Derrick Johnson
@DerrickNAACP
It is immoral, dangerous, and highly destructive to our democracy for any advertiser to fund a platform that fuels hate speech, election denialism, and conspiracy theories. Until actions are taken to make this a safe space, we call on companies to pause all advertising on Twitter.
On Friday, the NAACP joined other civil rights groups in calling for an advertiser boycott of the platform. “It is immoral, dangerous, and highly destructive to our democracy for any advertiser to fund a platform that fuels hate speech, election denialism, and conspiracy theories,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
In the week since Musk has taken over ownership of Twitter, hate speech has escalated exponentially. Musk has insisted that nothing has changed structurally, but that may not be totally true, as he has long argued that Twitter was suppressing free speech.…..The free speech he alluded to included the increased hate speech on Twitter.
Musk, the Trump wannabe, is pissed-scared that many major companies have paused ads in recent days, including GM, Audi, Pfizer, General Mills, Volkswagen, and other big names who are wary of potential changes to Twitter’s policies as well as the departure of top executives. Industry groups have also expressed concern about brand safety under Musk, and The New York Times reported this week that “IPG, one of the world’s largest advertising companies, issued a recommendation … for clients to pause their spending on Twitter temporarily.”
I feel a sense of relief that I deleted my inconsequential account on his platform. In the grand scheme of things, my account was like a single drop of water, but little drops make puddles, puddles make bodies of water, and you know the rest.
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Mike Beckles is a former Police Detective, businessman, freelance writer, black achiever honoree, and creator of the blog mikebeckles.com.