remote work option for its employees. A small number of employees will be required to work in the office. The rest can opt out and work from home. CEO Brian Chesky wrote to his employees: “We want to hire and retain the best people in the world (like you). If we limited our talent pool to a commuting radius around our offices, we would be at a significant disadvantage. The best people live everywhere, no set of communities, not concentrated in one area. And by recruiting from a diverse set of communities, we will become a more diverse company”. Wow! This is what happens when a progressive company responds to the concerns of its employees–unlike Google and Apple.
In late 2021 Twitter told employees they could work permanently from home. That might well change under a new Musk management where everything is top down. The new Airbnb policy will obviously grate on you. As for me, my next booking will definitely be with Airbnb. Take that and put it in your pipe!
The ultimate in markers of success used to be a corner office.
I predict the new perk will be an on site workspace. The real decision making will be done in person. Real input will be in person. The extra opportunity, the good project assignments, will go to those that have recognizable faces.
And yes, those people will be called racists.
WHEN WILL SPECIAL COUNSEL JOHN DURHAM END THE PURDURING OBAMA COUP D’ETAT IN AMERICA?
https://twitter.com/i/status/1520713806086696960
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“Obama Said On April 21 Social Media Censors ‘Don’t Go Far Enough’ – 6 Days Later Puppet Joe Biden Rolls Out ‘Ministry of Truth’”
“‘It is clear that Barack Obama is calling the shots and Joe Biden is just a puppet. On April 21, Barack Obama delivered a speech at Stanford University and blamed Big Tech for failing to stop the spread of ‘disinformation’ on their platforms. Obama said people are dying because of so-called misinformation about the Covid vaccines….’People like Putin…understand it’s not necessary for people to believe this information in order to weaken democratic institutions. You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing, that citizens no longer know what to believe,’ Obama said. ‘Once they lose trust in their leaders, mainstream media, in political institutions, in each other, the possibility of truth — the game’s won,’ Obama added. ‘These companies need to have some other North star other than just making money and increasing market share. Fix the problem that in part they helped create, but also to stand for something bigger,’ Obama said.’”
Six days later Joe Biden appointed radical Millennial Marxist Nina Jankowicz to lead the DHS’s ‘Ministry of Truth.’
– Cristina Laila
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The Obama Coup D’etat in America is the most egregious abuse of power and the most prodigious crime in American political history. The co-conspirators are:
Kevin Clinesmith, Bill Taylor, Eric Ciaramella, Rosenstein, Mueller/Team, Andrew Weissmann,
James Comey, Christopher Wray, McCabe, Strozk, Page, Laycock, Kadzic, Sally Yates,
James Baker, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Priestap, Kortan, Campbell, Sir Richard Dearlove,
Christopher Steele, Simpson, Joseph Mifsud, Alexander Downer, Stefan “The Walrus” Halper,
Azra Turk, Kerry, Hillary, Huma, Mills, Brennan, Gina Haspel, Clapper, Lerner, Farkas, Power,
Lynch, Rice, Jarrett, Holder, Brazile, Sessions (patsy), Nadler, Schiff, Pelosi, Obama,
Joe Biden, James E. Boasberg, Emmet Sullivan, Gen. Milley, George Soros, John McCain,
Marc Elias, Igor Danchenko, Fiona Hill, Charles H. Dolan, Jake Sullivan, Strobe Talbot,
Cody Shear, Victoria Nuland, Ray “Red Hat” Epps, Don Berlin, Kathy Ruemmler, Rodney Joffe,
Paul Vixie, L. Jean Camp, Andrew Whitney et al.
Tulsi Gabbard 🌺
@TulsiGabbard
Biden is just a front man. Obama, April 21: social media censors “don’t go far enough,” so the government needs to step in to do the job. Six days later, Homeland Security rolls out the ‘Ministry of Truth’ (aka
Disinformation Governance Board).
https://twitter.com/i/status/1520713806086696960
“[C]itizens no longer know what to believe.” (Obama)
With this footnote: So we will force them to believe what we want.
First, a private company is not a democracy. The owners or shareholders “dictate” (top-down) to those that work for them company policy (within local, state and federal laws).
If the employees don’t like the new owner, either quit or start your own company. Risk your entire life savings, get heavily indebted to the bank/investors and work harder than than you’ve ever worked before. Hire really good accountants and attorneys in case you get sued. If you’re lucky, your business might survive.
On a free speech note, real Americans (of either party) don’t like to be censored by anonymous non-elected unaccountable censors, especially when there is no clear rulebook on what get’s censored or not. People that hate censorship are your customer base – the ones you really work for.
If Twitter’s customers really hated censorship, they’d be on 8chan instead of Twitter.
“”If Twitter’s customers really hated censorship, they’d be on 8chan instead of Twitter.”
Based on your behavior, your statement is invalid. As ATS, you demonstrate a distinct dislike of Turley’s opinions and others, yet you remain.
Perhaps that is why Twitter was never a profitable company, it ignored what its customer base wanted instead allowing its agenda driven workers to create product that did not sell but pleased their individual satisfactions.