One of Our Most Valuable Possessions

We should never take free speech for granted; instead, we should cherish it as one of our most valuable possessions.

Photo by Panos Sakalakis on Unsplash

It is human nature to take something precious for granted, treating it as ordinary or even an annoyance over time. We often fail to notice its absence until it’s gone. This applies to the right to free speech for many Americans today. In fact, not so long ago, the New Yort Times decried that free speech is a problem because an excess of it could “kill” Americans. Therefore, once a while, it is good to have external events remind us of how precious our right to free speech is.

In China, dictator Xi took a drastic step by banning Gao Shanwen, a Chinese economist from speaking publicly. Gao’s scheduled media interviews and public appearances have been abruptly cancelled. Gao had his scheduled media interviews and public appearances abruptly canceled. What was his “offense”? In a recent U.S. forum, he boldly claimed that China’s real GDP growth over the last two years was, at most, around 2%—far lower than the government’s official figure of 5%. He also voiced doubts about the government's ability to revive the nation's economy.

Gao's crime was simply fulfilling his role as an economist by expressing an honest assessment of the Gao's crime was simply fulfilling his role as an economist by expressing an honest assessment of the situation. The Wall Street Journal reported that Xi was infuriated by Gao’s remarks and personally ordered his silencing. Yet, this act of suppression only amplifies concerns that the Chinese economy may be more fragile than the government admits.

For those outside of China, this incident comes as no surprise. China’s Communist regime is defined by its suppression of free speech, making such actions a troubling but expected reality.

As some of you may know, my day job is in investment management. This also means I frequently speak and write about economic issues, much like Gao. The key difference is that I do so in the United States of America, where I am privileged to exercise my right to free speech, a constitutional right. This is a privilege I do not take for granted, especially when I see the suppression of free speech in other countries.

While China’s suppression of free speech is not acceptable but understandable, the situation in the United Kingdom is not just curious, it's deeply disappointing.

Thanks to Elon Musk’s relentless tweeting, the whole world has now become aware that gangs made up mostly by Pakistani Muslim men have systemically groomed, sextually abused and raped of thousands of primarily young, white, working class British girls in Labor Party-controlled areas since 1970. The abuse these girls suffered are so horrific that I cannot repeat them here without feeling physically and emotionally sick.

We don’t know the total number of victims, which could be 100,000 or more, and we don’t know how many cities and communities in Britain have these gangs either. The reason we don’t know and the only thing that is equally horrific was the subsequent cover-up by society, including social service agencies, police, city councils, the leadership of the two major political parties, and the media. The cover up was driven by the progressive’s belief that simply talking about it would be “Islamophobia” as “this was the wrong kind of racially motivated crime, committed by the wrong kind of criminal,” according to British writer, Dominic Green.

Censorship of speech in the U.K. has grown alarmingly since the Labor Party took power last year. The government is imprisoning citizens for making “hateful” posts on social media and has even threatened to extradite individuals from other countries for similar "offenses." This alarming trend endangers the freedoms of citizens in the U.K., a nation where the ideals of enlightenment originated, and where individuals lack the constitutional right to free speech like the Americans do.

Had Elon Musk not taken an active interest in this issue and leveraged his influential social media platform to raise awareness, this "Biggest Peacetime Crime and Coverup in British History" (as termed by Dominic Green) might have gone unnoticed. The dire implications of such a cover-up are troubling, leaving countless victims to endure suffering without the justice they are owed.

Musk shared in a tweet that his passion for exposing this scandal stems from his maternal grandmother’s British roots and her humble, working-class upbringing. This personal connection fuels his empathy for the affected British girls, who, like his grandmother, primarily come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Many people criticize Musk's communication style, yet his unwavering tweeting has shattered the silence surrounding a serious crime, sparked global awareness, and motivated other victims to come forward. Victims began sharing their heartbreaking stories on X.com (Musk's platform), and British journalists, previously silenced, found the courage to present their research. A handful of Conservative MPs also stepped up to demand accountability and a national inquiry in Parliament. None of this momentum would have been possible without Musk's protection of free speech as a U.S. citizen on American soil.

Musk is not alone; countless Americans are rallying on X.com to amplify the voices of victims and journalists from Britain. One example is after one young lady who was a victim of the rape gang posted on X.com that she got a phone call from South Yorkshire Police who asked her to delete her posts on X and not to report on the Rotherham rape gangs going forward, one American replied:

“Send me whatever you want. I am American. I will post it all and so will thousands of others.”

Recent postings and social media shares have significantly pressured Britain’s ruling Labor Party. Even though Keir Starmer has dismissed the idea of a national inquiry, it's clear that a political storm is on the horizon. The Labor Party’s survival under Starmer hinges on their ability to acknowledge the reality of the situation rather than deny it. It's empowering to think that by exercising our right to free speech, we may help steer Britain away from the pitfalls of extreme political correctness. This realization fills me with pride in being an American, and it should instill pride in you as well.

In this week's major domestic news, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook and Instagram would cease all fact-checking. He explained, “We’ve reached a point where there are just too many mistakes and too much censorship. The recent elections seem to signal a cultural tipping point toward re-emphasizing free speech.” He further remarked that fact-checkers have become “too politically biased.”

I don't believe Zuckerberg suddenly became a defender of free speech. He likely made this 180-degree shift to protect his business from the incoming Trump administration. Nevertheless, I consider Zuckerberg’s announcement a significant victory for free speech. It serves as a reminder that if the general election had turned out differently, we could have seen UK-style speech censorship implemented here.

From China to the United Kingdom, recent events highlight how precious our right to free speech is and how unbearable life would be without it. We should never take this right for granted; instead, we should cherish it as one of our most valuable possessions.