Here's an interview with Andrew Torba, the founder and CEO of Gab:
https://gab.com/a/posts/104513059000963373
People can listen to the same interview here (starts at approximately 12:30):
https://play.acast.com/s/theglennbeckprogram/d92f2196-c5ec-11ea-909a-2313c0b613e5
Gab is an alternative to Twitter and similar social media. Torba is a conservative Christian.
It's maddening how Gab and even Torba as a person have been treated by big tech and others. I fear Torba is right that we're only a step or two away from the Bible being considered hate speech by the left. Same goes for what conservative Christians say online. If that happens, then it's possible to see (for example) a conservative church website or an apologetics ministry "canceled" by big tech and having to face all the sorts of battles Torba and Gab have faced. I guess "social justice" doesn't apply "equally" to conservatives.
This interview took place on July 14, 2020. Of course, things have only gotten worse since then.
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ReplyDeleteIt is bonkers. I saw the title of an article that went along the lines of "I joined four right-wing sites, look what I found!" Yes, and? Did you calculate percentages to draw a meaningful conclusion? If a conservative dies, everyone rejoices on Twitter. When Scalia went the left cheered. People call for Trump's death. So, shut down Twitter? David Woods also posted a video of all the shows up easily on Twitter, which I won't quote exactly, but vaguely hint at
ReplyDelete#Hiterwasright
#kill (dark-skinned people)
#burn (same as above)
#kill (people like Ben Shapiro who wear that little hat)
#killRepublicans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h3ItqVqsJM&ab_channel=Acts17Apologetics
Hate speech is a hollow word that lets you put in whatever you want. It was like the assault in assault weapons ban. What's that? Is that a technical term? No, it wound up being guns or things you put on guns that look scary. Barrel shrouds, so you don't burn yourself, very assaulty...
Oh yeah, it's completely hypocritical. A double standard. If Twitter applied their "policies" that they used to cancel Trump to themselves, then Twitter would have to cancel Twitter! But of course they don't.
DeleteAlso, consider if Twitter, Facebook, Apple, Amazon et al can "cancel" the President, then why couldn't they "cancel" any other individual? For example, I heard leftists recently kept Laura Loomer from basic things like hailing a cab and getting food delivered to her.
I just looked up her briefly. She really shouldn't have given herself the label Islamophobe (which, while not in the dictionary used by chrome, other words like Islamophobia are), you let your opponent win by accepting their terms. David Wood is talking about how his videos are flagged, removed, or demonetized, but even ex-Muslims deal with it. ApostateProphet, who knows what Islam is like from the inside, apparently has an irrational fear of it.
DeleteRobert Spencer (the friendly one, not the *actual* white supremacist) is banned from the UK. For not saying something untrue, mind you.
DeleteGood points, TFC!
DeleteAs we know, Islam is another big concern. Rep. Ilhan Omar has said tons of "violence inciting" sorts of words (such as her many varieties of anti-Semitism) but Twitter doesn't have a problem with her. In fact, she has Twitter's blessing!
And here's our leftist totalitarian du jour, Alex Stamos, speaking on CNN: "We have to turn down the capability of these Conservative influencers to reach these huge audiences...There are people on YouTube for example that have a larger audience than daytime CNN." Source
A key problem (among others) is that many or most Americans are strongly influenced by pop culture - film, television, podcasts, music, literature, sports, and so on.
ReplyDeleteNow, I don't have a problem with any of these things, in and of themselves, per se. There can be good film, music, etc.
However, many or most Americans spend an inordinate amount of time imbibing pop culture and often at the cost of other things in life including the most important things of all - God, his word, his people. Jason Engwer has written a lot about this so I'd refer people to what he has written.
In any case, my point isn't that we should spend less time on pop culture and more time with God, even though I do think that's true for many people. Rather my point is that culture including pop culture has the power to shape minds, and the left has been winning the culture wars, and hence the left has been the ones largely shaping the minds of many Americans to be more receptive to leftist values.
As I've heard some conservatives say: culture is upstream from politics. People will vote for this or that political position or policy or law if they've already had their minds changed by what they feed on in the pop culture.
As such, it's not necessarily enough to diminish or even to abstain from, say, leftist film and music, though I think it'd be a net good if people did. Bad or even evil culture will always exist. What we need to do is replace bad culture with good culture. Consider what people like Ben Shapiro are doing - creating conservative cultural content.
If we can create more quality conservative Christian literature, music, film, and so forth, then that's a way to shape minds. Emphasis on the word "quality". Unfortunately, there's a lot of shlocky Christian cultural content.
That wasn't always the case. Consider past masters like John Bunyan, C. S. Lewis, and several others that Steve once wrote about in his series "A twice-told tale".
Today I've heard Andrew Peterson is doing good work in his Wingfeather Saga. Likewise resources like Story Warren, Kingdom Pen, and the Rabbit Room might be useful to check out.
I just hope to see (for example) a Christian director on par with Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Alfonso Cuarón, David Fincher, etc.
I can't encourage anyone interested in the sorts of topics in this thread and many of the other "culture" threads to purchase and read "The Rise and Trimph of the Modern Self" by Carl Trueman.
DeleteEverything we're talking about *today* has been on the rise and spreading like a slow-motion COVID-19 since at least the French Revolution.
Conservative thinkers *won't* stem the tide by offering more, or better quality content, or through debate, philosophy or reason, or even by creating and saturating alternative media platforms. There will always be some market of course for dissident/alternative voices. This even exists in places like Iran, China, and North Korea, but it's the equivalent of a mouse nipping at a lion. Generally impotent, fruitless, and pointless.
There is a *systemic* problem.
There is a giant, well orchestrated conspiracy.
But the root cause isn't what most people think. The systemic problem is sin, the conspiracy is spiritual wickedness in the form of thrones and dominions who seek to ensnare souls and lead them to hell, the cause is the Fall, and the *only* solution is the regeneration of souls by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
We're often guilty of whacking at the leaves of evil while never striking a blow at the root. I think the enemy is gleefully, giddily aware of this and laughs in his sleeve at the lack of shrewdness of the sons of light.
Thanks, CD. So you didn't like Trueman's book? I haven't read it, but curious to hear your take on it.
DeleteOf course, sin is always the fundamental problem in virtually all our social ills. But I'd never say we shouldn't share the gospel, teach the Bible, evangelize, etc. at the same time we create good cultural content. These aren't mutually exclusive. A Christian can be like Andrew Peterson who shares the gospel, creates good music, and writes good children's books, for example.
"Can't recommend enough", *not* "can't recommend"...typo.
DeleteAh, got it! Thanks, CD.
DeleteSpeaking of Carl Trueman, here's a recent article Trueman wrote for TGC on Charles Taylor:
Deletehttps://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/avenues-faith-charles-taylor
This is true for a lot of sites, but thankfully there are still places on the web where alternative points of view are taken seriously and not dismissed. I found a really good debate site recently called kialo.com where there's virtually no ad hominem or cancelling. I've been contributing to apologetics discussions there and I'd highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Unknown, for mentioning kialo.com! And good to hear you're a contributor too.
DeleteThank you, if you go on there you'll find my username is ken437. I'm looking for more people to contribute to my apologetics discussions on there and I thought this would be a good place to look.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ken! I'll look for you on there. I don't have an account with this name (yet) but if I do then I'll let you know (probably here unless there's a way to let you know there). Thanks again, Ken, especially for your engagement in apologetical issues and discussions with others!
DeleteNo problem!
ReplyDeleteHere's an eye-opening interview with an anonymous Amazon (AWS) cybersecurity engineer about Amazon:
ReplyDeletehttp://logicmag.io/commons/inside-the-whale-an-interview-with-an-anonymous-amazonian/