Elon Musk and the great fear of free speech
The most striking thing about Musk and Twitter is the demented reaction to it. Musk himself is not going to singlehandedly restore the hard fought-for liberty to utter. It will take more than online ventures by a contrarian billionaire to turn back the tide of censorship, cancellation and social shaming for wrong-think that have become such a key and horrid feature of Anglo-American political life. Musk's plan for Twitter is sensible, not revolutionary. It is 'important to the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence', he said in his note of reassurance to advertisers yesterday. That town square should not be a 'hellscape', he said, where 'anything can be said with no consequences. A town square, you say? With people talking? Fetch my smelling salts.