The way so many people on the Left talk about him, you’d think Elon Musk posed some kind of existential threat to everything Americans hold dear.
When he announced his intentions to buy Twitter, the lefty meltdowns were swift and many. As an apparent free speech absolutist, Musk would potentially turn Twitter into a platform where people could say whatever they want to whomever they want. And that would not only be scary, but downright anti-science!
We guess. New Scientist, the self-appointed “best place to find out what’s new in science,” has a new piece by scifi and nonfiction writer Annalee Newitz all about the dangers of believing that freedom of speech is about free speech:
https://twitter.com/newscientist/status/1529856187595898880
Alas, the article is behind a paywall. So much for free speech, huh? Oh well. Between the tweet and the first couple of paragraphs, New Scientist has given us enough to work with:
LAST month, Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, was about to buy Twitter. He lined up financing for the bonkers $44 billion price tag. Then, he backed off. At the time of writing, he has whiplashed to saying the deal is “not out of the question” if the price comes down.
The whole sequence of events was corporate melodrama at its finest, but it was also an object lesson in how a myth unique to the US about free speech has shaped Silicon Valley media companies.
What gives you the right to say that? https://t.co/N48FzWhfRZ
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) May 26, 2022
Fair question.
Science outlet. https://t.co/YfwKiXmRnK
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) May 26, 2022
Sounds like #science just went out the window.
— James Perales (@JamesPerales) May 26, 2022
Sounds like New Scientist isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
Old Scientist would be pretty appalled right now.
New Scientist: You shouldn't be allowed to say things that offend or alarm people.
Galileo: https://t.co/txk3D4HfB5 pic.twitter.com/CNyH6nEG64
— Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) May 26, 2022
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Science owes a great deal to freedom of speech.
And New Scientist owes us an apology for subjecting us to such a stupid take.
FFS scientists are the last ones who should be working on political opinions. Go find me some data- that's your job! https://t.co/Qxgz4k3b32
— Girl From Mars (@sugarglider55) May 26, 2022
The idea that we should ever take New Scientist seriously going forward is a fallacy.
We’ll close with the first tweet in a thread you’ll want to read. This thread is a lot more insightful than anything you’re going to find in New Scientist:
To understand why a magazine dedicated to science is advocating for censoring free speech we need to talk about the German cat 🧵/1 https://t.co/AqxlhezC5r
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) May 26, 2022
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