Dear Conservatives: Stop Treating Alex Jones Like a Martyr

FILE- In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks outside of the Dirksen building of Capitol Hill after listening to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on 'Foreign Influence Operations and Their Use of Social Media Platforms' on Capitol Hill in Washington. Twitter is permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Jones and his “Infowars” show for abusive behavior. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE- In this Sept. 5, 2018, file photo conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks outside of the Dirksen building of Capitol Hill after listening to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on ‘Foreign Influence Operations and Their Use of Social Media Platforms’ on Capitol Hill in Washington. Twitter is permanently banning right-wing conspiracy theorist Jones and his “Infowars” show for abusive behavior. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File).

Advertisement

It always strikes me as odd when the same individuals petitioning for Jack Phillips’ ability to make his own business decisions are eager to deny the same to everyone across the board.

The best example of said discrepancy can be found in the reactions to Twitter’s permanent ban of conspiracy theorist and general red-faced lunatic, Alex Jones. On Friday, the purveyor of the putrid along with his site, InfoWars, was kicked off of the social media platform, much to the disdain of many on the alt-right who foolishly love his sickening schtick.

Best of all, those who supposedly prize freedom believe the ability to post on a social media platform is related to the First Amendment protection of free speech. This may come as a disappointing shock, but the two are not connected. The First Amendment is designed to protect you and your speech from governmental intervention through the passage of laws that would infringe upon this precious liberty. It has absolutely nothing to do with a private company’s ability to make their own decisions about how to run their business. This extends to sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and the like.

Apparently, though, the same people who drone on about the absurdity of the entitlement mindset are somehow quick to believe that Alex Jones has a “right” to a social media platform. News flash: he isn’t entitled to any such use. Neither are you. Neither am I.

Advertisement

If you would like a better, slicker, more inclusive social media platform, go make one. Now. Go do it. What’s stopping you? The free market certainly is not. If you’re disgusted by Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, step out in an attempt to make a competing site that you feel does not target anyone for any reason whatsoever. Others have started censor-free sites like Gab and Minds. So where’s yours?

Then again, conservatives would have to be deeply concerned with things like the tech industry to make a dent. They’d have to stop treating higher education and Silicon Valley as wastelands that they should never encroach upon. Instead of whining like safe space Lefties, they should soldier on through academia (it can be done!) and try to impact the environments where they feel underrepresented. If conservatives wish to change these areas for the better, they need to start showing up.

Unfortunately, we have a president who is obsessed with inserting himself into every sort of similar situation. We see it when he sounds off about the NFL. The same goes for his general disdain of companies that make their own rules and may exclude individuals like Alex Jones. As I wrote at Washington Examiner before Alex Jones and InfoWars were removed from Twitter, government censorship is never the answer. The same holds true now after they’ve been scrubbed from the site.

Advertisement

As my colleague Brandon Morse wrote, Twitter still allows Louis Farrakhan, pro-Hamas, and other vile and downright evil accounts to remain active. Is this a frustrating double-standard? Undoubtedly. It also does not mean we should ask for the government to intervene. It also does not mean Twitter is unjustified in their removal of Alex Jones and InfoWars.

If I defend Jack Phillips’ ability to deny customers a cake because of religious objection, then I should absolutely support the business decisions of Twitter, even if I disagree with the political positions of its CEO. To do one and not the other is hypocrisy, and both the Left and the Right are guilty of this very thing.

Good news! Those who slurp up the poison that Alex Jones spews forth on a daily basis only need to open a new tab in their browser and head on over to www.infowars.com. He’s there. You’re free to access content about gay frogs and dive deeper into such meaningful subjects like, “Sandy Hook Didn’t Happen.” What a true conservative hangout.

I can’t stand Alex Jones and his lies, but I will defend his right to free speech and its protection from governmental intervention.

Advertisement

But dear conservatives, this isn’t it.

Kimberly Ross is a senior contributor at RedState and a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Recommended

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on RedState Videos