#41: Censorship is the Word
Thanks to the companies that still stand for free speech, including Substack.
Hello All,
Happy Friday! We’ll jump right into it today.
The Daily Wire published a story covering an interview with U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, on MSNBC that aired on Tuesday. In this interview, Murthy suggested that private companies (particularly big tech) had “an important role to play” in limiting the spread of “misinformation” - which of course, sounds a lot like censorship. From The DW:
“What do you think are the best ways to push back on misinformation about COVID that continues to be aggressively pushed, whether it be Joe Rogan’s podcast or all over Facebook?” the host asked Murthy, according to The Blaze.
“We can have the best science available, we can have the best public health expertise available. It won’t help people if they don’t have access to accurate information,” the Biden-appointed surgeon general answered, adding, “People have the right to make their own decisions, but they also have the right to have accurate information to make that decision with.”
Big Tech companies, Murthy said, have an “important role to play” since they are the “predominant places where we’re seeing misinformation spread.”
“This not just about what the government can do,” he emphasized, “this is about companies and individuals recognizing that the only way we get past misinformation is if we are careful about what we say and use the power that we have to limit the spread of misinformation.”
Sometimes, it’s difficult to fathom just how BAD things are in terms of free speech and honest debate. The U.S. Surgeon General openly alluding to big tech “limiting the spread of misinformation” - i.e., censoring anything that runs counter to the official government narrative, no matter how much evidence there is to support such claims - is about as bad as it gets.
We don’t pretend to know all the answers on this blog (unlike many in the government). Heck, the reason I started writing was to share information that I found compelling and explore questions that the “official narrative” had failed to answer over the course of a year and a half. But I can tell you one thing, after 40 posts of COVID-mania… the science is FAR from settled. The government’s definition of “accurate information” has changed drastically over 22 months. So much so that people were cancelled/censored in the past for saying things that the CDC or other official sources openly acknowledge now (just ask Alex Berenson).
Speaking of Mr. Berenson, the calls for censorship don’t stop with the Surgeon General and big tech. Even this very outlet, Substack, is under attack - and he knows it.
“Substack is clearly under pressure right now,” Alex Berenson writes in his post from early Thursday, before sharing his trust in Substack (as well as his Telegram channel as a backup).
The pressure he refers to comes in the form of attacks from the media and various personalities for giving an outlet to “conspiracy-theorists” and “anti-vaccine content.” So much so that Substack offered a response - and reiterated the company’s belief in open discourse.
Folks, this is the United States of America - I grew up with the saying, “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This used to mean something in America. Free speech was the foundation of a free country. It wasn’t always comfortable, and it wasn’t always easy. But everyone knew (at least we used to know) what censorship might lead to. We’re seeing it today, sadly.
And in 2022, it appears many not only support censorship - but call on others to carry it out.
Joe Rogan is intimately familiar with this - his podcast on Spotify has been the subject of great controversy as of late. Though for now, he seems to have pulled out a victory over Neil Young - the latest to call for his censorship.
Free speech is under attack, of that there is no doubt. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined things could get so dicey, so quickly. But there are many speaking out in support of companies like Spotify and Substack, who thus far have endured the calls to censor and cancel. Bret Weinstein of the DarkHorse Podcast (the source of the first interview I saw with Dr. Malone and Steve Kirsch… the one that started it all for me!) said it best:
For now, let us give thanks to the companies that continue to stand for freedom. It may sound dramatic, but without them, democracy in the west would be in a very uncomfortable place.
As for me, I appreciate the ability to share my thoughts, questions and findings with all of you. If I wanted to keep things to myself, I’d be scribbling in a journal. But that’s why I’m on here! So thank you, Substack. Because of you… there will be more to come from the Dude with Decency blog. And *when* we get out of this mess (yes, I’m being optimistic on a Friday)… we can all reflect on this whole experience with censorship and coercive public health mandates and vow never to repeat it again.
Thanks for reading!
-G