Timeline of Big Tech Censorship During the 2020 US Presidential Election. Starting with the blocking of the Hunter Biden laptop story (October 14th) and ending with the permanent suspension of former President Trump's accounts (January 8th), this illustrates the extent to which PC-driven censorship deeply interfered with the democratic electoral process. Graphic by Hanmiilbo.

Table of Contents

① ESG… The Financial Weapon of Globalism

② MAGA's Challenge… A Norms War, Not a Trade War

③ Political Correctness and Elections… How Democracy Was Tamed

④ Election Fraud Discourse… The Cracks Between Globalism and Democracy

⑤ Korea's Choice… A Time for Decision Between Two Systems

Political correctness, often called PCism, did not start as a bad thing. The demand to rectify social inequalities such as racism, sexism, and discrimination against people with disabilities, and to ensure everyone is respected in public spaces, aligned with the fundamental spirit of democracy. The problem, however, is that it has transformed from a mere cultural movement into a tool for institutions, markets, and even political power.

PCism and ESG… Coercion That Became Institutionalized

PCism gained coercive power within global corporations and financial markets by being incorporated into the 'S (Social)' component of ESG. Leading international rating agencies like MSCI and Sustainalytics quantify factors such as corporate diversity, protection of LGBTQ+ rights, and human rights programs to use as indicators for 'social responsibility.'

Giant asset management firms like BlackRock and Vanguard allocate trillions of dollars in funds based on these scores.

For corporations, submitting diversity reports, increasing the proportion of female executives, and implementing gender equality training are no longer options but 'conditions for obtaining investment capital.' Capital has effectively mandated political correctness.

Elections and PCism… Only 'Permitted Agendas' Remain

The effect is even more potent in the political sphere. Political parties or candidates who do not embrace PC agendas are branded as 'anachronistic' and are shunned by major media outlets and big tech platforms. Elections should ideally be arenas where citizens freely choose and judge agendas. However, PC norms, combined with global finance, media, and IT platforms, restrict even what policies the public can debate.

A prime example is the 2020 US presidential election. Shortly before the election, the "Hunter Biden laptop" allegations reported by the New York Post were blocked from spreading on Twitter and Facebook. At the time, Twitter prevented the sharing of links to the article, and Facebook reduced its algorithmic visibility. As a result, the majority of the public did not have access to crucial allegations just before voting. This led to criticism of a 'censored election.'

In this way, PCism elevates issues like climate change, diversity, and human rights to 'universal good,' while branding and excluding any opposing views as 'hate' or 'discrimination.' The arena of democracy is being disciplined.

Korea's Situation… PCism Is Becoming Institutionalized

Korea is not free from this trend.

Let's look at the political landscape.

The Democratic Party is campaigning on pledges for Green New Deal, ESG management, and diversity policies, and is seeking to legislate and institutionalize them.

What about the economic aspect?

The Financial Services Commission is pushing for mandatory ESG disclosure for listed companies. This can serve as a means to enforce 'social correctness' in corporate management.

Looking at education, gender equality and diversity respect education are being strengthened in the elementary and secondary school curricula. Media/Broadcasting: The Korea Communications Standards Commission applies guidelines for hate speech regulation to penalize 'anti-PC' remarks.

While these may appear as good values on the surface, they are actually narrowing the scope of policy agendas that citizens can freely choose from. Elections have become a competition within 'permitted agendas.'

Censorship That Blocks the Flow of Information

Media and social media play a decisive role in this process. Large platforms classify and block content that goes against PC values as 'misinformation' or 'harmful speech.' This is not mere censorship but a mechanism to exclude voices that do not align with globalist values.

This is particularly blatant during election periods. There have been numerous instances in the US and Europe where specific candidates' remarks or allegations were blocked from influencing public opinion. The free flow of information, a fundamental condition of democracy, is being weakened.

Clash with MAGA

This is why Trump's MAGA supporters are strongly protesting.

They view PCism as having transformed from social goodwill into 'the enforcement of political correctness.' The expansion of mail-in voting, social media censorship, and biased reporting by mainstream media during the 2020 presidential election ultimately left a fundamental question about the fairness of the election itself. This laid the groundwork for the election fraud discourse.

PCism has ultimately become a means of taming democracy.

Though it began in the name of diversity and inclusion, by merging with markets, capital, media, and politics, it is now restricting the free choices of citizens. Political correctness, which was once a shield for minorities, has now become a blade that restricts the choices of the majority.

Political correctness has now transcended the boundaries of democracy to become a bridle that tames democracy itself.

PCism (Political Correctness): A social norm that seeks to exclude discriminatory language or behavior towards certain groups.

ESG-S (Social): An indicator evaluating corporate social responsibility. It includes diversity, human rights, labor rights, community contribution, etc.

Big Tech Censorship: The act by large platforms such as Google, Meta, and Twitter of controlling discourse through algorithms that control content visibility and blocking.

#PCism #ESG #MAGA #Globalism #ElectionFraud #PoliticalCorrectness #Democracy #Elections #MediaControl #Hanmiilbo