“I guess to drink each other’s blood might mislead people or people are imagining us with goblets and we’re like Game of Thrones, drinking each other’s blood,” Fox said. “It’s just a few drops, but yes, we do consume each other’s blood on occasion for ritual purposes only.”
“A brave new nightmare.” Those words from former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich described the threat created by Elon Musk’s bid to restore free speech values by buying Twitter.
Yet, despite warnings that censorship is necessary “for democracy to survive,” neither the Tesla CEO and billionaire nor ordinary citizens appear to be sufficiently terrified of free speech. Twitter confirmed Monday that Musk will acquire the company in a deal worth $44 billion. Once the deal is complete, Twitter will become a privately held company.
Progressives, in the meantime, have adopted a dangerous shift in their strategy of calling for corporations to censor speech.
Last week, former President Barack Obama made this shift clear in his much covered speech at Stanford University. Just days after Musk re-enforced his bid for Twitter with the support of many in the free speech community, Obama warned that social media was “tilting us in the wrong direction.” He called for more censorship of disinformation while calling himself “pretty close to a First Amendment absolutist.”
Obama has never been viewed as an ally on free speech by those of us who have been attacked for our “absolutist” views. Moreover, calling for censorship as a free speech absolutist is like claiming to be a vegetarian while calling for mandatory meat consumption.
From my sources: Vocal Twitter employees on internal chats indicate their biggest fear is Donald Trump being unbanned. Many express strong hatred toward @elonmusk & say they’re sick of hearing about “free speech.” They’re concerned about their mental health. #ElonMuskBuyTwitter
Irish electronica pioneer Daithí collaborates with New Zealand filmmaker Ayla Amano on his new single.
Daithí says:
“‘Familial’ started out life as a track I wrote around an uncertain feeling I had about returning to my home county of Clare. Growing up in a remote area, there was a stifling feeling of repressed emotions; people in the area would sometimes find it difficult to say what they really felt. It was quite a personal piece of music to me, but it was transformed into something with even more to say when I began to collaborate with Ayla.
“The idea of finding common ground and themes with a community so far apart from my own got me really excited, and I started seeing the track in a new, more global perspective. The themes are universal.”
Ayla says:
“Originally, the concept for the ‘Familial’ video was set to film in Ireland. We’d discussed themes of family roots and community; ideas Daithí had been exploring around returning to his hometown in Clare.
“Then, while on holiday in New Zealand visiting my family, my partner and I discovered that we had a baby on the way, so we decided to stay there for the year.
“Apart from finding myself in a similar situation – reconnecting with my hometown and the community I grew up in – I was also reminded of New Zealand’s unique position in the Pacific.
“Our Pasifika communities are so integral to the spirit of Auckland, and after spending time in Ireland I could draw some unexpected parallels between the two cultures – wildly different on the surface, but both with a real strong sense of family and community, as well as a humour and warmth that my Irish partner immediately connected with.
“There was a real sense of community both on and off the screen. Filming while I was six months pregnant provided yet another layer to the story. We spent a lot of time on set talking about family and reflecting on where we’d come from.”
An evening with Irish creatives centred around ‘cultivating self-compassion’.
At Universal Space, Capel Street, Dublin 1.
Maria writes:
The ‘Postcards In-between’ project initially started with Maria Kelly asking her fellow Irish songwriters to pen a ‘note-to-self’ letter to a version of themselves that they thought might need a helping hand.
The letters became 12 postcards – each one linking to a track on her 2021 debut album, The Sum of the In-between. The project features Abbacaxi, Ciaran Lavery, James Vincent McMorrow, Paul Noonan, Rosie Carney, Runah, Saint Sister, Sammy Copely, Shiv, Sive and Tim Chadwick.
Designed by Irish-French illustrators Nathanaël Roman and Cécilia Noiraud, these postcards will be exhibited in various forms… The exhibition is being run in association with Minding Creative Minds, Ireland’s first 24/7 wellbeing support programme for the entire Irish creative sector.
This week the theme of our voucher-less music chinwag is a sombre one.
It was chosen by ace Broadsheet film correspondent Andy Pipkin who is mourning the loss of two of his old work colleagues.
We send our condolences out to Andy and the friends and families of the departed.
Andy writes:
“At both funerals I met up with old workmates; we all had a passion for music and it bore through at the funerals as the music choice was both sad and uplifting as it was chosen by the deceased before they passed away.
“We all spoke about the music and what we’d have played at our funeral. So if it’s not too dark and as a celebration of their life…What song would you like to be played at your funeral and why?”
Now, two weeks ago I asked you to name your favourite punk anthem. You answered in your tens. Stephen Moran won my esteem with this entry.
The Stooges – I Wanna Be Your Dog
Stephen writes:
“We always associate punk with the class of ’77. But there were many precursors to the CBGBs crew and The Clash. I’d date it to the class of ’69 and The Stooges and The MC5.”
Nick says: Congrats Stephen and thanks to everyone who entered.
