Woman Wonders How The Government Is So Quick To Ban An App But Fails To Pass Legislation That Actually Helps People
She pointed out the hypocrisy of the American government for concerning themselves with an app when there are more pressing matters.
Algi Febri Sugita | Shutterstock After weeks of anxiously awaiting the Supreme Court's final decision regarding the ban on TikTok in the United States, it seems they've unanimously decided to uphold a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company to divest from the app. The decision means that come Sunday, January 19, the app will be no longer.
Of course, this decision has caused quite an uproar among many people who've taken to social media to share their grievances. As a content creator named Bella Vandala pointed out, most of their contempt comes from the fact that the American government seems to be preoccupied with banning an app while there are more worthwhile things that demand their attention.
A woman questioned how the government could quickly unite to ban TikTok but fall apart regarding real legislative issues.
"If TikTok getting banned does not radicalize you as an American citizen, you are intentionally missing the point," Vandala began in her video. "It's the fact that Republicans and Democrats across all legislative branches can expeditiously and unanimously pull together like never before and probably never again to streamline legislation banning a social media app."
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The woman questioned why the TikTok ban seemed to take government priority over bigger issues.
Vandala pointed out that when it comes to things that are actually important to the American people, it's seemingly impossible for the government to actually intervene and do something.
They can't band together to make sure we have stricter gun laws so that kids stop getting shot while sitting in classrooms. They can't do anything to fix the economy and the 37 million people who are suffering from poverty-stricken lives.
It feels like the government turns a blind eye to mandating livable wages or even kicking hedge funds out of single-family homes so people can actually afford to pay a mortgage, Vandala insisted. "They, like every other country, can't pull together to outlaw the poisonous substances that are put into our food, creating an epidemic of obese, diabetic, cancerous Americans who need to lean on a healthcare system."
The woman insisted that with everything going on in the world, banning an app should be a low priority.
"They won't give us free healthcare, they won't invest in infrastructure, [or] education, but all of their efforts collectively go to banning a social media app," Vandala remarked. Her opinion is pretty unanimous amongst a lot of other people. The Supreme Court's decision to move forward with the TikTok ban when there are more pressing matters pretty much sums up how the American government chooses to treat its citizens.
The ACLU even released a scathing response to the ruling, calling the decision a violation of our First Amendment rights and attempting to silence the way that we are able to consume and receive information online. "The Supreme Court’s ruling is incredibly disappointing, allowing the government to shut down an entire platform and the free speech rights of so many based on fear-mongering and speculation," said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of ACLU’s National Security Project.
"By refusing to block this ban, the Supreme Court is giving the executive branch unprecedented power to silence speech it doesn’t like, increasing the danger that sweeping invocations of ‘national security’ will trump our constitutional rights."
You'd think the American government would be more concerned about the devasting effects of climate change happening, especially considering half of Southern California has been decimated by the wildfires. Or that they would want to tackle the lack of affordable healthcare, as Vandala pointed out, or the fact that we're seemingly going back in time when it comes to abortion rights.
Out of the million and one issues that American people face in their everyday lives, banning an app that brings people joy, comfort, and, most importantly, education should not be at the top of that list.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.