in Clay's Features

Why Big Tech Bannings Are Bad For America’s Marketplace of Ideas

updated 81 Comments

Long time readers of OutKick know that above everything else, I am a First Amendment absolutist. I believe the First Amendment is our most sacred right, and I believe the marketplace of ideas — which is the natural outgrowth of our First Amendment rights — is our most important democratic asset. The marketplace of ideas is what allows all of us — left, right, independent, indifferent — to have a voice in our national debates without fear of government interference. Thanks to the marketplace of ideas, perspectives that were once minority beliefs are allowed to enter into our national discourse and potentially become majority opinions one day.

Heck, the marketplace of ideas even allows us to reach the wrong conclusion as a country — i.e. Prohibition — and then later work to reverse that decision by repealing it.

Our elections are the ultimate reflection of the marketplace of ideas. We engage in robust debate and then are allowed to head to the ballot boxes to voice our opinions on how we will be governed. Indeed, our First Amendment rights are a bedrock principle of American jurisprudence, protected by the courts, and long established to ensure none of us are punished by the government for our political beliefs.

But what happens when the marketplace of ideas becomes threatened, not by the government, but by private technology companies, all of which have grown on a massive scale and that monitor and control our national discourse in a way our government could never have done?

We have a new challenge which has not been contemplated in our legal history. Big tech companies, in many ways, are far more powerful restrictors in the marketplace of ideas than our government has ever been. And unlike our government, which is subject to the will of the American voters and to rigorous check by the courts, big technology companies have effective monopolies in their chosen marketplaces and therefore have virtually no restraints on their power right now.

Over the past week, we have witnessed the most serious threat to America’s marketplace of ideas in my lifetime. As large tech companies have acted in rapid fashion to suspend President Donald Trump’s social media accounts in the wake of last Wednesday’s protests, they have raised troubling and chilling threats to our national discourse.

Within a matter of days, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Spotify, Snapchat, Instagram, Shopify, Reddit, Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest all either banned or restricted the democratically-elected president of the United States, Donald Trump, from speaking to the country on their platforms.

You don’t have to be a supporter of Donald Trump to be terrified by the collusive power of these bannings. Heck, you can even hate everything he represents and still find this censorship repulsive.

Trump’s ban is an unbelievable example of Big Tech collusion and censorship that should terrify everyone, regardless of what you think of President Trump. The precedent that is being set here by large technology companies is an awful one: if we don’t like your speech, we will ban you. If these tech companies can do this to the president of the United States, arguably the most powerful man in the world, what can they do to you or your organization if they decide they don’t like what you are saying?

These decisions represent a massive — and monopolistic — anti-competitive and collusive choice by our nation’s most powerful technology companies. Regardless of your politics, be they Democrat, Republican, or independent, everyone should find these actions to be chilling and incredibly scary.

Let me explain what the result of these decisions will be in a way that I think everyone can understand.

Just about every American reading this article agrees that China’s censorship of its citizens’ thoughts on the Internet violates the basic principles upon which America is founded. China’s Internet wall stifles the country’s marketplace of ideas and ensures the government retains control of the opinions that are allowed to be freely expressed there.

Most Americans would rightly rebel against the idea that our own government might ever seek to censor the free exchange of thoughts in our country. It would be a flagrant violation of our own First Amendment rights. But what most Americans aren’t recognizing is this isn’t the way our speech will be restricted in this country. Our courts, at least so far, will prevent our government from taking actions that violate the First Amendment, on the Internet or elsewhere.

Instead, Big Tech companies have banned the president’s individual accounts,  attempted to suppress Parler (which I will discuss in a moment), and continued to clamp down on opinions deemed to be “unacceptable” in American life. We are now in danger of seeing the same results in American Internet life as they have in China. Instead of the government constraining the marketplace of ideas in our country, we’re seeing the Big Tech companies do it.

We’re reaching the same result as China when it comes to the Internet, just through a new pathway.

Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Twitter, et al, are all achieving the same results as China’s government. In so doing, they are providing many of the same results as China. The Big Tech thought police are afoot in this country and, sadly, they are taking actions they believe are making us safer, but which are in reality setting disastrous and terrifying precedents for the country.

Why is this able to happen?

Because big technology companies have achieved monopolistic power. When all of these Big Tech companies simultaneously reach the exact same decisions about bannings within a matter of hours or days, the default impact is just as substantial as when a government acts to suppress speech. The results are the same: ideas that would otherwise be distributed to the general public are no longer available for mass consumption.

And far from making things safer in this country, these bannings just ratchet up the anger to a higher degree, driving discussion out of public forums and underground, where it is harder to monitor and police safely. In other words, the actions of big tech companies are almost assuredly driving anger up to a higher level as opposed to ameliorating it.

Some far left wingers, suddenly fans of capitalistic marketplaces, will scream out, “The First Amendment doesn’t apply to private companies. This is how capitalism works. If you don’t like the way Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, SnapChat, Google, Amazon, Apple and (insert additional colluding tech company here) operate, you can start your own company!”

Well, that’s exactly what Parler did.

If you’re not familiar with Parler, it’s a company founded by conservatives who believe Twitter stifles discourse with arbitrary and capricious bannings, constantly trends topics to advance left-leaning perspectives, and makes fundamentally unfair company decisions.

So they started their own company, Parler. That is, they responded to what they saw as poor business decisions made by Twitter and created a new alternative in the social media marketplace. That’s how capitalism is designed to work. If you see an underserved market, you can fill it and reap the rewards.

But look at what happened to Parler in short order over the weekend: Google and Apple refused to carry its app, meaning it’s virtually impossible for new users to download it right now.

As justification for the bans, Google and Apple cited some of the comments made by users on Parler. But this is nonsensical justification. I’m on Parler. I’ve posted the same things I post on Twitter: my opinions and pictures of my family. So have millions of other people. Yes, some people “misbehave” on all social media apps. Heck, look in my Twitter mentions if you doubt this. All social media apps feature toxic content by design. Indeed, it is ironic that the same social media companies that reward emotional content then act surprised that emotional content leads to emotional results.

Blaming Parler for the U.S. Capitol incident is like blaming Twitter or Facebook for the scores of violent riots that spiraled out of BLM protests this summer. Imagine the reaction if Facebook, Twitter or Instagram had shut down liberal accounts because they were planning BLM protests on the site. People would have justifiably lost their minds and argued that the companies were picking sides. Yet here we are, a place where some violent protests are good, but some violent protests are so bad they have to be prevented from ever happening again by shutting down all Internet discourse.

There is no doubt that left-wing protests have been far more violent than right wing protests for the past six months. None at all. Hell, imagine the reaction if Donald Trump pledged to bail out anyone arrested at the Capitol. The Internet would have lost its mind. But that’s EXACTLY WHAT KAMALA HARRIS DID FOR PROTESTERS ARRESTED FOR RIOTING THIS SUMMER.

I’m not getting into whether I agree or disagree with any protester. As a First Amendment absolutist, I support everyone’s right to protest so long as those protests don’t turn violent or run afoul of the law. But to pretend the Big Tech response to violent protests has been consistent no matter the politics is patently absurd. In my opinion, the standard should be simple: the moment you break the law, you should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, whether you’re a protester or stealing a car for a joyride. But that’s not what’s happening here. It’s content-based discrimination, predicated on political viewpoints exclusively.

This wasn’t it though. After Google and Apple banned the Parler app on their devices, the place the vast majority of Americans go to download apps, Amazon stepped forward and said it would no longer allow its web hosting services to provide Parler the ability to be hosted on the Internet.

Let me repeat that. Amazon, a company founded to sell books and promote the free exchange of ideas more efficiently, effectively enacted the largest modern-day book burning in world history by shutting down Parler. Amazon’s message was clear: if we don’t like your political perspective, you have no right to reach an audience on the Internet.

This should terrify every American.

And how about Google here? Google’s pledge upon its founding was to organize all the information in the world and to do no harm. That was literally written into their corporate charter. And now they are selectively removing information they don’t like from the marketplace of ideas, which makes the information they cite less reliable. It’s a total refutation of their founders’ aims.

Apple may be even worse. Apple has specifically censored its own content to avoid offending China. The company literally said it would produce no content that upsets China. Now, they are selectively eliminating political opinions from the public discourse that they don’t like .

Honest question: how do Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Google’s Sundar Pichal, the three leaders of these companies, sleep at night? The same is true of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey. Are they aware of what their companies are doing, or are they just sleepwalking our country into a Chinese-like Internet state? Are they really this afraid of people saying bad things about them online? How is there no billionaire tech champion for free speech in the country?

It’s not courageous to do what everyone else does in times of tumult and tempest. It’s courageous to stand up for the marketplace of ideas when everyone is screaming for censorship. That’s true courage. Is there no one out there in Big Tech who will stand up and say, “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it?” Or are they all cowards?

As a result of monopolistic collusion on the part of Big Tech, Parler can no longer be downloaded, and it may soon be removed from the Internet entirely. Again, this is a modern-day technological book-burning lit afire by three of the biggest American tech companies in the world.

Instead of the government restricting speech, you have three “different” trillion dollar companies — Amazon, Google, and Apple — colluding to reach the same exact view at the same exact time. They are using their monopolistic market clout to effectively tell Parler it can’t exist. They are using their marketplace dominance not only to destroy the marketplace of ideas but to destroy the marketplace, period.

American Big Tech has become our own Frankenstein version of China.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen acts that call out for serious investigation of anti-trust law violations than these collusions by big tech companies against the president, Parler and others.

All Americans should be terrified of the power these technology companies now wield and also of how terrified our leaders are to speak out against that power for fear of being targeted themselves. Again, this should not be a partisan issue. If these precedents continue, eventually all of us, yes, including me and this website and many of you reading this right now, could be in danger of tech cancellation for “unacceptable” beliefs.

Right now, instead of battling China for world supremacy and seeking to export basic human rights around the globe, we are in danger of becoming China. Our leaders argued that opening up China to American products was going to make China more like America, but what if the reverse is true? What if China is making America more like it?

Because right now I think that’s exactly what’s happening in our country.

And most people don’t even realize it.

It’s past time to act, and it’s past time for reasonable people of all stripes and persuasions to stand up for the American marketplace of ideas and support our fundamental right to disagree. Right now, our country is obsessed with cosmetic diversity while simultaneously destroying the kind of diversity that really matters in a democracy — diversity of thought.

Without diversity of thought and a robust marketplace of ideas, we’ve built our own great Internet wall in this country that will ultimately lead us to only one place — totalitarianism.

And if you think it’s scary when people have different opinions online, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Wait until everyone “agrees” on everything.

That’s where Big Tech is leading us.

They must be stopped.

Now.

…

If you support free speech and a free Internet sign up to be an Outkick VIP today at 30% off.

Written by Clay Travis

OutKick founder, host and author. He's presently banned from appearing on both CNN and ESPN because he’s too honest for both.

81 Comments

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  3. If you read the comment sections at places like macrumors.com praising Apple for doing this then you will really get scared. How stupid a large percentage of our population is to our constitution and how willing they are to give up or take away peoples rights is amazing. They do not realize that eventually their chickens will come home to roost on their speech as well.

      • I have become a fan of cancelling the cancellers and boycotts over the past year. Until corporate America stops this nonsense it is going to continue. That’s where it all started is targeting corporate America for being a sponsor on so and so show. That’s why I joined here. I don’t see any benefit honestly other than a place to vent on the comments but I think it’s important to have voices not afraid to speak up and be different. I hate that Whitlock is gone but from what I’ve seen of the other writers they seem divergent and honest.

  4. Censorship and leftist cancel culture go hand in hand. Far-left Marxists are not afraid, they WANT this. Their agenda is power and the destruction of everything that gets in their way. That these big tech near monopolies are now complicit and actively participating tells me they are either run by leftist tyrants or are completely terrified of the mob. Where is Amazon’s board and leadership to stand up and say “no” when as reported leftist snowflake Trump haters apparently demanded Parler’s deplatform if? Yes, conservatives are angry and afraid, but so should every centrist and actual liberal, not Marxist, in America. They came for Trump first. They will come for everyone else if they are not stopped.

    • I don’t think that’s actually a viable option. Most businesses — media or otherwise — have to use social media platforms to exist as businesses.

      What you’re arguing for is a marketplace response. But if the marketplace is broken — and competitors are being stifled or shut down which doesn’t allow consumer choice to act as a check on a company’s power — the monopolistic actions continue whether you personally use the businesses or not.

      • Your points are well taken… and accurate.

        But millions are migrating off these platforms as we speak. They are going somewhere…

        The marketplace, broken as it is, is the only solution – no way to stop Big Tech censorship with Dems in control of Washington.

        • Or Republicans.

          Both are same one is just a little more crazy and Marxist than the other, but both want government power, control, and to enrich themselves and their families off the American taxpayers.

          Term limits, ability to recall every state senator, and real Americans running for office are solutions. But ability to make change with your vote is no longer a viable option now that elections are fraudulent and corrupt, and you cannot even discuss in the marketplace of free speech.

      • Clay, there is a market solution – we have to have a ground-up alternative that’s collusion-proof all the way through the supply chain. And I truly believe that’s the only solution, ie, separate but equal social media sandboxes. They can’t cancel someone who doesn’t read their posts.

        This current path isn’t sustainable – you can’t silence 75 million people raised in a free nation.

        • Nita, many have tried and have been squeeze out of the marketplace – they just deem everyone against them extremist and then their cronies such as PayPay and large banking industries ban transactions using their services.

          That basically kills off any hope true freedom loving Americans have..

      • I am off Twitter and FB now. Still have Instagram, but should kill that one too.

        But, how can I not shop at Target, Walmart, and Amazon – i’d like to stop to kick them in the ass for contributing to cancel culture of congressional members not voting to certify the election. It is the member’s choice as a part of a legal, established process to vote to certify or not. If all votes always had to be “yes” then why have a fcking vote?

        Spectrum is also one of the companies. I’d like to cancel my cable/internet account, but then what do I do? I guess get an antenna for free TV. But WTF, free TV may as well be the China Communist Party network because all I would get would be ABC, CBS, and NBC. And the taxpayer funded propaganda machine PBS.

    • If that was ever going to happen, it would have happened a long time ago.. they control the “courts” and if they happen to lose – they appeal to a democratic run courthouse and it gets overturned. Every time

  10. I used to work in tech and live in San Francisco.

    “Honest question: how do Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Google’s Sundar Pichal, the three leaders of these companies, sleep at night? ”

    They are probably celebrating this. They are true believers in what they just did.

    In SF we used to call them Silicon Stasi because the East German government used to “cancel” or make dissidents non-people. It used spying (data collection) as a way to intimidate. Show trials and public denouncements by coworkers were required for promotion. The Stasi used these tactics instead of openly violent ones like China or Russia.

    Now that they have been able to publicly cancel Parler with the approval of the Manhattan media it will only get worse. It is not an accident that they waited until after the Georgia elections to do this. They know that there is no one in Congress or White House to stop them. Only the courts are left and that is why they are considering court packing.

  11. Fantastic article, Clay. Spot on.

    As someone who runs a business almost exclusively on social media it is not only terrifying to see but hard to stomach that the ability to feed my family could be gone in an instant if we ‘step out of line’ and have the ‘wrong’ opinion. This is our reality every day. Hopefully the right will win.

  12. “American Big Tech has become our own frankenstein version of China”

    The above quote from Clay’s article is 100% accurate and it is absolutely terrifying. China monitors everything their citizens say and do. If your neighbor doesn’t like you and claims you’re a terrorist the government at their own discretion and with no transparency will lock you up. That will be us in a few years if we don’t stop this now. We will be living in a black mirror type of cancel culture

  13. Also, as to Clay’s question about how can Big Tech leaders sleep at night?

    Here is my guess: They are atheists, and I am not saying that all atheists are evil people, not at all (George Orwell I believe was an atheist and he wasn’t evil), but for these big tech atheists everything is just a game of “control and power”. Human life means nothing to them and it is only the game that matters. When they die they believe there is nothing so they do not think they will ever be held accountable. It’s all just a game that comes before eternal dreamless sleep.

  14. Great post, Clay. I’ve lived in China and experienced the other, less subtle version of a one-sided market of ideas. What is horrifying is how effective it is at stifling debate, even on non-political topics. The last week has been a horrifying view into a dystopian US. Hopefully enough people have strong enough spines to stand up and refuse the US to be beholden to 10 tech monopolies.

  16. Great write-up of the seriousness of what we just witnessed this last week. The marketplace of ideas is a horrifying place for those people with terrible ideas. Destroying the marketplace is the only way they can get terrible ideas such as identity politics and critical race theory to survive.

  19. Great column Clay. There had already been many complaints of conservatives being suppressed over the past four years, but once The NY Post story on Hunter Biden was literally cancelled throughout all media the message was sent. Nothing was off limits to keep Trump from a 2nd term. With that accomplished the left will not be satisfied until all opposition is crushed. Twitter banning Trump and the action against Parlor is only the beginning.

  20. It is frightening and what’s even more frightening is that no one on the left cares because it’s not happening to them. I would be equally outraged if voices on the other side were being silenced. American democracy is all about the free exchange of ideas. What was the point of all the big tech hearings the past year? All talk and no action.

  21. Bullseye on this article Clay! Gotta admit, I originally signed up for Outkick bc of Whitlock, and I’m bummed he’s leaving. Also I didn’t like your take on Trump conceding the election, but then you write something like this and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF!! That’s the beauty of the 1st amendment – we can disagree on some things, agree on others, and discus them without fear of reprisal. Thanks for writing such a truthful piece. Be blessed!

  24. Great article, Clay. Not sure if it’s the conviction or the reps, but this is definitely some of your best writing.

    I really hope Trump(or someone similar) starts their media empire with their own servers, and hardware(whatever that entails) very soon.

  25. Hey Everyone!

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    • Exactly neither are your friends. One party rule, the Government Ruling class.

      They just canceled the President of the United States and Government Ruling Class is patting them on the back.

      This is where I disagree with Clay, this is not private companies acting like a government this is a Government Oligarchy disguised as private companies. With 230 these “companies” are acting lock step with the government ruling class and doing the government bidding while being protected by the government under section 230. Wait until they revive “net neutrality” and run ISP as well.

  27. This is a well written and fantastic article. I asked my 9th grade daughter to read it when I got home and then we discussed it. Her first comment, “Big Tech is very hypocritical.” She also commented, “I liked how he made sure to make his case by being agnostic to a person’s political affiliation.”

    You are the voice of reason and speak the truth, which is why I am proud to be an Outkick VIP.

    I already have two t-shirts from before. Keep up the great work, Clay!

  28. Like others, I have dumped Facebook and Twitter. Instagram is next. It is imperative that we have a method to get to your content, so I’m thankful you have a VIP route since Parler is shut down and I’m no longer on the apps I used to follow you on. I just can’t, in good conscience, stay on Facebook and Twitter given their censorship and hyprocrisy.

    • note my post below…Clay, you are probably next…”Thanks much, Clay. I think the censorship has accelerated exponentially. This morning, my Parler app would not open on my Iphone. That was only after i updated my phone to the newest iOS. Secondly, I tried to find some help on my Internet browser on how to reactivate Parler on my phone. The search result: no address found when I clicked on the link. Big Brother is upon us!!!”

  30. Powerful powerful powerful. I don’t understand how anyone can think censoring the President is a good thing. I have so many friends (for now) that are celebrating this as if this was a win for freedom.

  33. Clay,thanks for this. I try not to use Amazon as it is now but now nothing. The iPhone I now own will be my last. Apps I bought will be deleted along with the music. When the time comes I get a new phone which won’t be from google. Use other search engines and get these thieving whores out of our lives. Their arrogance is mind numbing.

  34. Thanks much, Clay. I think the censorship has accelerated exponentially. This morning, my Parler app would not open on my Iphone. That was only after i updated my phone to the newest iOS. Secondly, I tried to find some help on my Internet browser on how to reactivate Parler on my phone. The search result: no address found when I clicked on the link. Big Brother is upon us!!!

  35. When I was a teenager, Tipper Gore and her censorship crew was a topic of conversation. My friends and I all agreed censorship was wrong. The song that pushed the limits was Cop Killer by Ice-T’s heavy metal band. We didn’t listen to that music but we still pushed back on censorship. Of course we also believed sticks and stones would break our bones but words could never hurt us.

    Fast forward 30 years and our teenagers, clad with bubble wrap wearing their participation medals, believe both speech amd silence is violence. Saving the country will involve work at governmental levels and through the marketplace of ideas, but more importantly, it starts in our living rooms. We have to explain to our kids why freedom is important and discuss these topics with them so they fight Tipper Gore with us.

    PS I still giggle at the irony of Ice-T playing a cop in movies and TV

    • Your still programmed… your starting line says it all… both parties are part of the problem… Trump was an anomaly for Republicans… Were back to business as ususal… so keep your biased position and your rights will disappear to… Frog boiling in the pot… you mistakenly think rhe frog is them when its really us…

  36. The evil deep state establishment is fully owned by big tech now. All of the terrorist cult known as the DemocRat party and at least half the leftist lite coward RINOs have taken their bribe money and are on board to turn America into a China/Venezuela hybrid. Its the equivalent of Hitler and Stalin teaming up. Unfortunately to many people are OK with this until Big Tech comes for them, and they will.
    How long until Outkick is shut down for telling the truth?

  37. Well said. However I disagree with many conservatives that say it will come back on them. These companies are a tool of the leftists just as the msm. They want to make us conservatives irrelevant and for us to shut up and leave them alone in their pursuit of utopia.

    • Leftist speech codes are like a cone. They always become narrower and narrower, and what was acceptable last year is no longer tolerable today. Infighting among the enlightened leftists is inevitable, and one side will be silenced when they don’t agree with the new enlightened view.

    • Your still programmed… your starting line says it all… both parties are part of the problem… Trump was an anomaly for Republicans… Were back to business as ususal… so keep your biased position and your rights will disappear to… Frog boiling in the pot… you mistakenly think rhe frog is them when its really us…

  39. A great piece of writing Clay. I truly would love to share this with my economics class for discussion but we all know that in this current climate I would probably be reprimanded or worse fired. It is sad that debate and discussion has to be muted.

  40. Thank you for this article! Crushing the free exchange of ideas by big tech was the object all along. Jan. 6th just moved up the date to execute their plan. Little Jack and Little Mark should have spent more time in world history class. For instance, read about what Putin does to oligarchs once they’ve outlived their usefulness. Think it can’t happen here? I’m sure Soros is watching. Patriots, we cannot allow our country to descend into totalitarianism!

  41. Well said Clay and add PayPal to the list. They are closing accounts of conservative fund raising groups. I’ve had it. I have deleted Twitter, Facebook, Amazon and PayPal. Amazingly I’m waking up in the morning and surviving. The left loves to say “Bye” but thru my own research, I am spending tens of thousands of dollars thru my business because of sheer convenience. I have the minutes to deal directly with vendors and buy direct. This is pure socialism.

  42. The first amendment gives breath to every freedom we have. The freedom to think, the freedom to create, the freedom to express, and the freedom to be free in the most important place of all, our mind.
    What we are witnessing today is not about law and order nor a higher sense of justice, it’s about crushing other people, it’s about revenge and retribution. It’s about the accumulation and consolidation of POWER at the expense of others.

    We are watching a snake eat its own tail and anyone who thinks they will be spared this misery is sorely mistaken. This heavy-fisted totalitarianism reduces us all, minimizes us all, diminishes us all, regardless of who you voted for.

    Politicians and corporations come and go.

    Freedom is forever and precious (at least it should be).

    We all have an obligation to fight back.

  43. Clay,

    This is one of your best pieces ever. What’s very concerning is not 1 member of our corrupt, bought and paid for congress is aggressively sharing this viewpoint. My hope is that once 45 leaves office he brings an historic lawsuit against the Big Tech communists and sues them for billions to right the market place of ideas back to where it belongs. The left is so lazy and lacking in winning any arguments all they do is stifle the marketplace of ideas to win the battle. Unfortunately almost all the media, corporations and academia are in favor of this CCP inspired drivel.

  45. Thanks Clay for presenting the truth! Very hard to find these days. We as consumers can take back our Country by making wise choices. Don’t buy anything that prohibits our First Amendment – Freedom of Speech.

  47. Thank you for sharing the truth, Clay. Most profound and excellently written column I have read about this subject matter. As an editor myself for a professional association magazine, I am cornered and canceled and risk loss of job if I dare utter a word about how I voted. The labels would begin flying in … I am racist … I am privileged … etc., etc. Your ending point about us becoming more like China rather than the reverse hit it on the head. God bless you and Outkick.

  48. Thank you for speaking the truth Clay. I believe many Americans agree but the reaction to the Capitol Riot is giving the left free rain to suppress freedom of speech. I condemn any violence or law breaking that happened at the Capitol, but they were the minority. Unfortunately those actions handed the left just what they wanted a chance to consolidate power. When the media and big tech are on your side its pretty easy to lie to America and suppress freedom of speech. Now that dems control all 3 branches of government Big Tech knows they can suppress free speech they disagree with and nothing will happen. Nothing. The repubs are now in minority in both chambers meaning we won’t be seeing Big Tech testifying on Capitol Hill anytime soon. Or ever probably. I wish you the best I fear the cancel culture will have you on their radar screen soon.

  49. Im sure this is against policy… Fuck Dan Le batard… Hes against his show being censored but has no problem trying to use “cancel culture” to mimic China’s social score… The hypocrisy of the left is standad fare today… my apologies for my language Clay as you have built an open platform for sports dialogue… and finally, Fuck Dan Le Batard… we must be belligerent to suppression of free speech and behavior…

  50. Don’t be fooled. There’s a collusion of big tech and government. The CIA has been involved in big tech for quite a while and they are pulling some strings. The new administration will be full of those people who colluded. Watch for your back. They are sick power hungry motherfuckers

  51. Fantastic commentary Clay! The challenge is how we BEST broadcast your message? We have to shake up the thought process consuming American society… I encourage all Outkick listeners and readers to use their means to spread this message!

  52. Thank you Travis, your voice, and others such as yours with the reach and the influence are a beacon during this time, a time I thought I would never see (66 years in so far).
    However, this elimination of freedoms is only the beginning. Financial tyranny is next, followed by medicine and freedom of movement and association.
    We all hope you at Outkick have a plan B, C, and maybe D.

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