Censorship In The Free Market

It seems that every day there's a new revelation that social media sites are anti-conservative, and enact usage policies that are downright blatant censorship.  No kidding.  First Facebook was busted for its anti-conservative bias in its trending news feeds.  Then Twitter was exposed censoring content from members it didn't like.  And now it's YouTube's turn to take the hit. The Google-owned platform recently released new “advertiser friendly” guidelines that stipulated how discussion of “controversial or sensitive subjects and events” would be punished by the user being unable to collect advertising money on such videos. Well.  That's not entirely censorship as you can still post rants and raves.  It's just the new policies won't allow advertisers to pay you for them.  

So what's all the flap about?  There are so many outlets on the Internet for free expression, just find one and use it.  Disqus enables a user to comment on news sites and elsewhere, for instance.  Your voice will be heard.  Ironically, conservatives are the first to hold free enterprise sacrosanct, argue that private companies exist to make a profit, and companies can enact policies as they see fit.  But they tend to become a little less idealistic when censorship and free enterprise intersect. If I ran a global for-profit conservative social media outlet with billions of followers, I probably wouldn't want the likes of the Kenyan or Michael Moore or Hillary or Lena Dunham or anyone writing for the New York Times on my system either.  And guess what?  As a private company, I'd have the perfect right to ban them, or make it difficult  from them to spread their Alinsky-ite nonsensical garbage to my kindred followers.  Wouldn't I? 

So Facebook, Twitter and YouTubers, go set up your own conservative social media system and promote it. Or better yet, use Blogger or Wordpress to create your own blog and sell subscriptions to your writings.  Monopolies exist to be bested after all.  For years, everyone thought General Motors would be king of the road forever, but then these Japanese came over and basically ate GM's lunch.  They did it faster, better and cheaper.  And people bought their cars in record numbers.  Same thing could happen to Google.  They bigger they are, the harder they fall.  Same with Facebook; it become so cumbersome and invasive I quit using it several years ago. 

So when conservatives complain about censorship - and I hate censorship, too, don't get me wrong - I'd remind them of their core principals.  Free speech, yes, of course.  But free markets as well.    If liberal social media companies' trite biases and policies bother you, don't buy stock in those companies, and cancel your subscriptions to them.  It's their right to present their product, and it's your right as a consumer to not buy it.

So quit bitching and go build your own platform, like a true self reliant American.  Take on the giants, kick their ass, and create some jobs and a boatload of money in the process.