I have waaay too many substack subscriptions but I’m going to go ahead and subscribe to this one too. I’m just going to consider it a Christmas present to myself. Sasha, please, keep it up! Your postings and podcast are really giving me hope that we are, in time, going to manage to climb our way out of this frightening mess. In the meantime you are helping me feel less isolated and alone. I’m especially grateful for your recommendation of “The Psychology of Totalitarianism” by Mattias Desmet. I just finished it and have moved on to “The Origins of Totalitarianism “ by Hannah Arendt. Please allow me to recommend Jenny Holland’s substack page “Saving Culture (from itself).
Sasha, you have delivered a particularly incisive history lesson of how we got from the relative free speech/critical-thinking allowed before (say) 2015 to the fascist/totalitarianism that exists today. Your explanation of how Twitter is used to create a story, cultivate and propagate the narrative, and then let it rain down on all of us as unchallengeable truth is like peaking behind the curtain at the Wizard of Oz. You are challenged repeatedly, “Show me a specific example”. And your weary response, “It is everywhere! I am drowning in it, and you are asking me to show you a frigging raindrop.”
You have painted a portrait of the risks we face that are undeniable. The White House is watching. Apple is threatening. Twitter-verse and the media are baying at the moon. An outsized government response is needed. It is absolutely not hyperbole to say that the future of America and Democracy is on the line…and that Elon Musk has put himself and Twitter squarely in the firing line. You have shown us the battle lines. Now what?
Well then…let’s call their bluff and bust the narrative. Let Musk atone! If Elon and Twitter are to be watched by the political class, then let it happen in the theatre in which all such things happen. I hereby ask that Elon Musk be called before the appropriate House and/or Senate oversight committees in the US Congress. Give him the platform to articulate his vision, our vision, the US Constitution’s vision of freedom of speech. Let the slippery definitions of “hate speech” and “misinformation” be debated there. Musk has teased and promised transparency for things behind the curtain at Twitter. Let him pull back that curtain on live TV. Let him reveal the one-sided nature of the content moderation that we all know has been there. Let him demonstrate what censorship looks like in practice by disclosing just how the Hunter laptop was memory-holed. Let him.
Unfortunately, I think the Democrats are too cowardly and too smart to bring Elon into the US Senate. He would make them look like the craven and despotic fools that they are. Likewise, I fear the establishment GOP might be too careless or clueless to recognize this opportunity to bust the narrative by bringing him into the US House.
But if it were to happen, I think it would be fun. I think it would prove enlightening. I think it might be inspiring. Might I even dream that it could be a pivot in US history? Yeah, I hope.
C’mon Congress, bring Elon in for a debate. I double-dog dare you.
It’s not possible that the people leading this, and most of their followers, do not understand what they have become. Only a few have had the courage and fortitude to not only reject it, but also to call it out. Sasha, Glenn, Tulsi come to mind.
Hey Sasha, thank-you again for another insightful and compelling essay. I am amazed you have been able to fight this well for so long. It must be exhausting and discouraging at times. I have read the comments also; they indicate great appreciation for your talent also. You are educating and giving hope to many of us.
The Ali Velshi interview, wow. So Musk only wants free speech for those who agree with him. I only know of one account he's blocked, and that was Kathy Griffin, and she was "pretending" to be Musk. *And* she got her account back.
The ease with which these people lie is disturbing, but more disturbing is the ease with which people believe them.
What's scary to me is how many people just happily go along with the narrative. I guess you'd say it's because they don't hear a dissent from that narrative that isn't misrepresented and lampooned. But even still, in my head all it should really take is a little critical thinking to start questioning some things, and pretty soon it unravels. But after this last election i've lost a lot of faith in people. Priorities are completely out of whack.
I have a friend who is an actor who has been in a lot of stuff you all would know. He's barely D-list, but he's had lines/characters in some pretty big shows. That said, he only has a few thousand followers. His Twitter presence the past few years has simply been Democratic talking points. Everything is political except when he's self promoting a show he is on.
Over the summer we had him and his wife over and got to talking -- I had said to my wife I was going to avoid politics not because I disagree with his per se but mostly because I can't stand discussing it anymore. We were having a nice afternoon until he asked why I wasn't posting on Twitter anymore. I explained that it made me feel bad about life, about things I used to like/love in pop culture and how it's too political for me.
His wife swatted him and said, "see! this is what I'm telling you!" and went on about how his Twitter activity has made him manic and how he hates all the things he used to love (including acting). This led to a bigger conversation about how he as a straight white male character actor can't get roles like he used to even with all the credits he had to his name. He was basically relegated to doing self tapes in their bathroom because casting directors who used to call him in for stuff stopped calling. He was upset about the loss of his livelihood.
I couldn't hold it in anymore and I said, "Well dude, you're out there online all day stumping for the people who want you to go away and not get parts anymore." He sat back and exhaled, "I know, but if I don't support the Democrats publically my chances of getting cast in anything are zero". This is a real conversation folks -- I'm not amping up the drama.
He began to tell me he wanted to get on the DM list that circulates filled with Democratic celebs on Twitter because that's the list you want to be on. People like Debra Messing, Alyssa Milano, Patton Oswalt, Mark Ruffalo, Judd Apatow, etc. He claims there is a list where they receive talking points from the Democratic party and decide on that day's topics. I have no idea if this even exists and if it does Elon should have access to the DM's and he should expose it.
My friend then told me he waits to see what topic those actors are pushing that day and then he retweets them in the hopes it elevates him in their eyes. Like Patton Oswalt is going to see some rando actor on Twitter who has been in a few things and will call up a studio head and shout, "Hire this man immediately!" The thought behind why he needs to amplify their voices is insane. It's not necessarily that he agrees with the outrage/topic du jour, it's he wants to be discovered as being on their team and that will hopefully allow him to get more work again.
Just sitting there my wife and I were dumbfounded because hearing someone talk about how important their Twitter presence was to their career prospects sounded completely insane. This is a normal guy with some acting talent who is obsessed with parroting Democratic talking points in the hopes he lands a role on a TV series again.
Since Elon has taken over my actor friend has written around 10 posts that are his goodbye Twitter posts -- then he shows up 24-36 hours later retweeting Democratic talking points and eventually posts another "Goodbye Twitter" post. His behavior on there is not healthy or okay. And guys, this is a normal person in real life -- I try not to judge him for this because he's bought into this bubble and thinks if he leaves it he won't get work anymore because the Democratic big brother/sister gatekeeping Hollywood jobs is always watching him and his few thousand followers.
Twitter has been a plague. It's made nice people like my friend insane. If you can get him off talking about politics and Twitter he's actually fun to be around, but once the topic becomes politics and Twitter it's like talking to a completely different person.
And yes, he has replaced Trump with Musk as the party demanded. He has listed his username on Vine, Mastodon, etc. as the party demanded.
I hope Elon can hold firm. Apple and Google are going to abandon Twitter. Disney will stop advertising there too. They're going to be pressured to freeze him out in the hopes of hurting him financially that he sells it back to one of them at a loss and they can go back to the echo chamber. Because don't believe for a second they are okay mentally or physically without Twitter -- the left are hooked on it and they are still there. They're just afraid to post a lot because they think Big Brother/Big Sister is watching and will cancel them for supporting the platform. The only thing they are allowed to do on there right now is to bash Elon and say "Goodbye Twitter, it's been fun!" despite the fact that nothing there has changed. The only hate speech I've noticed is aimed at Elon.
That clip from Network with Ned Beatty remains quite possibly, my favorite scene from any movie from all time (except of course for the scene from Fritz the Cat..."awww Fritz...you aint BLACK enough..." ). I certainly loved the "I'm mad as hell" scene as much as anyone else, but the the Ned Beatty scene...absolutely unrivaled. Flawless. Sickening.
Great piece again today. PLEASE keep up the good work. Vigilance, as they say...
Sasha - another great work. I absolutely love seeing this community of readers grow. Your work is worth the price of admission alone but the comments section is priceless. While some think this might just be an echo chamber, I view it as pure validation. Many of us have been a minority in a sea of blue. Unable to openly speak or capable of articulating what, or how we feel. This is the best Substack subscription ever! Thank you
Great insight Sasha. Allow me to offer an adjacent perspective. Twitter has been in cahoots with our beloved government for over a decade toppling Ghadaffy and Mubarak; Twitter has no content, just moderators which is very expensive. No content = no cashflow, therefore, in considering the government partnerships of the past we have to assume they are using government servers. Could this be why the blowback is so high-energy? Me thinks so...
I rejoined Twitter after Elon purchased it, and have been having a blast. I'm trying to be balanced in what I like and follow, because I don't want to end up in an echo chamber, but I'm having a hard time finding many rational thinkers on the left. I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone has.
Also, Elon is a riot. Too bad I missed Trump because I imagine he was fun too.
I have waaay too many substack subscriptions but I’m going to go ahead and subscribe to this one too. I’m just going to consider it a Christmas present to myself. Sasha, please, keep it up! Your postings and podcast are really giving me hope that we are, in time, going to manage to climb our way out of this frightening mess. In the meantime you are helping me feel less isolated and alone. I’m especially grateful for your recommendation of “The Psychology of Totalitarianism” by Mattias Desmet. I just finished it and have moved on to “The Origins of Totalitarianism “ by Hannah Arendt. Please allow me to recommend Jenny Holland’s substack page “Saving Culture (from itself).
Hitler, Orwell, Quint, oh Musk!
Sasha, you have delivered a particularly incisive history lesson of how we got from the relative free speech/critical-thinking allowed before (say) 2015 to the fascist/totalitarianism that exists today. Your explanation of how Twitter is used to create a story, cultivate and propagate the narrative, and then let it rain down on all of us as unchallengeable truth is like peaking behind the curtain at the Wizard of Oz. You are challenged repeatedly, “Show me a specific example”. And your weary response, “It is everywhere! I am drowning in it, and you are asking me to show you a frigging raindrop.”
You have painted a portrait of the risks we face that are undeniable. The White House is watching. Apple is threatening. Twitter-verse and the media are baying at the moon. An outsized government response is needed. It is absolutely not hyperbole to say that the future of America and Democracy is on the line…and that Elon Musk has put himself and Twitter squarely in the firing line. You have shown us the battle lines. Now what?
Well then…let’s call their bluff and bust the narrative. Let Musk atone! If Elon and Twitter are to be watched by the political class, then let it happen in the theatre in which all such things happen. I hereby ask that Elon Musk be called before the appropriate House and/or Senate oversight committees in the US Congress. Give him the platform to articulate his vision, our vision, the US Constitution’s vision of freedom of speech. Let the slippery definitions of “hate speech” and “misinformation” be debated there. Musk has teased and promised transparency for things behind the curtain at Twitter. Let him pull back that curtain on live TV. Let him reveal the one-sided nature of the content moderation that we all know has been there. Let him demonstrate what censorship looks like in practice by disclosing just how the Hunter laptop was memory-holed. Let him.
Unfortunately, I think the Democrats are too cowardly and too smart to bring Elon into the US Senate. He would make them look like the craven and despotic fools that they are. Likewise, I fear the establishment GOP might be too careless or clueless to recognize this opportunity to bust the narrative by bringing him into the US House.
But if it were to happen, I think it would be fun. I think it would prove enlightening. I think it might be inspiring. Might I even dream that it could be a pivot in US history? Yeah, I hope.
C’mon Congress, bring Elon in for a debate. I double-dog dare you.
“Welcome to the fight, Mr. Musk. This time, I know our side will win. “
I don’t have words to express how deeply I hope you are right.
It’s not possible that the people leading this, and most of their followers, do not understand what they have become. Only a few have had the courage and fortitude to not only reject it, but also to call it out. Sasha, Glenn, Tulsi come to mind.
Hey Sasha, thank-you again for another insightful and compelling essay. I am amazed you have been able to fight this well for so long. It must be exhausting and discouraging at times. I have read the comments also; they indicate great appreciation for your talent also. You are educating and giving hope to many of us.
The Ali Velshi interview, wow. So Musk only wants free speech for those who agree with him. I only know of one account he's blocked, and that was Kathy Griffin, and she was "pretending" to be Musk. *And* she got her account back.
The ease with which these people lie is disturbing, but more disturbing is the ease with which people believe them.
What's scary to me is how many people just happily go along with the narrative. I guess you'd say it's because they don't hear a dissent from that narrative that isn't misrepresented and lampooned. But even still, in my head all it should really take is a little critical thinking to start questioning some things, and pretty soon it unravels. But after this last election i've lost a lot of faith in people. Priorities are completely out of whack.
We need more brave (rich) freedom fighters.
Sasha...you are the best here! Your Trump article was the best I've ever read...pls keep it up....when I read you I have hope!
Tom
I hope Elon knows about Mattias Desmet. He would be a great advisor.
I have a friend who is an actor who has been in a lot of stuff you all would know. He's barely D-list, but he's had lines/characters in some pretty big shows. That said, he only has a few thousand followers. His Twitter presence the past few years has simply been Democratic talking points. Everything is political except when he's self promoting a show he is on.
Over the summer we had him and his wife over and got to talking -- I had said to my wife I was going to avoid politics not because I disagree with his per se but mostly because I can't stand discussing it anymore. We were having a nice afternoon until he asked why I wasn't posting on Twitter anymore. I explained that it made me feel bad about life, about things I used to like/love in pop culture and how it's too political for me.
His wife swatted him and said, "see! this is what I'm telling you!" and went on about how his Twitter activity has made him manic and how he hates all the things he used to love (including acting). This led to a bigger conversation about how he as a straight white male character actor can't get roles like he used to even with all the credits he had to his name. He was basically relegated to doing self tapes in their bathroom because casting directors who used to call him in for stuff stopped calling. He was upset about the loss of his livelihood.
I couldn't hold it in anymore and I said, "Well dude, you're out there online all day stumping for the people who want you to go away and not get parts anymore." He sat back and exhaled, "I know, but if I don't support the Democrats publically my chances of getting cast in anything are zero". This is a real conversation folks -- I'm not amping up the drama.
He began to tell me he wanted to get on the DM list that circulates filled with Democratic celebs on Twitter because that's the list you want to be on. People like Debra Messing, Alyssa Milano, Patton Oswalt, Mark Ruffalo, Judd Apatow, etc. He claims there is a list where they receive talking points from the Democratic party and decide on that day's topics. I have no idea if this even exists and if it does Elon should have access to the DM's and he should expose it.
My friend then told me he waits to see what topic those actors are pushing that day and then he retweets them in the hopes it elevates him in their eyes. Like Patton Oswalt is going to see some rando actor on Twitter who has been in a few things and will call up a studio head and shout, "Hire this man immediately!" The thought behind why he needs to amplify their voices is insane. It's not necessarily that he agrees with the outrage/topic du jour, it's he wants to be discovered as being on their team and that will hopefully allow him to get more work again.
Just sitting there my wife and I were dumbfounded because hearing someone talk about how important their Twitter presence was to their career prospects sounded completely insane. This is a normal guy with some acting talent who is obsessed with parroting Democratic talking points in the hopes he lands a role on a TV series again.
Since Elon has taken over my actor friend has written around 10 posts that are his goodbye Twitter posts -- then he shows up 24-36 hours later retweeting Democratic talking points and eventually posts another "Goodbye Twitter" post. His behavior on there is not healthy or okay. And guys, this is a normal person in real life -- I try not to judge him for this because he's bought into this bubble and thinks if he leaves it he won't get work anymore because the Democratic big brother/sister gatekeeping Hollywood jobs is always watching him and his few thousand followers.
Twitter has been a plague. It's made nice people like my friend insane. If you can get him off talking about politics and Twitter he's actually fun to be around, but once the topic becomes politics and Twitter it's like talking to a completely different person.
And yes, he has replaced Trump with Musk as the party demanded. He has listed his username on Vine, Mastodon, etc. as the party demanded.
I hope Elon can hold firm. Apple and Google are going to abandon Twitter. Disney will stop advertising there too. They're going to be pressured to freeze him out in the hopes of hurting him financially that he sells it back to one of them at a loss and they can go back to the echo chamber. Because don't believe for a second they are okay mentally or physically without Twitter -- the left are hooked on it and they are still there. They're just afraid to post a lot because they think Big Brother/Big Sister is watching and will cancel them for supporting the platform. The only thing they are allowed to do on there right now is to bash Elon and say "Goodbye Twitter, it's been fun!" despite the fact that nothing there has changed. The only hate speech I've noticed is aimed at Elon.
That clip from Network with Ned Beatty remains quite possibly, my favorite scene from any movie from all time (except of course for the scene from Fritz the Cat..."awww Fritz...you aint BLACK enough..." ). I certainly loved the "I'm mad as hell" scene as much as anyone else, but the the Ned Beatty scene...absolutely unrivaled. Flawless. Sickening.
Great piece again today. PLEASE keep up the good work. Vigilance, as they say...
Sasha - another great work. I absolutely love seeing this community of readers grow. Your work is worth the price of admission alone but the comments section is priceless. While some think this might just be an echo chamber, I view it as pure validation. Many of us have been a minority in a sea of blue. Unable to openly speak or capable of articulating what, or how we feel. This is the best Substack subscription ever! Thank you
Great insight Sasha. Allow me to offer an adjacent perspective. Twitter has been in cahoots with our beloved government for over a decade toppling Ghadaffy and Mubarak; Twitter has no content, just moderators which is very expensive. No content = no cashflow, therefore, in considering the government partnerships of the past we have to assume they are using government servers. Could this be why the blowback is so high-energy? Me thinks so...
For all of his faults, the one public service Trump provided was supplying the stimulus for the left to let the mask slip.
Having tasted the power of censorship, they sure as hell ain't gonna give it up.
Great post Sasha.
I rejoined Twitter after Elon purchased it, and have been having a blast. I'm trying to be balanced in what I like and follow, because I don't want to end up in an echo chamber, but I'm having a hard time finding many rational thinkers on the left. I'd appreciate any suggestions anyone has.
Also, Elon is a riot. Too bad I missed Trump because I imagine he was fun too.