Big Tech May Hurt Free Speech, But Keep The Free Market Out Of It
When this great nation was founded and the framers wrote the Constitution of The United States, it is often said that it never dawned on them how long this American experiment would last. People often cite that the framers could have never known the threats which would be faced by the modern American people and in doing so they deem the Constitution to be antiquated.
Until recently the idea of calling our founding documents antiquated was a rather radical sentiment expressed only among fringe groups. The idea grew increasingly popular as it centered around issues such as the 2nd Amendment, but recently it has taken on a new form in Republican circles — The Constitution, meant to protect citizens of the United States could never have predicted the rise of technology and the suppressive impact it has had on our society. As such, former free-market Conservatives have concluded that the only conceivable solution is government intervention.
On August 12, 1986, in a news conference, the late President Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”
Truer words have never been spoken and no more eloquently nor concisely could Classical Conservatism be summarized.
But this concept has apparently been lost on the Conservatives of today. The going has gotten tough and the Conservatives have gotten going, in doing so they have seemingly gone across the aisle.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Apple, Amazon, and perhaps others have formed a concerted effort to suppress and censor many Conservative organizations, and individuals. They recently went so far as to remove former President Trump from their platforms entirely. This is absolutely absurd, there is no denying that.
Many Conservatives, who are deeply respected in Conservative spheres and deservedly so, are telling the Conservative party to abandon this idea that the free market reigns supreme and that Conservatives should stop being so scared to say something that is anti-free market because they are allowing the tech giants to run amok and destroy Conservativism and Conservatives in the process.
The point is taken and the necessary steps to fulfill this call to action are to invoke the help of government.
But since when has invoking government assistance ever solved anything?
The call to get the government involved is not so far off from what is being said on the Democrat side of the aisle. The Democrats are too bothered by tech giants, but not for the same reasons as Conservatives. Rather they feel as though the tech giants need not regulate less, but more.
So as Conservatives think that perhaps the solution lies in government, the Democrats are right alongside, cheering on the call to get the government involved. They should only be so happy to find out that Conservatives, in a blind fit of anger have decided that government action is the solution.
Once a committee is formed in Congress and the majority party appoints a chairperson and they maintain their majority within the committee, will Conservatives expect an equal and fair outcome? Hopefully Conservatives have learned by this point that such an outcome is ungrounded in the reality of the political climate in which we live, a wish which will never be granted, a hope for a better political climate, and an abandonment of laissez faire economics.
The logical question then becomes, if the government is not asked to be involved in ensuring our freedoms are protected, then what options exist? The tech giants are massive conglomerates, they represent the new public square and they should be obligated to adhere to the Constitution.
However, let us reflect upon why this is entirely untrue and a step towards a tomorrow that no American should want to come.
If the tech giants are regulated on the basis that they are broad reaching, that they are a massive form of communication, and that they must be regulated as such, when do we begin to draw the line for other massive institutions or quasi massive institutions where communication takes place? Should restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and the like be required to allow all sorts of expressions within their walls because people gather in these locations and therefore, they must protect our rights? What if these establishments exist in small towns and are the only establishments of the sort for miles and miles, must they not regulate the sort of activity which occurs within their business on account of their effective monopoly?
Must a baker bake a cake for any person who walks through the door? Fulfill any request which is made?
Must the government go ahead and rear its ugly head into any crevice and crack in society which does not uphold the 1st Amendment of the Constitution? What about the 14th Amendment? What about the 1st Amendment rights of the companies which will have their rights infringed upon in order to uphold the rights of others? Is that a precedent we wish to set? Is free speech about suppressing the rights of the few to uphold the rights of the many? Is that not mob rule precisely?
There are those who will say that this is a bid for the Democrat party. That the inability of Conservatives to defy their free market principles is short sited.
However, many Democrats will quickly and abruptly oppose a business’ obligation to allow for communications which they deem “immoral”, are we as Americans to allow for the government to dictate our morality?
Abandoning the free market is short sited.
Conservatives have the ability to create separate entities which will uphold their beliefs. Parler being shutdown was an effect of it being hosted by Amazon Web Services. But if Conservatives ever aim to compete in the free market, they mustn’t roll over and allow for the government to get involved. You can bet that the next Conservative social media platform, regulated by a Democrat controlled committee will not fair all too well.
Working within the free market ensures the possibility of an equal and fair solution. Conservatives may have to move away from social media temporarily, and we should hope they do. Social media, though an effective tool for many, serves as a crutch to society, disabling the ability for people to genuinely connect, communicate, and socialize with one another. With a generation growing up reliant on these platforms, it is better that Conservatives distance themselves from such insincere and pathetic forms of communication anyway.
The ability to communicate and assemble other Conservatives is not completely lost, efforts are being made by plenty of Conservative commentators and organizations to assist Conservatives in recouping from the 2020 loss and to realize that America’s best days are ahead.
YouTube has been answered by BitChute, Facebook and Twitter have been answered by Gab, hope is not lost. There is money still to be made on the next social media platform which will allow for free speech. The incentive is there and the void is glaringly obvious.
Government intervention has never been and will never be the solution. There is a target on the backs of Conservatives, at least that is the feeling within the party, but the solution is never to abandon the free market, but rather to utilize it to your benefit. Government is not a tool that the Conservatives have failed to use, it is not a tool at all. Conservatives should not fight for a government that will work against their fellow Americans, as that which we use to destroy others can very easily be used to destroy us.
The free market will prevail.
This is not meant to be an empty rally cry filled with patriotic epithets and baseless invigoration, but rather a reminder of what the Conservative party is supposed to be all about. The free market does not always work in favor of what each and every player wishes to see. Many flourishing industries represent dark and deep seeded flaws of humanity. But it is the preservation of our right to participate in this economy as we please that Conservatives are supposed to uphold and advocate for.
The market is not working in our favor when it comes to the tech giants — but that which is, is not what will always remain. The problems of today are not the problems of tomorrow, we shall not abandon the underlying ideology of what makes us Conservative.
If the only aim of the Conservative party becomes the implementation of our principles by any means, that makes us no different than our political adversaries. The ends do not justify the means.
