Column: Elon Musk takes Twitter into the sewer

Elon Musk made it official Sunday — democracy is on life assist.

For anybody who questioned what the world’s richest man had in thoughts for one of many world’s strongest social media platforms, the reply got here round 5 a.m. when Musk tweeted out a hyperlink to a vicious and false conspiracy idea to his 112 million followers on his new toy, Twitter.

I’m not going to repeat that ugly, anti-LGBTQ rubbish right here, however suffice it to say it’s a tidily packed little bit of refuse concerning the hammer assault on Paul Pelosi, who’s married to Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). It brings collectively a number of storylines of hate and conspiracy, all a part of the far-right try to topple a democracy that I personally am keen on.

And naturally, it entails the frantic worry of sexuality that has come to outline the GOP.

By the way in which, that counterfeit ethical panic about whom we love and the way we establish has lengthy been utilized by fascists and white supremacists to rally the lots. So let’s not faux that is only a wealthy dude’s opinion. There’s extra to the story, as Mr. Musk claims — it’s simply not the story he’s speaking about.

Musk, who tried to cowl himself by saying the idea was a “tiny chance,” has since deleted his submit. Nonetheless, it’s being reposted throughout social media platforms and channels — QAnon ones, Nazi ones, ones espousing a violent civil battle. However these echo chambers are much less vital that what simply occurred on Twitter, with its skill to unfold falsehoods worldwide in seconds.

An unmoderated Twitter often is the tipping level of democracy if we don’t do one thing shortly. Inside 24 hours of Musk taking on the positioning, using the n-word elevated 500%, in keeping with the Community Contagion Analysis Institute — although Musk claims its moderation insurance policies haven’t but modified. Hate has discovered its residence, in the course of our public sq..

I’m a agency free speech supporter. There are not any easy options right here, however this could’t be a again burner challenge for presidency any longer. The midterms are days away, and violence is already anticipated. Musk’s tweet reveals that Twitter has turn out to be a prepared participant in feeding the machine of propaganda and lies that’s driving some to imagine violence is justified.

As professor Brian Levin, director of the Middle for the Examine of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, informed me Sunday after I interrupted him strolling his canine on the seashore, “Firms have the appropriate to determine their phrases of operation, however when some are so huge and influential, it’s vital that they act with a way of civic accountability. And if not, the legislation ought to regulate them to the extent it may be performed with out violating the first Modification.”

Levin added, “The brand new normal bearer of the corporate is setting the tone that Twitter might be a spot the place misinformation and focused rumors can flow into with the approval of the person backstage.”

Musk, after all, didn’t give you this conspiracy idea himself. I watched it take form in actual time within the minutes after the assault — it took solely minutes. The best-wing machine that’s intent on demonizing and dehumanizing anybody blocking its march to authoritarianism kicked into excessive gear as quickly because the information broke {that a} 42-year-old man wielding a hammer had damaged into the Pelosis’ San Francisco residence shouting, “The place’s Nancy?”

The Home speaker was in Washington, D.C., however her 82-year-old husband was residence. Paul Pelosi was courageous and fast considering, surreptitiously calling 911. A sensible dispatcher despatched assist, regardless that Pelosi was unable to freely communicate concerning the state of affairs along with his attacker there. Police arrived two minutes later and witnessed Pelosi fighting the intruder, whom police recognized as David DePape, over the hammer. The intruder obtained the device and began bashing Pelosi, who underwent cranium surgical procedure however is predicted to get better.

That story elicited glee from some. After I wrote about it on Saturday, a reader named Steve (he gave me his final identify, however I’m not printing it) emailed me with the topic line, “I hope the person who did that is doing effectively.”

Steve continued, “I solely want that Pelosi was there on the opposite finish of that hammer!”

Steve wasn’t the one particular person in favor of killing our flesh pressers, and Musk wasn’t the one outstanding particular person to dive headlong into the sewer of hate.

The memes and so-called witticisms had been almost unavoidable, many starting with some variation of “It could be too quickly, however …” as if the tried assassination of essentially the most highly effective feminine politician in America was one huge joke.

Arizona Republican lawmaker Wendy Rogers tweeted a “Halloween costume” of a scarf with a hammer poised to hit the wearer’s head.

Former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, the “sage from South Central,” as he payments himself, wrote: “Too, quickly? Poor, Paul Pelosi. First, he’s busted for DUI, after which will get attacked in his residence. Hammered twice in six months.”

The story that Musk retweeted additionally got here from near residence: The Santa Monica Observer, owned by one-time Metropolis Council candidate David Ganezer. The editorial board of this paper has referred to as out that publication for “publishing false information,” together with that Hillary Clinton had died and {that a} physique double had taken her place in a debate with Donald Trump.

What makes feedback like Musk’s so alarming is that denial is a key a part of the far-right technique, and one which adherents discover enjoyable and empowering. Nothing is ever their fault. Nothing is ever what it appears.

It couldn’t probably be that DePape had been pushed to extremes by a firehose food plan of lies — all laid out on his private weblog, the place he ranted towards transgender folks and Jewish folks, and mucked round in conspiracies, together with that an alien race of lizards has infiltrated society, albeit largely Democrats.

It needed to be one thing else, one thing the far-right finds abhorrent, even evil. Musk’s submit was in response to Hillary Clinton, one of many far-right’s most hated figures. Clinton had tweeted Saturday, attaching a Occasions article about DePape’s on-line ravings: “The Republican Get together and its mouthpieces now recurrently unfold hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It’s stunning, however not stunning, that violence is the end result. As residents, we should maintain them accountable for his or her phrases and the actions that observe.”

When the wealthy, highly effective and influential turn out to be peddlers of anti-democratic ammunition, they turn out to be harmful to democracy. Musk, in a word to advertisers final week, wrote, “Twitter clearly can’t turn out to be a free-for-all hellscape, the place something could be mentioned with no penalties.”

However then he made it simply that.

If we don’t maintain Musk and others like him accountable now, we might not have the prospect.