Today, Trump has just been inaugurated for his second term. In the wake of this event, TikTok went dark for 12 hours before resuming with a message thanking the new president for allowing its return. However, its return comes with an eerie feeling, one that makes the American people question what freedom truly is. In this article, I will examine what this means for free speech in our nation.
The Evolution of Free Speech
Free speech has been a central topic of discussion these past few months, as Elon Musk has shown a particular affinity for discussing it. However, I argue that Elon’s version of free speech is not as free as he may believe. Free speech to me is having the freedom to express your opinion regardless of your political stance, meaning that leftist and conservative viewpoints are equally valid to share. However, as examples have shown, this is not the same free speech that Elon Musk claims to represent. While Elon grows ever closer to Trump as an ally, his definition of what entails free speech is particularly important as he holds significant power over the American people and has now been put in a position to represent free speech. This represents our country growing further from what people want and more about what the oligarch represents.
The Rise of Corporate Power
An oligarchy by definition is when a powerful few corporations hold power rather than the power being held by the people who represent the country. Rather, decisions are made by the corporations holding the power instead of through individual votes. In today’s age of Trump being sworn into office and having people like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and TikTok’s CEO held on a pedestal by his side, it serves as a reminder to the American people that what America practices today can no longer be seen as a capitalist society but rather an oligarchy. The few corporations hold power over the American people, and the people are left powerless. However, in this time, I believe we as the American people have a choice: to allow this to happen or remember that the people hold power in numbers.
The Power of Unity
Karl Marx famously wrote about this in his manifesto, where he details that the people who make up a country will always outnumber the oppressors who attempt to strip the people of their power and wealth. However, with that name being mentioned, there are certain people who will shut down whatever is said next, but I feel those are the people who need this message more than ever. The people who are working class yet do not agree with what is considered the “radical left” and will criticize any opinion made stemming from that corner of the political compass are the same people who, if they only realized they share more in common with the 99% of other working class members rather than with the 1% using them as political pawns, could help unite us all.
Breaking Down Artificial Divisions
When we realize that it’s not about race, gender, or religion but rather about the people being exploited by corporations seizing power away from the American people, we can begin to unite. This is not a matter of Democrat vs Republican but rather one of Authoritarian vs Libertarian. Once the American people realize that things like gender, race, and religion are used against us to divide us, then we can prevent corporations from holding even more power over us.
A Call for Collective Action
We as a people should be smarter than to let lobbyists divide us and turn on each other, as it is merely a distraction from what makes us so similar. We are all struggling, we all do not hold nearly enough wealth in our country, yet we are contributing everything to make this society function. We are the ones who make the coffee for billion-dollar corporations that lobby against our rights. We are the ones working day and night just to make ends meet and cannot afford to ever buy a house. These problems are not the fault of transgender people or Christian people. This is a fault of the oligarchy, the few corporations that attempt to divide us over social issues, which serves as a distraction to turn us against each other.
We more than ever need to unite ourselves and realize who our common enemy is - it is not with a racial minority or a religious group, but rather with the top 1% playing us all in a game of chess. We are what makes this country. We are the ones they are sitting on top of, and we need to wake up and realize that at any time we can refuse to continue this way. We the people are the ones who hold the power, and the more we are able to unite ourselves against a common enemy, the stronger we become.
