Twitter finally suspended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (MTG) personal account. However, the Georgia Republican’s official congressional account remains. The freshman representative subscribes to numerous conspiracy theories and has used @mtgreenee to spread COVID-19 lies. The social media site’s rules prohibiting COVID-19 misinformation are specific, but the Georgian places the blame for her suspension on “communist Democrats.”
Naturally, Greene’s rant is filled with her typical posturing and veiled threats. For example, she called Twitter America’s enemy and that the company could not handle the truth. “That’s fine, I’ll show America we don’t need them and it is time to defeat our enemies.” Apparently, she is convinced there is a communist revolution taking place because she said it could not be completed when people tell the truth.
Then, Greene warned, “social media platforms can’t stop the truth from being spread far and wide. Big Tech can’t stop the truth.” But, of course, those communist Democrats cannot stop her from sharing the truth, either. She ended with the declaration, “I stand with the truth and the people. We will overcome.” Her statements raise many questions: Who is this “we” she is talking about? Who does she stand with? Does America need to worry about her rantings? For that matter, why has Greene not been subpoenaed for her part in the planning of and participation in the Jan. 6th insurrection?
George Hahn’s assessment of the representative’s reaction to the suspension reflects the feelings of most Twitter users: “MTG and Gang Greene will, of course, bitch and moan about free speech while conveniently forgetting that she repeatedly did the Twitter equivalent of yelling “Fire” in a movie theater. Over and over and over. Good riddance.”
Twitter’s rules are specific in determining if COVID-19 content is considered to violate its policies if it contains conspiracy theories and alarmist rhetoric that is unfounded in research or credible reporting.
Another reason someone could be suspended is posting “false narratives and unsubstantiated rumors, which if left contextualized can prevent the public from making informed decisions regarding their health, and puts individuals, families, and communities at risk.”
When a user violates Twitter policies, their tweets accrue strikes. For one strike, no action is taken against the account holder. Two and three strikes will cause a 12-hour lockout, four strikes, and the user will be locked out for seven days. Once a user’s tweets gather five or more strikes, then the account is permanently suspended.
Greene knew her posts violated Twitter policy, and she went through every temporary lockout before her personal account was suspended. Her rant was not unexpected. She shares her attitude regularly. Now, her offensive tweets will populate her congressional Twitter account.
Opinion News by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
The New York Times: Twitter Permanently Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Account; by Davey Alba
CNN: One of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s verified Twitter accounts permanently suspended from Twitter; Donie O’Sullivan and Daniel Dale
Business Insider: Twitter permanently suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene’s account for spreading COVID-19 misinformation; Yelena Dzhanova and John L. Dorman
The Atlanta Journal-Consitution: Twitter permanently bans Rep. Greene’s personal account for COVID remarks; by Eric Stirgus and Tia Mitchell
Twitter Help Center: COVID-19 misleading information policy
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Gerd Altmann’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
