Censored

   

     I'll be honest. I had a very different post planned for today. I had it typed up, was working on the cover design and had some cool verses. It's a good post. And one I will be saving for a later date. But something came up that needs to be talked about. Needs to be written about. I'm angry as I write this. Enraged, indignant, whatever synonym fits. Honestly, what I'm writing probably won't be as elegant or refined as I normally like to write. It's just raw at this point. Today, I'd like to talk about media censorship, in a country that was founded upon free speech.

    I am a teenage girl who loves politics and is on social media a good amount of the day. That means I follow a good amount of politically aimed accounts. Most of these are conservative, as is expected from a conservative Christian. Over the course of the last maybe two months, I have seen multiple of these accounts experience censorship from the media platforms (i.e Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Their accounts have been disabled, posts have been taken down and other such things, all under the pretense that they "go against community guidelines". None of these posts or accounts have been hate speeches. None of them have been racist. What they have been, is posting truth. One of these accounts put a side by side of two articles from CNN, a major news network in our country. These side by sides showed contradicting articles regarding Covid-19, due to biased writing. And Instagram removed the posts and threatened the accounts with deletion.  

    I'm not sure when it happened, but I seem to have woken up in communist Cuba.

    As someone whose family is FROM a communist country, I've had my parents, grandparents and great grandparents tell me stories of the communist regime. My uncle who is still in Cuba tells us how his internet searches are blocked to hide "harmful content" when it's really just news. My grandmother's friends call us, concerned by the numbers they are being told are from the U.S Covid statistics (they're not).  So yes. I am angered when I see this happening. Yet I hadn't said anything until today. 

    A group of doctors recently came out and created an organization called America's Front Line Doctors. They gave some information about hydroxylchloroquine, a possible medication for Covid-19 that has been said to not work. They refuted this. They spoke of their patients and how the medication has worked, with the CORRECT dosage, something that was previously not done. Other studies have recently come to light supporting this. However, the medication is being barred from prescription in some states. These doctors wanted to bring attention to this and how unethical it is to ignore a medication that is working and can show prevention.

    The videos were removed within hours. From Facebook, from YouTube and Instagram is currently attempting to remove it as well. I reposted it. It was removed. This is getting to the point where it is ridiculous. Censorship has become an everyday occurrence and we treat it as if it's the right thing! Even if these doctors were wrong. Even if it was false information. Why take it down? Why inhibit free speech? (Which brings me to wonder-if it's so ludicrous and false, why is it so important no one see it?)

      I see horoscopes on Instagram every day, and no one takes those down for being "false information"

    So why is it that the medication that was being tested and spoken about by our conservative, republican president is being barred? Why is it that conservative accounts who speak out against liberal contradictions in leftist media are being deleted and censored? This is a one sided game. We are being dragged down into a pit of media control and politicization, even in the medical field. What does that say about the direction of our country? What does it say about the values of our companies and people? Not a lot of good, to be honest. There is a whole lot to be worried about in our country, and censorship is quickly rising to the top of this list. 

Thank you for reading! Leave your thoughts in the comments and share this if you enjoyed  it!