It Starts With TikTok

Fewer freedoms, less liberty, more tyranny New to the Digest? [Click here.]( [Manward Digest] We've Got It Wrong on TikTok [Joel Salatin] Joel Salatin Contributor I'm completely unqualified to write about social media. I have no smartphone. I've never used an app and don't know how they work. I don't use Facebook, Instagram or X. I don't text and can't even retrieve messages on my 10-year-old flip phone. So why should I weigh in on the controversy surrounding TikTok? [[Watch Now: Multimillionaire Trader Wows Thousands With His New "One Ticker Payouts" Demonstration.]( Because the height of citizen disempowerment is when the only real option for solving a problem is action by the federal government. When decent folks look to the government for answers, they've gone down a path that leads to fewer freedoms, less liberty and more tyranny. Or at least more interference in their daily lives. I recently watched Sen. Rand Paul argue with Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade. They kept yelling over each other. Paul kept calling Kilmeade a liar for saying TikTok is owned by the Chinese, and Kilmeade could only scream "algorithms!" It was quite an exchange for two conservatives who usually come down on the same side of issues. It was jarring. For the record, I'm no friend to TikTok. The many allegations about how it harvests data, encourages social dysfunction, and is simply not good for America are all probably true. But if we're going to use the federal government as a sledge hammer to go after businesses we don't like, what might be next? Blame Game As a farmer who raises a lot of cows, I can imagine John Kerry and Bill Gates devising a similar campaign to rid the country of burping, farting bovines. But I can think of lots of companies that destroy Americans, not the least of which are Coca Cola, McDonald's, the makers of Hot Pockets and Lunchables, and Monsanto (now owned by Bayer). Where does "this business is bad and must be exterminated" end? And what kind of elitist thinks he can demand it be sold and to whom? SPONSORED [The #1 AI Stock NOBODY Has Ever Heard Of...]( [Alexander Green #1 AI Stock]( The man who correctly called 4 of the top 6 performing stocks of this century... now says [this obscure AI stock will be the biggest winner of the AI revolution](. [The reason why will surprise you.]( This whole storm is a classic victim mentality expressed in a blame game that demands rescue by legislation. I've got news for you... legislation seldom brings rescue. It usually brings enslavement at worst and unintended consequences at best. Add to this the second involuntary manslaughter guilty verdict in Michigan against the parents of a high school shooter. We have a culture reeling in the face of multiple dysfunctions but unable to create a consistent responsible response. If parents don't want their children on TikTok... and if Americans don't want their personal information going to the Communist Chinese Party... who is requiring that anyone log onto TikTok? Is someone demanding sign-ups? I don't think so. With the courts now deciding parents are liable for their children's behavior, wouldn't it be consistent to tell parents struggling with social-media-induced teen mental illness they're responsible because they gave their kids smartphones? This is a consistent responsible response. Every TikTok participant is a willing customer. Parents who don't want the influence on their kids should step up and become referees for their children's lack of judgement. Really, no parent needs to buy their child a smartphone. As a culture, we say we're addicted to these technologies... yet refuse to reimagine life without them. If the government did not provide any mental health services, perhaps parents would feel a bit more responsible about their children's mental diet. The mob runs in a certain direction. When it comes to a cliff it then says not it's responsible for running that way. SPONSORED [New Bitcoin Projection: $165,000 in the Next 18 Months]( [Crypto Bull]( New Bitcoin ETFs... Trillions in Cash Pouring in… Crypto is Set to Experience Another Major Bull Run. And It's One Particular Catalyst That Could Set Off a New Run Projected to Hit $165,000 Per Coin. The Event is Scheduled for April 22. [See Why This Will Send Crypto Soaring Again Here.]( Speak the Truth Folks, this is crazy. If all the effort expended against TikTok was invested in positive alternatives, speaking truth and reality rather than obnoxious seduction, perhaps we could get to a better place. I'm thinking, for example, about the campaign that publicized the dangers of smoking. Remember the videos of smokers' lungs? We didn't need to shut down the tobacco companies. As culture, we came together to educate and explain the dangers of smoking. For the most part, it worked. Movies and TV shows voluntarily quit showing smokers. A cultural campaign against social media addiction could yield similar results. Show pictures of teen suicides due to depression from not measuring up to viral videos. An 18-year-old in our community was tragically killed last year trying to make a sensational TikTok video. His pickup truck rolled over an embankment and crushed him during his attempt to create something outlandish. How about plastering his crushed body on some ad campaigns, explaining "addiction to social media viral videos can kill you. Don't participate. Just say no - that's courage." How about philanthropists start therapy farms for recovering social media addicts like we have wagon trains for juvenile delinquents? When a culture decides to intervene on an issue, it can harness tremendous resources and creativity - and accomplish much in a short time. All voluntary. All with consent. All because noble, sacred journeys attract people. Anyone who thinks the federal government is the only and best protection is asking for the worst of all possible remedies. Running to the government without first exhausting voluntary citizen resources is a recipe for tyranny and ultimate defeat. We must not let our aversion to TikTok or any other demonized business erode our commitment to freedom. Sincerely, Joel What Else We're Talking About [Why I'm Not Buying the Boeing Turnaround]( [BYD Auto]( A leadership shake-up at Boeing may have some investors feeling optimistic. But there are still rough skies ahead... [Find out why.]( [Dealmaker's Diary: Earnings, Income and Momentum Growing for This Global Manufacturer]( [Engine]( This small, Nasdaq-listed stock is starting to show us the signs of growth we like to see. But can the global manufacturer keep the momentum going? [Get the ticker here.]( [Are These 5 Grocery Stocks Worth Adding to Your Cart?]( [Supermarket aisle]( Are grocery stocks a "Buy" right now? Shah looked at five well-known grocers to see if they're worth adding to your cart. [Keep reading...]( Want more content like this? [YES]( [NO]( Joel Salatin Joel Salatin calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson. Those who don't like him call him a bioterrorist, Typhoid Mary, a charlatan and a starvation advocate. He draws on a lifetime of food, farming and fantasy to entertain and inspire audiences around the world. Was this email forwarded to you? [Click here to sign up!]( You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Manward Digest. 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