CHARLOTTE, NC: James Woods and Colin Kaepernick are held to different social media standards. When NFL football player Colin Kaepernick took a knee rather than stand for the National Anthem, it set off a firestorm of debate. The move severely damaged Kaepernick’s career but, to his credit, he has stood by his guns and taken the heat. He has stood up for his right of free speech and protest.
At the same time, however, the controversy over free speech still rages. Whether or not you support Kaepernick’s stance on racial inequality, the issue relating to the First Amendment rights to free speech rages.
Free Speech be damned: Twitter silences actor James Wood
Enter actor James Woods into the fray, one of the few conservative voices in Hollywood who is willing to let his views be known without hiding behind a gigantic “L” to preserve his career. Woods uses social media as it was intended rather than pontificating in public forums where multiple cameras and millions of viewers can lay witness their political agendas.
In the process, Woods has now been formally suspended from Twitter for a post he made two months ago as part of a parody of a Democratic advertisement campaign.
James Woods Twitter Capture
The text from Twitter reads as follows:
“Hello:
We received a report one of your Tweets which includes text and imagery that has the potential to be misleading in a way that could impact an election.In order to use your account again, you will need to log in and delete the Tweet.”
Where’s the First Amendment outrage defending Woods right to free speech?
The Tweet in question features three male millennials and copy that reads,
“We’re making a Woman’s Vote Worth more by staying home.”
Woods responded to the ad on Twitter with a note above it saying,
“Pretty scary that there is a distinct possibility this could be real. Not likely, but in this day and age of absolute liberal insanity, it is at least possible.”
And for that, Twitter suspended him. Does anyone sense an air of paranoia here?
Freedom of speech? Where? Hypocrisy! Everywhere!
It’s acceptable for Meryl Streep to stand in front of a FREE microphone and spout her personal tripe to millions of viewers who tuned in to watch the Oscars, but the same standards do not apply for James Woods.
In essence, Woods Twitter account, with some 1.72 million followers is gone. Why? Because non-female liberals were afraid his remarks might be taken literally. That James Wood is capable of brainwashing liberals into not voting. Scarcasm seems to be a lost art, just ask Rod Rosenstein.
Woods’ posts remain visible on Twitter but he is not able to submit new content. He has however started @JamesWoodAlt. Conservatives tired of social media censorship might want to start developing MeWe as a place to safely communicate and share.
Woods, who is not the sort to slink silently into the shadows due to the reprimand, released a statement to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey through an associate, Sara Miller, reading
“You are a coward, @Jack. There is no free speech for Conservatives on @Twitter.
Early in September, Woods commented on the social media ban of conspiracy theorist and radio show host Alex Jones who runs the website Infowars as well as his Austin, Texas talk program The Alex Jones Show.
“I’ve never read Alex Jones nor watched any of his video presence on the internet,” Tweeted Woods. “A friend told me he was an extremist. Believe me that I know nothing about him. That said, I think banning him from the internet is a slippery slope. This is the beginning of real fascism. Trust me.”
On Sunday, Woods explained to the Associated Press that the context of the Twitter message sent to him meant that he could only return to the social media site if he decided to “accede” to the company’s definition of free speech, and “not the right to free speech outlined in the Constitution.”
It comes as no surprise then that Woods refuses to delete his Tweet.
The latest incident is not the first for Woods. In July the actor dropped Ken Kaplan, his longtime agent, in a dispute where Kaplan said he no longer wanted to represent Woods because he was feeling “patriotic.”
In true Donald Trump style, Woods replied to Kaplan in a Tweet,
“If you’re feeling patriotic, you would appreciate free speech
and one’s right to think as an individual.”
And so the saga continues in the world of Liberals v Conservatives where we paraphrase an old adage,
“You can’t see the Woods for the trees.”
Lead Image by Ben Garrison for GRRRGraphics Used with Permission. Please visit the artist and buy him a cup of coffee!
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About the Author:
Bob Taylor is a veteran writer who has traveled throughout the world. Taylor is an award-winningg television producer/reporter/anchor before focusing on writing about international events, people and cultures around the globe.
Taylor is the founder of The Magellan Travel Club (www.MagellanTravelClub.com)
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