Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter have resulted in a meltdown amidst the Leftist and Liberal ranks. World over, we saw several Liberals deactivating their Twitter accounts after the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk. Now, the meltdown has intensified after it was announced that those who want the verification badge on Twitter would have to pay $8 per month (adjusted according to region based on purchasing power). One of the flag bearers of delusional Left ideas, Democrat and House representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Elon Musk had a rather public spat on Twitter, where AOC had a meltdown and Elon Musk could not stop mocking her.
On 2nd November, AOC took to Twitter to voice her opinion against Elon Musk’s plan to charge $8 for the verification badge.
Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that “free speech” is actually a $8/mo subscription plan
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 2, 2022
Elon Musk tweeted in response to AOC, “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8”.
Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
Now, the argument by AOC itself was rather illogical, given that even without the verified badge, nobody is curtailing free speech and people would still be able to tweet and air their opinions. Instead of correcting AOC, Musk tweeted a cheeky response that seem to trigger AOC even more.
Not one to back down, Elon Musk tweeted a snapshot of AOC merchandise – a sweatshirt that was being sold for a whopping $58. The insinuation was simple – if AOC feels comfortable selling her merchandise for $58, why is she getting bent out of shape if Twitter decides to charge $8 for verification?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2022
This response seems to have riled up AOC even more. She then responded to this tweet by saying her employees are unionised and get benefits and that the proceeds from the merchandise go to serving underprivileged children.
Not to mention all proceeds go to community organizing like our Homework Helpers program which gives private tutoring to kids who’ve needed learning support since COVID:
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 3, 2022
Check out our shop!
Support our workers and our communities: https://t.co/hhXgu01Ey8
After AOC’s grandstanding, many Twitter users pointed out that she was blatantly lying. The proceeds from the same of her merchandise go towards campaign expenses and not causes that serve the community at all. This disclaimer is, in fact, quite clearly mentioned on her website as well.
Popular Twitter user @LibsofTikTok also mentioned how AOC lies while responding to Elon Musk.
.@AOC lied to @elonmusk. She claimed to be a philanthropist when in reality all proceeds from her merch go to her campaign.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 3, 2022
I searched all her campaign expenses in the last 4 months and there were no donations to charity organizations. See for yourself https://t.co/M53CRQPI4o pic.twitter.com/m0LUidsTIL
After AOC got questioned online, something far more bizarre was unleashed.
She took to Twitter to then tweet that she had “got under the skin” of Elon Musk and that she was being censored on Twitter.
Also my twitter mentions/notifications conveniently aren’t working tonight, so I was informed via text that I seem to have gotten under a certain billionaire’s skin 😂
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 3, 2022
Just a reminder that money will never by your way out of insecurity, folks.
She claimed that she could not view her mentions/notifications and that she had been “informed” that she had gotten under the skin of Elon Musk, essentially hinting that Elon Musk was messing with her Twitter handle in some manner. Interestingly, this problem was faced by several users and could have been merely a tech glitch, however, that did not stop AOC from making wild insinuations.
Far more bizarre than her tweet was an Instagram story that she had posted about this. While eating some sort of a snack, she claimed, chuckling, that her Twitter account was being messed with and that she had got under Musk’s skin.
Responding to her outlandish rant on Instagram, Elon Musk proceeded to mock AOC again tweeting, “What can I say. It was naked abuse of power”.
What can I say? It was a naked abuse of power.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2022
This spat between AOC and Elon Musk is frankly quite juvenile. From the rant of AOC where she alleges that making verification a paid process would stifle freedom of speech to her lying about her merchandise and Elon Musk choosing to push her over the edge rather than simply responding to her with facts and reason.
However, this spat is actually rather a telling testament to the sense of entitlement that the Liberals globally seem to harbour. While the Liberals seem to be dressing up their disdain for coughing up $8 for verification as their crusade to save freedom of expression, the fact is that paying for verification has no bearing on their ability to express their thoughts on the platform. The truth is that the Liberals seem to be upset over the fact that if average folk can simply pay for a verification badge, the marquee value attached to it, that separates them from the “average citizen” disappears. In essence, the verification mark was seen more as a symbol of the authenticity of opinions expressed rather than the authenticity of the account – with anyone being able to pay for the blue badge, the difference between those whose opinions were viewed as far more important and authentic and the average citizen disappears.
The Liberals seem to be upset because the distinction between the perfumed elite and the unwashed masses would summarily disappear with this move by Elon Musk. The spat between Elon Musk and AOC may be juvenile, but the meltdown is real and the “unwashed masses” on Twitter should grab a tub of popcorn and enjoy the global meltdown.
