Welcome Back To X, Alex Jones!
In recent years, X has been at the forefront of debates surrounding freedom of speech and censorship. The platform’s decision to ban patriots such as Alex Jones, President Donald Trump, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Roger Stone, and Laura Loomer, amongst many others, sparked heated debates about the limits of free expression and the role of social media in regulating content.
With the recent change in X’s leadership under Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” the platform has seen the return of previously banned accounts. Still, one required a vote from the people to get reinstated – Alex Jones.
Jones is the founder of Infowars and the reason we all know that Bohemian Grove exists today. He is very vocal about his beliefs and is unafraid to be wrong. He has challenged the establishment’s narrative, exposed globalist corruption, and is still deemed an enemy by many Americans who can’t comprehend why he’s so angry.
Despite being the “most censored man on the internet,” Jones never stopped fighting. He continued his show on Infowars, despite a much smaller audience and the inability to properly advertise like other hosts can. When clips of his circulated major social media platforms were taken out of context, he was stripped of his ability to speak up and defend himself.
That all changed after his interview with Tucker Carlson.
Jones, who is deemed a far-right extremist by many, didn’t sound crazy during his uncut interview with Carlson. In fact, it was insightful. He explained how he collects information and what he bases his predictions on. He discussed the concept of the New World Order and its implications on global politics. He called out the propagated race divide and why the media is determined to worsen race relations. And he talked about the impact of de-platforming has on freedom of speech and the public discourse.
De-platforming is a powerful, evil weapon used to silence conservatives. While censoring the opposition may seem like a good call, de-platforming can lead to increased polarization and radicalization.
Jones highlighted the importance of free speech and open public discourse, stating that people must be able to express their opinions and engage in open dialogue. He believes that deplatforming can hinder this process and may lead to the suppression of important ideas and perspectives.
The return of Jones and other controversial figures to X has sparked both praise and criticism. Supporters of Musk’s approach argue that it promotes healthy debate and the free flow of information, while critics argue that it could lead to the proliferation of misinformation and hate speech.
Hate speech is free speech protected by the First Amendment. While Musk may consider himself a “free speech absolutist,” his concern with regulating hate speech signifies he’s further from absolutism than he thinks.
The First Amendment wasn’t added to the Constitution to protect speech we agree with. We wouldn’t ever need such a protection, because said speech is never challenged. We have a First Amendment in our Constitution to protect the speech we hate – which often falls into the categories of “hate speech” and “misinformation.”
Let’s talk about misinformation for a moment. The current President of the United States, Joe Biden, is constantly being corrected by Community Notes on X. Why has his account not been suspended? It can’t be because he is a sitting President; the old Twitter saw “misinformation” as enough of a reason to ban then-President Donald Trump. Musk seems more concerned with those who actually challenge the narrative than he is with those who promote it.
This is not an attack on Musk. Of all the major social media platforms, he has created the most free-speech-friendly – and it’s costing him.
Major companies like Apple, Disney, IBM, NBCUniversal, Paramount Global, and Warner Bros. Discovery have all paused or stopped their advertising on the platform. Other brands such as Fox Sports, Ubisoft, Axios, and TechCrunch have also joined the exodus.
Some companies cited concerns about brand safety and the presence of hate speech on the platform. Media Matters, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have all published reports highlighting these issues.
However, we all know their pull was not out of concern with “brand safety.” These companies want to watch X fail and force social media users back onto heavily regulated platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where the truth will get you banned.
The return of Alex Jones is a start, but Musk can never truly consider himself an absolutist regarding free speech until he allows banned users like Kanye West, Milo Yiannopoulo, and others back on the platform.
