Deplatformed is a weekly column that looks into the nether reaches of the internet—outside the big few that everyone already covers—to tell you the political discourse online. It runs on Thursdays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
1) The effort to kill Henry Kissinger is alive on Bluesky
When Bluesky launched in the aftermath of Elon Musk taking over X, users rejoiced, for it was exactly what they wanted: The same thing as Twitter, just without the omnipresent aura of tech’s most despised ovate overlord.
But the beauty of Twitter was in how much it adapted over time, form and function mashed together with no coherent order or reason, somehow creating a profound medium for art, memes, commentary, news, and political action.
It truly grew organically over time, never becoming one thing and more importantly, never trying to be one thing. But the bulk of users who migrated over to Bluesky were explicit in wanting to recreate what already existed.
Hence, when news breaks over there now, we don’t get anything new or interesting.
On Friday, when Dianne Feinstein passed away, the same meme that’s been percolating over the years X cropped up. Everyone wondered why Henry Kissinger—whom many consider a war criminal long past his sure date—got to live when someone else died.
As for Threads, the other X clone, it’s the same.
It’s a long-time internet trope and indicates just how hard these platforms have it trying to build somewhere people want to be.
It’s not that Kissinger deserves, by any means, to be living, it’s just that these platforms won’t break out if they don’t ditch the old X tropes and develop a new, unique digital ecosystem.
2) Is Trump actually Molech?
Over on Rumble, the far-right answer to YouTube—where Dan Bogino and Donald Trump Jr. live vlog from the recesses of conservative internet—Trump should be King.
But another argument is percolating. What if he’s Molech reincarnated?
Molech, the prince of Hell and a pagan god of fertility, is known to have lusted over the flesh of Christian children, something Trump is now facing accusations of, too.
You may have thought all of that QAnonstuff—you know, hunting Democratic pedophiles and whatever—may have inoculated Trump from accusations he was secretly murdering babies himself, but alas. After a recent interview where he argued for a 16-week federal abortion ban, right-wing podcaster David Knight tore into Trump for telling “Christians to Sacrifice Babies” so he could win in 2024.
“The Demagogue President goes full Molech,” Knight proclaimed, disputing Trump’s belief that abortion bans cost Republicans in 2022 and will again unless they come up with a reasonable, non-draconian regulation like lots of red states are putting out.
“Christians do not need the Republican party, Christians do not need Trump. I do not need a president. I have a king.”
That might be news to most Christians, who seem to support Trump outright. But will his somewhat more lenient opinion on abortion sink him among Christians? The push is percolating.
3) Gangster Doug Burgum?
Is North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) street? Unfortunately, the answer to that is no.
However, that hasn’t stopped a number of TikTokers from trying.
After Burgum tore his Achilles tendon the morning of the first Republican debate, TikTokers have been doing their best to make the long-shot 2024 candidate look hard, like this one video, of him scooting around town set to “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
One account, @murkowski.pilled has been trying their darndest to build up Burgum for the internet.
But across the site, no one seems to care.
