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The Predictable Reason Billionaires Started Caring About Free Speech

The marriage of propaganda and profit.

Steve QJ
Curated Newsletters
5 min readJan 21, 2025

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Credit: Tim ReckmanCC-BY-NC 2.0

Picture yourself in an algebra class.

The air is thick with the scent of wood lacquer and boredom, the clock ticks slowly towards freedom, and the teacher, who you quietly suspect is not a real teacher, writes the following problem on the board.

2 + x = 4. Solve for x.

It’s a mixed-ability group, so the answers vary. “Three!” shouts one student, insisting that any other answer is white supremacy. “It’s one,” yells another with inexplicable certainty. “No, it’s six,” says a third, assuring everyone it’s a trick question.

And you, a lone voice in the wilderness, say, “Two.”

When the other students challenge you, you happily explain your reasoning. You demonstrate the answer by subtracting two from both sides, you generalise the result by plotting it on a graph, you even help them visualise the solution using little coloured blocks.

They’re still not convinced.

“Two just doesn’t feel right to me,” says one. “Whatever, sheep. Two is what ‘they’ want you to think,” sneers another. “Well, what the hell do you mean by ‘two’?!” demands an elderly gentleman in an elaborate suit. “And ‘solve’! And

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Steve QJ
Steve QJ

Written by Steve QJ

Race. Politics. Culture. Sometimes other things. Almost always polite. Find more at https://steveqj.substack.com

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