Tik-Tok Tick Tock
The clock is ticking! We have to ban free speech we don't like to save free speech. We have to ban privately owned companies we don't like to save privately owned companies.
I don’t have a lot to say about the U.S. House of Representatives thinking it’s their responsibility to “parent” Americans by giving the U.S. President the power to decide that a company has “foreign influence” and should be banned, sold, or shut down.
Well, I do have a lot to say about it. But I’m going to try and be brief here.
Personally, I have never used Tik-Tok but I know quite a few adults that do, and they should have the option to continue using Tik-Tok.
The justification for this “Patriot Act” for Tik-Tok is that evil China is using it to propagandize and “spy” on Americans.
If indeed we must worry so much about China, wouldn’t you think we would start by banning a few other things first?
How about the thousands of Chinese “migrants” that are sneaking in across the Mexican border? All fighting age men, very few (if any) women, and no children?
How many Americans know that *most* of our pharmaceuticals, including a lot of supplements are “Made in China”?
What about the thousands and thousands of acres of American farm land that China has been allowed to purchase?
What about all the so-called “food” we buy from China? Has anyone picked up a package of Talapia fish? It’s very hard to find any that isn’t from China. Do we really need to buy fish from China?
How about the billions of dollars we borrow from China to prop up our fake economy?
This list, like all my others, goes on and on and on. If China is our evil enemy, then why are we doing *any* business with them? Up to, and including, letting them set up shop on American soil?
Let us also remember that almost every single app from the app store and almost every single electronic device we have in our homes have cameras, microphones, and other technology that can be turned on and used by the U.S. Government and U.S. Corporations. Has anyone actually read the terms of service and privacy policies that we so quickly “I accept”? How many of us use Alexa, Siri, or other voice activated services? Everything we say is being recorded. We are *already* being “spied” on.
By the above logic (if I’m understanding it correctly) it’s okay if the U.S. Government and U.S. Corporations spy on us (in the name of “safety”), but it’s not okay for China… who we do most of our trading with?
Something does not smell right.
I catapulted a scathing letter to our “Representative” immediately upon her yea vote for this new freedom stealing legislation. Oh, I know it probably will not matter… but I wanted her to know that I see her. I see that she is not interested in upholding the Constitution but in bowing to whatever pressures she gets from her peers and lobbyists. She’s not on the side of liberty. She’s not on the side of the people. She doesn’t believe in letting people make their own decisions and decide who to do business with. She’s not on the side of letting parents be parents.
There are millions of Americans who can no longer afford groceries. We have a huge population of U.S. Military Veterans on the street. Children are being forced into accepting puberty blockers. Modified RNA “vaccine” technology is being pushed on the public and shot into little children’s arms. 5-G radiation is being blanketed over every living thing on the planet. The oceans are filled with billions of tons of garbage (most of which is masks and other medical waste). Our food supply is tainted by chemicals. Cricket meal is now being sneakily added to our processed food products. Our medical system is in shambles because of government intrusion and overreach. Our infrastructure is falling apart. Our cities are crime infested hell holes because of “defund the police.” We are morally bankrupt. Again… I could go on and on.
But our “Representatives” have nothing better to do than ban Tik-Tok?
This should tell all of us just how far our Republic has fallen and just how inept our politicians are.
Before you jump on board and cheer your politician for banning that evil “Tik-Tok”, ask yourself: “If they can ban Tik-Tok, what will they ban next?” “What will be the next thing ‘they’ say isn’t good for me and needs to be shut down?” “When will something I like be shut down because the Government decides there’s too much ‘foreign influence’ in it?”
Just like with the Patriot Act, the TSA, and any other thing that sounded good at the time because we had been brain washed into thinking that only government can keep us safe, it *never* stops at just that one thing. It always metastasizes into something bigger and, just like cancer, is very difficult to get rid of.
Anyone who thinks that Tik-Tok is where these monsters will stop is absolutely fooling themselves.
I used to have social media (facebook, instagram and snapchat) but now I got rid of all of it --- don't have it, don't want it, don't need it and don't care for it. I was contemplating creating an alt social media to bolster my Substack reach but ultimately decided against it because "popularity" isn't my thing. To be honest, popularity was part of the reason why I made a Substack other than wanting to make a difference in the world some way, somehow; so, yes I am guilty of wanting popularity, but I saw a while back that "popularity" is not the way to go (especially if I would need to stay "connected" to my electronics 24/7/365).
As far as Tik-Tok, people have made entire careers and businesses off this platform and aside from the nonsense you can find on Tik-Tok (and every other social media platform), search hard enough and I'm sure you can find videos of people doing truly beautiful things and being their best versions of themselves.
So as you said in your article, this nonsense about foreign influence is more bullshit than bullshit itself and, to me, this is really about the "powers-that-(shouldn't)-be" trying to further control any avenues people might use to build themselves and their careers, or destroy them completely if they can't 100% control them.
Great article as usual.
More power is not going to fix problems and these companies have section 230 protection, like the telecom companies. It's not their business to censor or moderate content. We got laws against harassment, violent threats, sexual abuse etc.
There's one thing that you may not realize though. They keep on promoting that "military age" shit about immigrants.
No, that's the normal immigrant demographic for decades, they come to work and send money home.
This fighting age shit is pure fear porn.