But the feared 'crackdown' may just as easily happen slowly, gradually, in small steps.
For instance, I've noticed how commenting on many blogs requires signing in through social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or other 'gatekeepers.' The ability to speak one's mind with anonymity, or anything like it, seems to be narrowing, as certain people, like those who run the above-mentioned social media, are coming to control what can and cannot be posted, or under what circumstances (full personal identification required). I've personally finally surrendered my cell phone number in response to increasingly frequent demands from a certain source in order to be able to have access to certain things. I was not, and am not, happy with having to provide my cell number to some unknown person who asks for it in the name of some powerful internet presence, but it seems I must, in certain circumstances. And no, I do not believe the excuse that it somehow ''protects'' me or my identity online. It is not being done for that reason.
In any case, we've read again recently how Twitter is going to censor what they deem ''hate speech'' via their platform. I know that Facebook has closed accounts and banned people for arbitrary reasons, and I know of others being 'hassled' to disclose personal information. And most of us knuckle under to whatever demands are made of us, because we want to have continued access to our accustomed spots on the Internet. So most will go along with whatever arbitrary demands Twitter makes.
I saw a video report on Russia Today, via Roku, in which a roving 'reporter' in New York City asked passersby whether they thought 'racism' should be allowed on Twitter. Most of the respondents said 'no.' That's not surprising to me; New York City, for the most part, is not America, or more precisely, is not populated by people who are truly representative of average Americans. Many of the people the 'reporter' queried were foreign; one woman had a heavy Scots accent, others sounded Scandinavian or German. These people seemed most comfortable with the idea of banning 'racist' speech. One man, a young White American, actually attempted a defense of our right to speak our opinions, but he was a lone voice in the wilderness.
The reporter who did the street interviews on the RT piece is a left-wing type, so it may be that she cherry-picked the responses that agreed with her anti-Free Speech position. But if we were to judge by the responses I saw in that video, and what I read online,
it seems free speech and freedom of thought and inquiry are no longer valued in our country, much less elsewhere.
Incidentally, the Russia Today report concluded with this comment from the reporter:
"This wouldn't be an issue if people would be better citizens and stop being racist!''
It seems that You Tube, which always allows 100 percent freedom for obscenity, left-wing and anti-White hate speech, is also headed towards more restrictions on comments or content. So it seems that the crackdown that has been rumored for some time, is happening piecemeal right now. I for one feel concerned about it, though I don't use the social networking sites and do not comment on that cesspool called You Tube. The restrictions will affect all of us, regardless.
