Last night we told you the Associated Press reported that Elon Musk has “long used Twitter to attack those who disagree with him,” and the AP apparently thought there was a “gotcha” to be had in comparing that to the reason Musk wants to own the social media platform:
Elon Musk boasts that he’s acquiring Twitter to defend freedom of speech. But he has long used the platform to attack those who disagree with him.https://t.co/qhgm1zQOkz
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 11, 2022
Steven Crowder is among those somewhat baffled by that take:
So @ElonMusk is engaging in… free speech? https://t.co/voiBubi99t
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) May 12, 2022
And so is almost everybody else:
I actually feel embarrassed *for* you 🤦🏻♂️
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) May 11, 2022
The AP tried so hard.
Hey, @AP, do you guys own a dictionary?
free·dom of speech
/ˌfrēdəm əv ˈspēCH/noun: freedom of speech; plural noun: freedoms of speech
1the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint."the move would further harm freedom of speech in the region"— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) May 11, 2022
The fact that somebody at the AP thought that was some sort of “gotcha” is quite amazing.
I see yesterday was Let Your Toddler Run Social Day at the AP https://t.co/QUd1fCaO5K
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 12, 2022
Proof that the @AP doesn’t actually understand what “free speech” means 😂 you can’t make this idiocy up. https://t.co/Or4Tuay7Y2
— RealMatKoenig (@RealMatKoenig) May 12, 2022
The very definition of a self-contradictory statement, showing how lost and pro-censorship some aspects of the Media are👇🏽 https://t.co/QvbDlG4rM1
— Suneel Dhand MD – MedStoic Lifestyle Medicine (@DrSuneelDhand) May 12, 2022
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Speaking of contradictions, this part of the AP story (which is also part of the headline for the story) is ripe with irony and self-unawareness:
But if the 50-year-old Musk’s gambit has made anything clear it’s that he thrives on contradiction.
Musk boasts that he’s acquiring Twitter to defend freedom of speech. But he has long used the platform to attack perceived foes who dare to disagree with him.
He is supremely confident in his own judgment and abilities. But he has openly acknowledged vulnerabilities, disclosing his angst over a breakup in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone and telling a Saturday Night Live audience last year that he was the show’s first host with Asperger’s syndrome.
In this case, the AP saying Musk “thrives on contradiction” is some weapons-grade projection.
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