By Sushil Kutty
Guess what, the conservative lot in the United States of America, the “greatest nation the world has ever known”, is cursing its lot in the changed outlook since the January 6 “insurrection,” lamenting the hard times POTUS Donald Trump’s lot are getting at the hands of Big Tech — Facebook and Twitter and Google, and Snapchat… The “bans” and the “ousters”, the “ejections” and the “expulsions.” It’s like the aliens have landed, and the extraterrestrials don’t recognize the ‘Who’s Who’ among the right-leaning earthlings!
And, just when it appeared like despair will writ large only in the right and in the right of centre homes, trickled in news from, of all the places, Uganda! “The President of Uganda (has) temporarily banned Facebook and Twitter from the country…” scrolled across the bottom of television screens and an estimated 75 million Americans’ faces lit up like 75 million neon bulbs, LED!
Finally, somebody was hitting back at Big Tech – Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, the ultimate Rulers of the Ark! Kings Ramses-I, II and III. These guys had grown too big for their trousers and, for all that mattered, it looked like the trio had taken over the world. The only country not under their sway, China, which, intelligently, kept these behemoths and bozos at bay with Weibo and Wechat and other homegrown ‘China Tech.’
Not America, the home of the free! Today, the United States of America is ruled from Silicon Valley and if the outgoing POTUS is utterly-bitterly helpless, the incoming POTUS’s inauguration will be part financed by Big Tech! The Biden-Harris dispensation cannot take a step without Big Tech holding it by the hand, leading it by the finger/nose. Of course, it looks like Biden and his “vice” have the back of Big Tech, and that should ensure the two easier going than what may be impeached-twice President faced.
Wait another eight days to know where Impeachment stands, once or twice. The first Impeachment went for a toss. The second one will maybe not. Not as long as Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in a position to dictate terms to Senate majority leader, and Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, both of whom would give their left and right arms to see Trump roast (in hell!), they are so pissed off with ‘Orange-head.’ Pelosi and these two gentlemen want to see Trump banished, for forever, never able to hold a federal job or a party post. Deprived of a second term, in this life and any other life.
And they have the good fortune of having Big Tech on their side. Twitter has “permanently banned” Donald J. Trump and Facebook has Donald J. Trump hanging by the bootstraps. Trump’s 81 million followers on Twitter have vanished into the blue, dropped into oblivion, and when Trump joined Parler, a Twitter-like app, Google and Apple and Amazon got together to render Parler impotent! Parler now has no place in the “www”, and it wasn’t even given the time to un-shingle its shingle!
Big Tech doesn’t brook defiance. And if Trump thought POTUS is the most powerful potent person in the known world, there are other worlds even United States presidents don’t know about, where POTUS’s don’t get recognized at all. Like when rendered handle-less in Twitter-world, and faceless on Facebook page. Also, Trump merchandise is off the Shopify shelf. Also, Snapchat has told Trump to take a hike. Poor guy, this POTUS, he does not know if he exists! Which way to turn. Whether to stand or to squat!
Of course, a Google search will come up ‘Trumps’, but not a Twitter or a Facebook search. Trump, of course, is fuming. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel does not like it one bit. Ditto French politicians. Big Tech throwing its weight around is an attack on democratic rights and civil liberties. If today’s it is Trump, tomorrow it could be anybody. Big Tech’s “fascism” does not distinguish and is no different from that of Mussolini, ask Hitler!
The gospel is Big Tech has bitten more than it could chew. Nobody knows for how long Big Tech can hold a Biden or a Harris in thrall? Then, it will be more than a battle of wits. Politicians don’t like corporate sorts throwing their weight around. And even if Biden does the bidding, Kamala Harris is an unknown kettle of tea. She does not look or act like the sort who will take Big Tech’s orders and sit still, like Mike Spence, her predecessor. The two are like chalk and cheese.
For now, the irony is in Uganda. President Yoweri Museveni is plenty pissed off with Facebook and Twitter. Elections are upon Uganda and Museveni doesn’t want to go into the sunset like a beaten Trump, and he does not like Big Tech butting in like a paragon of everything just and right. So, he has taken action. He’s particularly mad at Facebook, but it’s Twitter which is in meltdown! Of course, the American ‘right’ is mighty happy. Americans are dumping Twitter like the tweets are on fire! (IPA Service)
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