"This is my pace where I make fun of things, point out absurdities and tackle serious subjects like the cutback."
In recent earth quaking news, the world’s richest man, South Africa’s Elon Musk, is now officially owner in chief of Twitter. The messaging application, which regularly courts controversy for how it handles the idea of “free speech,” has long been the preferred communication platform of politicians, athletes and many celebrities though many are publicly renouncing their accounts and jumping ship.
Shonda Rhimes, television program Grey’s Anatomy creator, curtly tweeted, “Not hanging around for whatever Elon has planned. Bye.” Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles followed with, “Welp. It’s been fun Twitter. I’m out. See you on the other platforms, peeps.” Toni Braxton, who crooned Un-Break My Heart, hopped out with, “Hate speech under the veil of ‘free speech’ is unacceptable; therefore I am choosing to stay off Twitter as it is no longer a safe space for myself, my sons and other POC.” Téa Leoni, actress, declared, “Hi everyone. I’m coming off Twitter today—let’s see where we are when the dust settles. Today the dust has revealed too much hate, too much in the wrong direction.” And, maybe most devastating, Bill S. Preston esq., the blonde half of Bill and Ted, wrote in non-Twitter-based email, “Elon Musk taking over Twitter and making it a private company with less oversight has immediately made the platform more prone to hate speech, targeted attacks, and the spread of disinformation. If Twitter returns to being a public company run by rational actors, many of us will return.”
Not buckling to famous people pressure? The world’s greatest surfer Kelly Slater.
The 11x World Champion, whose bio reads, “This is my pace where I make fun of things, point out absurdities and tackle serious subjects like the cutback,” is still entirely present with not one hint of waver.
Slater counts nearly 1,000,000 followers and has logged almost 9000 tweets since joining the service in 2009.
It must be noted that, at time of writing, Gisele Bündchen is also still Twitter active. The Brazilian supermodel, with 4.6 million followers, last tweeted good luck to her then-husband Tom Brady on Sept. 11.
Surf fans have spent the last month lighting candles in hope of a Slater-Bündchen reunion and might the two rekindle a magical 2005-2006 romance in the blue-checked DMs?
Hope springs etc.
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I imagine ya’ll rational actors got a slice of the 44 Billion $$ if ya’ll were running it….if it’s the communication platform you miss build another one numbskulls.
I don’t know any of those names mentioned and I think twitter will survive without them.
It’s free! Come and go at your pleasure!
I agree, you-started something unique here, a place that doesn’t take the surf industry too seriously, and not afraid to call BS on it.
Don’t blow it now with too much tabloid journalism.
Trying tackling a few more ‘weighty’ issues now and then.
What a shocker! Pseudo-celebrities in an uproar because the Twitter platform now caters to all, not just their own little oasis of lunacy.
I will take note of these names and check back in a month. My guess is, most will return with the battlecry of “I thought it would be important of me to come back and not let this private demon of an enterprise shut me down. All my loyal followers need me and I want to show them I won’t back down, I won’t go away that easily!”
Blue checkmarks are the set-up. It’s the spike from the rando commenters that make twitter worth a view
Can he PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do something with AC SLATER ( Mario lopes ) from saved by the bell ? Thanks. the entertainment world
Alright now…there’s much discussion of surf fans. I’m pretty sure now this literally means “I” for our scribe. He furiously jots his notes, perhaps on a legal pad? Perhaps more likely on a 100% recycled journal paper wrapped in fine Italian leathers? And when push comes to digital shove, and he’s forced to type it out, he edits out every “I.” He’s a surf journalist for fuck’s sake! The first rule of journalism is “don’t be the story” or some such. Being he never went to UCSD’s acclaimed school of surf journalism, he doesn’t know the exact wording of the first rule but he knows it goes something like that: don’t be the story. So as he types out his furiously scribbled notes, he’s careful in his editing. In place of every use of “I” goes the word “surf fans.” And thereby I’m he’s followed the first rule of surf journalism pool. But he’s not merely content with that small victory; no. He’s after a bigger prize in today’s self-interested world of internet/social media usage. And he’s achieved it. He’s made US, the surf fans the story. That’s why we keep coming back for more, surf fans.
He should likely just keep it unedited and just cop to using “I”, though.
Slater is that tight his bailed Twitter out of fear of having to pay $24 a month to be on it.
The more leftys leave twiiter the less hatespeech there will be.
Exactly. Twitter was a left wing hate filled echo chamber before. For the left . They are angry its not Facebook which is just a left wing political ad . Lol at people leaving. They TOOK my account for reposting actual news facts. fuck these people, fuck the phoney DNC and fuck that senile old fraud in the white house. I’m a Democrat. I’m shocked and disgusted by them now . What a group of two faced clowns. I’m 57 in a month . I’m not a Republican and honestly those two parties are becoming irrelevant but the DNC is full on crazy
Go on, have a proper fucking sook while you’re at it. Do you need a wee wee?
Its a worry. Feels like the crazy Dems is on purpose.
Trump has been a good shake up, but i hope he moves over for cooler younger people.
Fortunately the Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that hate speech is, in fact, free speech.
It’s probably a good idea for Toni to get off Twitter and stop openly advertising her ignorance.