The Censorship of Conspiracy Theorist

Alex Jones

is Regrettable but Understandable

By: Shawn Alli
Posted: October 11, 2018

alex jones infowars censorship

As one conspiracy theorist to another, I can only say to Alex Jones:

You should have seen this coming.

All social media companies are private/public companies. They are NOT purveyors of free speech. Their owners/directors have the right/power to decide what does and doesn't go on their network. Hence, Facebook, Apple, Google/YouTube, and Twitter have the right to ban the Alex Jones Show, which they did in 2018. [1]

Of course, if social media companies are deemed to be a public utility (like phone companies) then it would be another story. But until that day comes, they're private and have the right to ban any content they deem unethical/inappropriate. It may not be correct, but it's their right.

Alex Jones' complaints about censorship and free speech fall on deaf ears. Yes, free speech does mean anything goes. But social media companies never said they were defenders of free speech. They're defenders of the value of their stock and increasing their profits. That's it.

Many liberals speculate that Alex Jones wanted to get banned by pushing the envelope. Sorry, but no conspiracy theorist wants to get banned from all social media. Though some retailers don't sell David Icke books, he still has a good online/YouTube presence.

And that's the rub. While Jones will claim that censorship is coming for you, that's not true. David Icke, Simon Parkes, and Steven Greer all have a good/strong YouTube/Facebook channels. Even Mark Dice and Paul Joseph Watson still have a YouTube channel. And all of the lesser known conspiracy theorists are still uploading tons of videos to their YouTube channels. They may not be able to monetize them, but they're still able to post it and the public is still able to watch it.

And just so you know, the lesser known conspiracy theorists aren't making big money through books or videos. It's only Alex Jones and David Icke bringing in the organic whole wheat dough.

Obviously, Jones went too far in his Sandy Hook conspiracy. While some may claim that it was no different to his 9/11 claims of a false flag, saying it about dead kids is too much for most people. The public can only stomach so much. Saying dead kids didn't exist or weren't real is the line not to cross. When you encourage people to stalk grieving families, a strong backlash shouldn't come as a surprise.

You have to remember, Jones is egotistical. He feeds off of the energy/comments of his fans. And they constantly push him to the manic level. And Jones most likely feels he has to present this image every day. It's a terrible cycle. But for if you're in the mood for the lighter comedic side of Alex Jones, feel free to watch a clip compilation I made (Alex Jones Comedy 101).

But let's get back to the issue. The fact that the banning of Alex Jones happened under the Trump administration rather than Clinton administration is quite interesting. It shows that Silicon Valley has more power than the US government. Of course, this power only exists because the government allows it to exist under Section 230 of the Communications Act.

To be fair to Jones, Paypal went too far when it cut off payment services to his Infowars store. [2] And liberals know that it's going too far but turn a blind eye (like they did for WikiLeaks). [3] WikiLeaks still can't receive Paypal payments directly. They have to filter it through a charitable foundation (the Wau Holland Foundation).

Personally, I think it's too extreme for Paypal/credit card companies to take this kind of action, but they are the gatekeepers. If you don't want to play their games you'll have to invent your own payment processor.

And the same goes for conservative social media. Conservatives need their own online echo chamber. And just in case you're not in the know, echo chambers have existed for millenniums. Like-minded people form their own groups and feel good with they confirm their own beliefs. It's not rocket science, nor is it a conservative thing. Liberals do it all the time. In the past, that led to eugenics/racism and sexism in science.

Yes, the ideologies will go deeper in echo chambers, more ingrained, and difficult to deal with in the future. But that's also a reaction to liberal intolerance of free speech/uncensored free speech. I'm a West-Indian visible minority and even I support the right for racists to have their views heard. Suppressing speech that you disagree with has never resulted in that speech going away or being resolved...ever.

Liberals should take note of this. If you think that the conservative influence is bad now, wait until you see racist and sexist echo chambers that are strong and vibrant in the future. Liberals are destroying free speech on campus at their own peril.

But Jones needs to stop instigating (even though he can't). Heckling Senator Marco Rubio on live camera isn't cool. [4] To all politicians and liberals/liberal media outlets, please don't paint all conspiracy theorists with the Alex Jones brush. Most of us are not that bad (see the Conspiracy Theories 101 Series).

But aside from a different form of payment processing, there are enough conservative billionaires that can create their own social media network (Steemit and DTube are nice but wouldn't be enough).

Even if a new conservative social media network was created tomorrow, it would be difficult to manage the racism and sexism (but not impossible). Where there's a will, there's a way. The conservative/free speech community just needs a rich conservative with vision to step up to the plate.

References:

[1] Wong, Julia Carrie. Twitter permanently bans conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Guardian. September 6, 2018.

[2] Popper, Nathaniel. PayPal Cuts Off Alex Jones's Infowars, Joining Other Tech Giants. New York Times. September 21, 2018.

[3] Keller, Bill. Dealing With Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets. New York Times. January 26, 2011.

[4] Stewart, Emily. Watch: Alex Jones and Marco Rubio nearly come to blows in the Senate hallway. Vox. September 5, 2018.