Summary

The article discusses the ironic role reversal observed among liberals who, despite advocating for change, are now resisting the transformations brought by Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter.

Abstract

The author of the article, Colby Hess, reflects on the hypocrisy displayed by some liberals in the wake of Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter. Traditionally, conservatives are characterized by their fear of change, a trait liberals often criticize. However, the article points out that many liberals are now reacting with fear and resistance to the drastic changes Musk is implementing on Twitter, such as mass layoffs, reduced content moderation, and the potential introduction of paywalls. This has exposed a lack of self-awareness among these liberals, who are experiencing the discomfort of change that they usually dismiss in conservatives. The author suggests that this moment could serve as an opportunity for both liberals and conservatives to practice empathy and open-mindedness, potentially leading to a more understanding and less polarized society.

Opinions

The author views the conservative fear of change as a defining trait, often mocked by liberals.
Liberals are criticized for their strong reactions to changes at Twitter, which the author sees as an ironic twist given their usual stance on change.
The article suggests that liberals are showing a conservative-like resistance to the alterations at Twitter, highlighting their lack of self-awareness.
The author expresses amusement at the turmoil within Twitter and the broader liberal community, enjoying the exposure of hypocrisy.
There is a clear disdain for Twitter's culture of censorship, canceling diverse viewpoints, and tribalism.
The author advocates for a broader application of empathy and egalitarianism by liberals, extending it to those with differing attitudes or political affiliations.
The article implies that conservatives could also benefit from this moment by recognizing that change can lead to positive outcomes.
The author is hopeful that the Twitter saga might eventually contribute to a kinder and more tolerant society, despite the current polarization.

Elon’s Twitter: Revealing Liberals’ Inner Conservative

An astounding lack of self-awareness following an ironic twist of fate

Can you imagine how constrictive it must feel to be caged? (CC BY 2.0) Image credit: Viajar24h via Wikimedia Commons

I think it’s fair to say that the defining characteristic of a conservative is fearing change. (Although I’m sure plenty of people would alternatively characterize it as being a selfish asshole, an inveterate hater, or a conspiracy-addled wackjob. But let’s set such judgments aside for the moment and just stick with semantics.)

Liberals never tire of mocking conservatives for this trait. Or, as Obama memorably put it, for “cling[ing] to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

I mean, come on. Get with the program, squares. The only constant in life is change. Right? Deal with it.

Women kissing women and men kissing men? Women who used to be men competing in women’s sports? Whites marrying Blacks and Blacks becoming president? The list of such blatant affronts to “the way it’s always been” goes on and on.

But so what? What kind of spite-filled monster could possibly be opposed to such things? Get on the right side of history, you old crusters. To hell with your discomfort, you deplorable reprobates.

Appealing to tradition? Longing nostalgically for a glorified past that never was? Such sentiments carry absolutely no weight compared to the unquestionable virtues of hope and change, of irrepressible advancement along the grand, sweeping arc of moral progress.

But here’s the funny thing. As anyone not living under a rock for the past eight months is surely aware, ever since (and well before) Elon Musk’s recent takeover of Twitter, many liberals have been absolutely losing their shit over it.

They’re horrified by his draconian, chaotic, and seemingly impulsive culling of half the company’s employees. They’re trembling in abject terror at the thought of reduced content moderation, of the introduction of paywalls, of de-elitifying the long-coveted “blue check.” They can’t bear the thought that the Twitter they’ve grown to know and cherish over the years will never be the same.

In short, they’re terrified of change.

See the irony?

It’s not easy watching something you love suddenly being taken in a radical new direction without your input or consent. It’s not easy when something comforting and familiar is suddenly rendered foreign and different, leaving you feeling confused and adrift. And it’s particularly difficult when your discomfort with such changes elicits not only a lack of sympathy, but outright disgust and dismissal from those implementing them.

For all who undergo such an experience, it must be massively frustrating. It must be angering. It must be maddening to the point that you want to lash out against those who seemingly revel in your discomfort, who laugh at your sense of loss, at your feelings of being frivolously cast aside to make way for the new order.

Personally, as someone whose temperament is defined by curiosity, by a thirst for exploration and openness to new experiences, someone who’s far from conservative yet who takes issue with a great many aspects of the modern left, I’ll admit, I find the whole circus act highly entertaining. There are few things I love more than exposing hypocrisy and watching hypocrites squirm.

Throw in my utter loathing and disdain for Twitter, my detesting of its mindless triviality, its cruel and vindictive tribalism, its vigilantism, its warm embrace of censorship and canceling of diverse viewpoints, and I’m happy to see the ants madly scrambling in disarray as their nest gets poked over and over by an arrogant man-child’s stick.

But beyond the amusement and feelings of schadenfreude at watching a toxic social network get radically upended, of watching a bunch of self-righteous, sanctimonious blowhards forced to at last walk in the shoes of their sworn enemies, oblivious to the irony latent in their reactions to doing so, this should be a moment of introspection for all involved, a moment of humility, and of compassion.

Liberals would do well to try broadening the range of that empathy and egalitarianism they so fondly espouse by for once applying it to everyone equally — regardless of attitude or political affiliation. Conservatives would do well to acknowledge that change need not always be feared; that it can often be a force for positive development, for the righting of past wrongs.

While perhaps unlikely, considering the nation’s present state of polarization, it’s possible this whole Twitter saga will prove beneficial in the end. Maybe, just maybe, once the shrill cacophony of the digerati dies down and the hysterical overreaction of the media and their myriad useful idiots is shown to be much ado about nothing, the world will emerge a slightly kinder and gentler place, one where mutual understanding is possible and differing personality traits are no longer a basis for intolerance and hatred. Now there’s a radical thought.

Colby Hess is a freelance writer and photographer from Seattle, and author of the freethinker children’s book The Stranger of Wigglesworth.

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