Elon Musk provoked a firestorm by agreeing with a tweet that many construed as anti-Semitic:
Musk subsequently described his tweet as “foolish” and “literally the worst and dumbest post that I’ve ever done.” Nevertheless, it, together with a smear by Media Matters that purported to show prominent advisers that their ads were showing up adjacent to neo-Nazi content (they were, but only on Media Matters’ computers, having twisted the X algorithm), prompted a major exodus from the platform by advertisers like Apple, IBM, Comcast, Disney, Sony and others. What was striking to me about the advertiser exodus was how easily it was achieved. One tweet and a fake study by a far-left smear outfit, and one company after another was out the door. I think this says a lot more about big business’s hostility to conservatism than it does about Twitter or Musk.
But was Musk’s tweet anti-Semitic? It grew out of his running battle with the Anti-Defamation League, which is a left-leaning organization that poses as a neutral defender of Jewish interests. Musk recently returned from a trip to Israel, and he has banned tweets that include sentiments like “from the river to the sea” from his platform. So, however ill-advised that one tweet might have been, there is zero reason to think he is anti-Semitic.
The editors of the Free Beacon have taken up the case:
Elon Musk is right about the Jews.
Well, not all the Jews. But many of the Jewish leaders, who have repeatedly lined up behind the most noxious progressive causes, only to stand there, mouths agape as the boomerang soared right back and crashed into our faces.
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He is, as best we can tell, not an anti-Semite, a racist, a sexist, or anything or the sort. And on most of the Jews, alas, he is absolutely right. Jewish organizations spent millions of dollars supporting Black Lives Matter, the Women’s March, and many other faddish hotbeds of bigotry. They did so because they believed that by standing with anyone who claimed to be oppressed, they could prove themselves to be allies and progressives in good standing.The strategy has failed miserably, with many of those same progressive organizations now openly supporting Hamas.
But what about the departing advertisers? As you probably have already seen, Musk expressed his opinion of them in no uncertain terms:
Beautifully said https://t.co/OZ6qvaZqQn
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) November 29, 2023
As someone who says he has consistently voted for Democrats, Musk can’t be called a conservative. Yet in the most vital battles of our time, not only on free speech but on gender insanity and jihadism, he is on our side. He deserves our support. When I get back to the U.S., I intend to join X Premium–and maybe even start using the platform again.
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