With Russia once again posing a huge geopolitical threat (right, Barack?), it’s been really interesting to see how, thanks in no small part to social media, things are different this time around.
In the age of Facebook and Instagram and Twitter, information spreads rapidly, despite the Russian government’s best efforts to contain and counteract it. And that’s a good thing.
So here’s a thought:
Someone should dig up old Putin tweets from when he was 16… only way to end this now
— Ahmed Al Assliken (@assliken) February 28, 2022
Why haven’t we just tried to cancel Putin yet? It’s a tried-and-true method that’s been used to silence all kinds of people who, for whatever reason, have been deemed insufficiently woke. Hell, there was a very successful movement to get Donald Trump canceled from Twitter over mean tweets and alleged mis- or disinformation. Trump offended some people, and now he’s gone! Thank goodness!
As long as we're arguing over who loves Putin, I note that he still has a Twitter account while Trump does not.
— Anna James Zeigler (@ajzeigler) February 28, 2022
It’s true:
The Russian government actually maintains multiple Twitter accounts.
There’s a whole lotta potential for misinformation and disinformation to be disseminated. A lotta opportunities for a thug government to threaten and try to intimidate critics. And yet Twitter has allowed the Kremlin not only to persist, but to flourish on their platform.
Vladimir Putin’s government is literally waging war on a country they unlawfully and unethically invaded, and he gets to keep his Twitter accounts.
The @KremlinRussia_E still has their official Twitter account… As they shell population centers.
But Trump was a bridge too far.
The @Twitter policy is idiotic, and actually, down right harmful.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) February 28, 2022
Twitter’s policy, at least as they have chosen to put it into practice, is indeed idiotic and harmful. Silencing Donald Trump for being a petulant man-child while amplifying a government that has had critics murdered and is currently murdering citizens of Ukraine with zero grounds to do so.
Can we pick both of the above?
— Harold Pollack (@haroldpollack) February 28, 2022
Absolutely.
As long as we are consistent.
Twitter is not being consistent.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) February 28, 2022
Twitter has a decision to make: either the rules apply to everyone, or they apply to no one. But they can’t keep weaponizing their selective outrage and expecting us not to notice.
The Taliban, the mullahs of Iran and CCP officials also still have their official Twitter accounts.
— DFW Who Dat (@TejasSaint) February 28, 2022
@TwitterSupport enlighten us peons please. You allow a murderous dictator on your platform, but not the former President? Please explain your reasoning.
— Wokezilla (@Wokezilla4) February 28, 2022
