Leftists Come After WWE Superstar John Cena After Digging Into His X Account
John Cena, the WWE star and Hollywood actor, has recently faced criticism from the left for following various controversial accounts on the social media platform X. Such accounts include those of known figures like Andrew Torba, Pearl Davis, and Richard Spencer, which have drawn backlash for their views. An article by Rolling Stone highlighted the shift in X’s content moderation since Elon Musk’s acquisition, suggesting that Cena’s follow list is problematic.
The piece critiques the nature of these accounts while arguing that Cena may not have followed them intentionally, suggesting it could have been a mistake by his public relations team. Cena himself stated in a past interview that he aims to follow diverse opinions to facilitate learning, asserting that surrounding oneself solely with like-minded individuals limits growth.
The debate extends beyond Cena, as commentators reflect on free expression and the role of platforms like X in allowing voices across the spectrum. Some accounts followed by Cena are seen as racist or conspiratorial, raising questions about the best way to respond to such content. The article concludes by referencing notable figures like Noam Chomsky, reinforcing the notion that true belief in free speech involves upholding it for all, even those with distasteful views.
WWE star and Hollywood actor John Cena is the latest target of left-wing vitriol due to a number of accounts — among his 850,000 — that he follows on social media platform X.
The accounts in question range anywhere from Gab CEO Andrew Torba, to anti-feminist Pearl Davis, and white nationalist Richard Spencer.
Rolling Stone felt Cena had clearly gone too far for following these accounts as their article from Monday calls him out while impressing upon readers how drastically X has changed in what content it allows since its purchase by Elon Musk in October 2022.
The entire piece boils down to mentioning several accounts Cena follows, how horrible they are, then proceeding to whine about X allowing “misinformation” and “hate speech.”
Its author — Miles Klee — awkwardly deflates his own momentum in stating that Cena himself probably did not follow these accounts purposefully as Klee presumes it was done by his public relations team with little regard for their content.
While that could be the case for some of these accounts, Cena stated in an interview with wrestling reporter Chris Van Vliet from March that he tries to follow accounts he does not necessarily agree with saying, “If you get yourself around yes-men and like-minded folks, you don’t learn anything.”
From that mentality, it isn’t hard to see why the left would target him.
The left cannot handle a major platform like X allowing vile, detestable, immoral, and undeniably wrong arguments having a voice.
To be in partial agreement with Klee, some — but obviously not all — of the accounts mentioned are indeed horribly racist, conspiratorial, and full of nonsense.
The dispute starts in deciding what the appropriate remedy is.
As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis put it, “the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”
Like-minded individuals who agree with Klee should rejoice in the chance to easily demolish the arguments of Holocaust deniers and eugenicists.
Advocacy for deplatforming gives the message that they aren’t up for the task.
Similarly, censorship smacks of the snobbish distrust that the left have for the common person to think and make decisions for themselves. Contrary to the left’s collective belief, people are perfectly capable of realizing when things are wrong and should be shunned.
Additionally, since Musk’s purchase, X has not exclusively become a right-wing echo chamber where conservative voices are elevated, while leaving the rest in obscurity.
You will still find accounts like left-wing news outlet The Young Turks, left-wing commentator David Pakman, and even detestable leftist streamer Destiny, who mocked those who were injured and killed at the hands of former President Donald Trump‘s would-be assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania in July.
If the left have gripes over the accounts Cena follows and don’t find Brandeis’ words to be compelling, maybe they will listen to one of their own in Noam Chomsky:
“If we don’t believe in free expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”
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