Gutfeld: Tech titans are the new censors
'Gutfeld!' panel discusses YouTube taking down content from medical professionals
On Saturday, evolutionary biologist Brett Weinstein tweeted this. "My June 1st discussion with Dr. Pierre Kory...on the Darkhorse podcast has been removed by @youtube for allegedly violating their community guideline against "spam, deceptive practices and scams".
Before it had been removed, I listened to this chat between a biologist and a clinician discussing his experience prescribing ivermectin for COVID -- a practice done by other clinicians, given it has little to no side effects and by their understanding it can reduce symptoms.
Now, this happened after YouTube also suspended the account of Sen. Ron Johnson on Friday for seven days after he posted a pro-hydroxychloroquine video; a YouTube spokesperson said it violated its "medical misinformation policies." They also removed a video of Dr. Kory testifying to the senate.
Maybe they should stop calling it YouTube and start calling it "MyTube, and the rest of you can eat it."
Meanwhile, YouTube gladly hosts medical videos with more quacks than Daffy Duck’s family reunion. You can get bad advice about everything from diet and exercise to curing STDs with apple cider vinegar. Which doesn’t work, by the way. And it ruins a nice cobb salad.
Those crazy videos? Harmless self-expression. A chat between two medical professionals? That’s dropped faster than Brian Stelter's jaw outside a corn dog factory.
Now, this is happening as other tech titans are cracking down on speech. They are the new censors. These ministers of information can turn the spigot on, or off at all. They did this with the lab leak story. Also with Hunter Biden. And with every story.
A story about rising crime in cities where police were defunded? Spigot off.
A story about a white lady shouting racial slurs in a parking lot? Spigot on.
A story about a police officer rescuing a child? Spigot off.
A story about a police officer breaking the law? Spigot on.
It's nothing new. These tech giants learned this from their TV news allies who’ve been practicing it for years. Welcome to the USSR. Or at least a tidier version of it. We think we have all the freedoms we need. But like Kat being grilled by the police after her husband goes missing - we're only being told part of the story. And now we're doing it to ourselves: we self-censor.
We have the thoughts we think. And the thoughts we say. There's always been a gulf between the two. For good reason. There are some things you just shouldn't say in public. Like I'm a huge Don Lemon fan—no one says that. But while such self-control works well at the Thanksgiving table - on a societal scale in a country that prides itself on first amendment rights - it's scary.
Who are we afraid of? Who knows? But that fear is driving that gulf between thoughts and words that's wider than the gap between Michael Strahan's front teeth. And now they’re training us to not have thoughts at all.
What's the angry White male have to say?
Tom Shillue, Angry White Male: I can’t spend all day reading the news, I got important hobbies. But I wanna thank the high-tech CEOs for making it easy and convenient to keep up with what’s important. You see every day I just find out who’s been banned by Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and then I find those people on other platforms and read what they’ve written—it’s a great way to stay informed. Now, let me get back to this Imperial Walker.
Fact is - if the tech companies disagree with you -- out you go. Even when they're wrong - like Facebook was when they vanished the lab leak theory. Cancel culture as a phrase seems pretty over-used. Only because of gaining momentum. It's coming from above, and below.
You have the tech companies silencing legit opinions. But you also have the public doing it too - with help from a drooling media. Check out Businessweek's ghoulish salute to so-called "internet sleuths" who are spending days and nights seeking out participants of the January 6th breach of the capitol. They should have titled this piece "proud to be a rat," or snitches no longer get stitches. It’s disgusting.
That's one day of unrest versus months of leftist riots across the country, looting, arson, and a spike in violent crime. But those crimes don’t fit the narrative, so the armchair detectives look away. Forget murder and mayhem – someone might be wearing a MAGA hat!
Back in the days of Communist Eastern Europe, governments relied on turning citizens into spies - coercing them into gathering information on their neighbors. It's happening now. Except, here the media is egging on citizens to hunt down other citizens. Do you find this weird? If you don't you might be Ilhan Omar.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
We thought that totalitarian thinking would come from the government, but it’s actually coming from corporations like Google and the people who live across the street with the Biden/Harris bumper stickers.
Tech giants are the police, your neighbors are the police. And the only people who can't be the police, according to the media, are the police.
This article is adapted from Greg Gutfeld's opening monologue on the June 14, 2021 edition of "Gutfeld!"
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.