With billionaire Elon Musk finally taking control of Twitter this week, the cackling coven of ABC’s The View were outraged he would bring free speech to the platform. They described Twitter’s future as a “hellscape” or “rage room” made up of “really hateful and awful” people that need to seek professional therapy. They also demanded that the Federal Communications Commission step in and crack down on Twitter.
“I think it's going to be a free-for-all hellscape, and I imagine that Trump will return to unleash his vitriol. Others that have been banned will return to unleash their vitriol,” always racist Sunny Hostin proclaimed. “I'm always conflicted about the issue of free speech, which doesn't even apply here because he's a private owner.”
She did acknowledge the importance of free speech, noting that “you want to protect the most hateful speech actually. You go to the extreme when you are protecting free speech because if you don't protect the most hateful speech, you don't really protect any speech.”
But according to her, the real reason Twitter was terrible was the users. “What we really need to think about is why is it a hellscape. It's a hellscape because of the people that are on it, and the vitriol that anonymously they think they can spew out there,” she whined.
Faux conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin agreed that the users were what makes Twitter a terrible place (click "expand"):
FARAH GRIFFIN: And therein lies the problem. Social media has had a way of bringing out the worst in humanity and it does -- by the way, there's a lot of good stuff that's come from social media, but people give into their basest instincts when they're hidden behind anonymity.
HOSTIN: Behind the cat icon and the frog and all that, the dog.
FARAH GRIFFIN: And the vitriol and the hatred.
She warned that “democracy has never really been stress tested for the digital age.”
Co-host Sara Haines ripped into the users and wondered how they “can go to bed at night having said some of the things they've said.” She described Twitter as “a digital rage room” and suggested that people “go there to act out the therapy they're not getting and they're really hateful and awful.”
Let’s be honest. When they attack the users they’re talking about those calling them out for their hatred, racism, ignorance, and hypocrisy. They hate being held accountable.
That’s why co-faux conservative Ana Navarro demanded that the feds crack down on the site. “This is not a free speech debate because [Musk] doesn't need to respect free speech. The First Amendment does not apply to this,” she proclaimed. “I think government regulation is behind the curve on this because when you take a look at the audiences and viewers that TV networks have.”
Adding: “This is zero regulation and they frankly have far more viewership, eyeballs that they reach nowadays than networks or newspapers or anything of the other news outlet.”
After suggesting that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook was somehow right-wing, and griping about how some on the right (and those that aren’t) had started their own social media networks, Joy Behar flipped out and started cursing out conservatives for supposedly owning every social media sight in existence. “So, these Republican stop BITCHING about cancel culture! And about how they're the victims! You own everything!" she screamed.
This opposition to free speech on Twitter was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Red Lobster and Oreo. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
October 28, 2022
11:02:41 a.m. Eastern(…)
JOY BEHAR: Is he going to do anything to fix that or is it just going to be continuously free-for-all? What do you say?
SUNNY HOSTIN: I think it's going to be a free-for-all hellscape, and I imagine that Trump will return to unleash his vitriol. Others that have been banned will return to unleash their vitriol. I'm always conflicted about the issue of free speech, which doesn't even apply here because he's a private owner.
I learned in law school that --
BEHAR: Explain what free speech really is.
HOSTIN: It's really, you know, it's the First Amendment. It's the freedom to express yourself, and --
BEHAR: Not be censored by the government.
HOSTIN: Without being censored by the government.
And what I learned was, you want to protect the most hateful speech actually. You go to the extreme when you are protecting free speech because if you don't protect the most hateful speech, you don't really protect any speech.
I mean, there are exceptions like inciting violence and that kind of thing, but most speech is protected. And so, you know, if he's talking about making this the public square, I guess that's okay because really under the communications act, Twitter, social media, they're just third party platforms. They're not necessarily considered publishers. They're not necessarily considered the people that are, you know, putting the stuff out there. They're just a platform.
What we really need to think about is why is it a hellscape? It's a hellscape because of the people that are on it, and the vitriol that anonymously they think they can spew out there.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: And therein lies the problem. Social media has had a way of bringing out the worst in humanity and it does -- by the way, there's a lot of good stuff that's come from social media, but people give into their basest instincts when they're hidden behind anonymity.
HOSTIN: Behind the cat icon and the frog and all that, the dog.
FARAH GRIFFIN: And the vitriol and the hatred. It’s interesting because democracy has never really been stress tested for the digital age.
(…)
11:05:46 a.m. Eastern
SARA HAINES: Shouldn't we be expecting more of ourselves? Because the fact people can go to bed at night having said some of the things they've said, I always question that. You can give me anonymity, and something new and ugly isn't going to come out because who I’m accountable to are the people I pray to, the people I'm an example for with my parents and my children. So, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night with some of the things that happen on there.
BEHAR: Well, you have a conscience.
HOSTIN: They sleep very well.
BEHAR: They don’t care.
HAINES: But I'm saying that the disgusting part is we ask so much of our leaders and yet the people that are inhabiting Twitter, to me it's a digital rage room. People go there to act out the therapy they're not getting and they're really hateful and awful. And I know there are some good people, and shout out to those that do that, but they're in the minority.
(…)
11:06:44 a.m. Eastern
ANA NAVARRO: Listen. This is not a free speech debate because he doesn't need to respect free speech. The First Amendment does not apply to this. He is now – He is now the solo owner of this. He's taking it private. He doesn't have a board of directors. He doesn't have SEC filings that he has to do.
I think government regulation is behind the curve on this because when you take a look at the audiences –
BEHAR: Yeah.
HOSTIN: It has been.
NAVARRO: -- and viewers that TV networks have. And, you know, we were under FCC regulation. This is zero regulation and they frankly have far more viewership, eyeballs that they reach nowadays than networks or newspapers or anything of the other news outlet.
(…)
11:08:32 a.m. Eastern
BEHAR: So, these Republican stop BITCHING about cancel culture! And about how they're the victims! You own everything!"
(…)
