They’re Coming For You | Ep. 1174

Twitter Ban

Twitter's decision to ban Donald Trump has sparked significant debate about the platform's role in shaping public discourse. Ben Shapiro highlights how Twitter's actions have dramatically reduced Trump's ability to communicate with his 88 million followers, effectively diminishing his influence in real-time events 1. This move, according to Shapiro, reflects a broader trend of social media companies exerting control over political narratives, often applying rules inconsistently. He questions the fairness of these actions, noting that while Trump's tweets were fact-checked, similar scrutiny was not applied to other falsehoods on the platform 2.

The focus for the left is always on how do we, quote, unquote, minimize harm. But the way that they define harm always seems a little bit too broad.

--- Ben Shapiro

Shapiro argues that this selective enforcement raises concerns about the integrity of online conversations and the potential for bias in moderating content.

   

De-platforming

The de-platforming of Parler by Amazon Web Services is seen by many conservatives as a politically motivated act rather than a neutral enforcement of policies. Ben Shapiro points out that while Parler was removed due to violent content, similar actions were not taken against platforms like Facebook, which were also used to coordinate the Capitol riot 3. This selective de-platforming, Shapiro argues, reflects a broader pattern of tech companies exerting influence over political discourse, often aligning with left-leaning perspectives.

Without such standards, conservatives fear any political flashpoint will be used as a cudgel to cram down social, cultural, even governmental oppression.

--- Ben Shapiro

He emphasizes the need for consistent application of rules to ensure fairness and prevent the suppression of diverse viewpoints 1.