Standing Up for Truth

As a burgeoning writer, albeit too late in life, I should have the sense and courtesy to recognize that when my daily urge is to write about the importance of truth — it’s already game over.

This is an argument that should not need a champion. But it does…

The inevitable conclusion of the last couple of years is that people would rather believe bias confirming lies than act on inconvenient truths.

This is so even if such beliefs kill them. For proof — check the death rates from Covid-19 in the counties that voted overwhelmingly for Trump. (Hint: It’s much higher in those counties… doh!)

There is pervasive collective denialism sweeping the globe. It is fueled by right-wing, autocratic propaganda. Though, we must throw the Chinese Communist Party under that same bus for good measure, whether it is left or right.

Each day, in the face of this trend, when I sit to write what I genuinely care about, I find myself returning to the theme of truth.

Recently, Elon Musk conducted another one of his Twitter “polls.” This one didn’t ask whether he should sell some of his billions in stock. This time, Musk tweeted this:

Elon Musk@elonmusk

Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?

Elon Musk @elonmusk

Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?

5:51 PM · Mar 26, 2022

33.6K Reposts · 260K Likes

The combined tweets show Musk’s assertions that:

1- “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.” and;

2- “Twitter is the defacto public town square [and that it] fundamentally undermines democracy.”

Whatever talent Musk has as an accumulator of money isn’t matched by his logical or rhetorical skills.

His premises are (to borrow his word) fundamentally flawed.

Though, on the face of it, Elon’s statement that free speech is essential to a functioning democracy seems right, doesn’t it? But, a more careful examination reveals that it just isn’t.

It’s not that ALL Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Instead, it’s that all TRUE speech is vital.

Purposely erroneous, disingenuous speech essentially creates dysfunction.

Freeness of speech doesn’t confer essential value—truthful content does.

And second, who, besides Musk, says Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, or that, even if it is, public town squares are essential to democracy?

America isn’t ancient Athens. Twitter isn’t the Agora. And the platform isn’t confined to the U.S. It’s a nice idea, I suppose, but that’s not how things currently work.

We don’t all debate ideas in a town square and then vote them up or down by majority rule. (And psst — Elon!— we aren’t all on Twitter.)

In case Mr. Musk failed or forgot his citizenship test, the framers didn’t create a Democracy. They made a Republic.

Nevertheless, in a reply to Elon’s tweets above, I tweeted this:

Greg Proffit@gproffit

@elonmusk Disinformation is destructive to democracies. Your first premise is flawed. You've confused quantitative speech with qualitative speech as to what is essential.

11:07 AM · Apr 6, 2022

In my efforts to stand up for Truth, all I can do is tweet and write stuff like this.

The world’s richest man must have grown impatient waiting for responses. Instead, he answered his question about “What should be done?” by spending billions to buy himself 73.5 million shares of Twitter stock and a seat on Twitter’s board of directors.

Thus, Elon’s billions have made him the savior both of free speech and the de facto town square. All of us serfs should bow in humble gratitude.

I think whatever he may say of that newfound voice he’s purchased, check the price tag; that speech ain’t “Free” by any stretch of the imagination.

It reminds me of this proverb:

Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, since he has no heart for it?
~Proverbs 17:16