When “Free Speech” Turns on Its Own: How America Became the Land of Doxxing

America’s “free speech”—once worn proudly like a badge—has, unbelievably, become a paper-thin test no one can pass.

Right now, the US is deep into a full-blown “doxxing fanfare”—and the rules couldn’t be simpler. Whether you’re a colonel or a teacher, a commentator or a random netizen—say the wrong thing about Charlie Kirk’s murder and you could lose your job, your future, or even land in much hotter water.

One Post, One Career Down: The Colonel’s Case Goes Viral 

Latest headline: US Army Colonel Scott Stephens just got the boot. His crime? On social media, he said the murder was tragic, but he remarked that Kirk had spent years spreading hate and discrimination on college campuses, and suggested that “We can’t make it political.”

Colonel’s words that sparked a storm

In other words: Kirk’s death is tragic, but the man bears some responsibility. Not exactly a flamethrower of a comment, yet the backlash was instant. Critics pounced: “Kirk did not deserve to be assassinated. What happened to freedom of speech?"

Stephens doubled down: Kirk had spent years inciting political violence, and now he’d become a casualty of what he started.

And it’s not just the military. A high school teacher in South Carolina posted: “Thoughts and prayers to his children but IMHO [in my honest  opinion] America became greater today.” The price? Fired under pressure from Republican lawmakers.

New Rules: Welcome to America’s “Accountability Machine” 

In today’s America, “free speech” is being replaced by what can only be called an accountability machine. On social media, the hunt is relentless: spot someone making an “inappropriate” comment about Kirk, and immediately broadcast their name and workplace, demanding they be sacked.

Far-right influencer Laura Loomer was first to the megaphone, declaring that anyone “sick enough” to celebrate Kirk’s death should “prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined”. Her warning: Gloat now, and your career is over.

Right-wing firebrand Laura Loomer on the attack

In this climate, new “doxxing” cases flood social media: military officers’ posts aired, teachers’ opinions exposed, even firefighters and commentators get the treatment. The scoreboard? Dozens already lost their jobs and counting.

CNN reports that this feeding frenzy is only picking up speed. Some are even curating live updates: “Who Got Fired Today?”—all in real time. There’s even been an anonymously-registered doxxing site named “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” that “gathered information about people who made posts about Kirk”.

What started as outrage has become a nationwide political purge.

Is There Any “Free Speech” Left To Defend? 

So you have to ask: can America’s legendary “free speech” even survive this?

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem put it bluntly after Kirk’s murder: This is a turning point for America and the world. “It feels like a grief has settled on not just the country, but the entire world, something has changed.”

DHS Chief Kristi Noem

She went on with the criticism of the left-wing, stating that “Some of the rhetoric we’re seeing out of the left and out of political animals is ugly and it’s bitter and it’s seeking to seize this opportunity to turn it into evil.”

Elon Musk, never one for restraint, went even further—accusing the left of “celebrating it openly” after Kirk’s death, and branding them “the party of murder and celebrating murder”. In Musk’s world, it seems “the left” and “Democrats” are interchangeable.

This flood of statements from politicians and influencers is turbo-charging the movement. Once upon a time, Americans prided themselves on the motto: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” In today’s America, that sounds hollow.

The Exiles and the Internet Trap

Some of the sharpest changes are happening to America’s political exile community—people who once saw the US as a safe haven, some Democrat, some Republican. Previously, they’d disagree occasionally within their own circles, but that was it.

Now, after Kirk’s death, everything’s tense. Some may have voiced criticism of Kirk—even in their native tongues—never expecting to end up targets themselves. People are tagging Trump-era officials, demanding these “ungrateful” exiles be investigated.

For these folks, the internet simply doesn’t forget. Any statement, present or past, can be used against you. Lose US protection, get sent home—and real danger looms. Exiles facing exile, again. It’s an unsolvable maze.

How Do We Even Talk About This?

So how do we even make sense of all this? Mainland media veteran “Niu Tanqin” makes three observations.

First, America’s “speech purge” is now a mass movement. Republicans used to accuse Democrats of attacking dissenters as “homophobic” or “sexist.” Now the tables are turned—Democrats say Republicans have only doubled down. The result? Political feud is dragging everyone deeper into the mire.

Second, the American “enemy logic” is spinning faster than ever. Oregon scholar Whitney Phillips notes that collectively denouncing those “celebrating Kirk’s death” is just manufacturing new foes. Diverse groups get bundled together, turning into the “public enemy” in conservative circles—and this cycle just keeps fracturing society.

Third, peace and stability suddenly look priceless. The Middle East burns, Europe protests, Russia-Ukraine war slog through generations. And in America, political hate and division have made purges and violence normal. In contrast? China’s quiet stability—built on both system and environment—is something to treasure.

A divided America, Global Times graphics

From Warning to Witch-Hunt: What Kirk’s Murder Became

Charlie Kirk’s murder could have been a wake-up call to reject violence. Instead, it set off a doxxing circus. Now people of all stripes get reported, sacked, and cast out—free speech reduced to empty words.

When politics becomes the only yardstick, rationality is the first to go. America’s rifts and clashes have wrecked its cherished values of freedom—and proved that no society can thrive on endless hostility and purges.

A truly stable society is never a given. It’s those ordinary days—so easy to take for granted—that matter most.

Deep Throat

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

Remember America started its own Belt and Road Initiative two years ago? Yeah, that didn't work out so well.

Two years ago, the US was beating its chest about this brilliant "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor" (IMEC) that would supposedly crush China's Belt and Road Initiative. Western media went wild calling it a strategic masterstroke. Fast forward to today, and this supposedly game-changing infrastructure project has basically flatlined against the backdrop of complex geopolitics and diverse interests.

The Big Launch That Led Nowhere

Back in September 2023 at the New Delhi G20 summit, America rolled out this grand plan with India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the EU. Railways, pipelines, power systems spanning from the Indian Ocean through the Persian Gulf to Europe - Biden himself called it "a real big deal". The whole thing was marketed as the new Spice Route that would change everything.

The handshake that meant nothing: Biden, Modi, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2023.

Western pundits immediately framed it as the ultimate counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative. Biden was practically gloating about how this would deliver “game-changing regional investment” for everyone involved.

But here we are two years later, and not only has nothing substantial happened, but the whole thing has been pushed to the side as Middle Eastern tensions and great power competition took over.

When Your Key Partners Walk Away

The UAE was supposed to be a cornerstone of this whole operation. Then Gaza happened, and suddenly UAE-Israel relations went straight into the freezer. UAE officials started openly slamming Israel's West Bank actions as crossing "red lines" and basically declared that extremist forces had trashed the Abraham Accords.

When Israel decided to bomb Hamas leadership in Doha, that really set off the Gulf states. The UAE President and his ministers personally flew to Qatar to show solidarity, publicly opposing Israel. As experts point out, Israel is basically throwing away hard-won cooperation opportunities - relations are now at rock bottom.

Saudi Arabia has done a complete 180 too. They had promised $20 billion for this corridor, but after the whole invasion of Gaza, they made Palestinian statehood a non-negotiable condition for any normalization with Israel. The railway investments? Suspended. After Israel hit Doha, Riyadh went even further, declaring it would stand with Qatar 'without limits' and harness 'all capabilities' for Qatar's response."

So the corridor that was supposed to depend on Middle Eastern cooperation now has its foundation completely shaken by regional conflicts.

India Plays It Safe

Unlike the UAE and Saudi Arabia backing away, India recently signed a bilateral investment deal with Israel. On paper, this looks like they're keeping some hope alive for the corridor. But both countries completely avoided mentioning the corridor in their joint statement. Delhi clearly doesn't want to stick its neck out too far.

Researchers are calling India's approach more like a mere kept-up appearance. Fair enough - unlike the UAE and Saudi Arabia, India doesn't have to deal with the direct political fallout from Middle Eastern conflicts. For Israel, getting any agreement with India counts as some kind of diplomatic win. But this barely dents the overall decline.

America Loses Interest Fast

Here's where it gets really telling - the US, which started this whole thing, has basically lost the will to grind on its own project.

Trump promised India's PM he'd convene a summit within six months after taking office. That deadline came and went and nothing happened. Instead, Washington's focus shifted to slapping high tariffs on India and dealing with Middle Eastern drama. When Trump visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE, he didn't even bother mentioning the corridor plan.

Analysts point out that this project was originally America's key tool for pushing the Abraham Accords and improving Israel-Saudi relations. But now? The US hasn't just failed to resolve contradictions - it's actually made regional uncertainty worse through its policy flip-flopping.

Turkiye Swoops In

While America sits there twiddling its thumbs, Turkiye is actively pushing forward with its own "Iraq-Turkiye-Europe Development Road Project". This corridor aims to connect Turkiye with the Gulf region through Iraq. Especially after the Kurdistan Workers' Party dissolved, Ankara sees a golden opportunity to advance this project.

Turkiye's "Development Road" - while America fumbles, Ankara moves ahead with its own grand plan.

Turkiye's moves aren't just intensifying competition with Israel - they're also annoying India. The route Ankara is promoting could seriously impact India's original strategic vision of connecting to Europe through Iran, Armenia, and Russia.

Europe Can't Make Up Its Mind

The EU's commitment to this project has been half-hearted at best. Initially, Greece, Italy, and France were fighting over who would dominate the maritime hubs, but they ended up just dumping responsibility on some subordinate team within the European Commission.

More problematically, some European diplomats are now demanding that Israel allow Palestinian participation in corridor construction. Obviously, Israel isn't going to accept that condition under current circumstances.

European analysts are even acknowledging that the corridor project is literally 'on ice'. One of them went a step further and called it “collasped”.

Reality: Strategic Failure

The IMEC was supposed to be America's big answer to the Belt and Road Initiative. Two years later? Virtually zero progress. Middle Eastern conflicts drove away key partners, US interest evaporated, Europe can't decide what it wants, and Turkiye is busy promoting its own alternative.

Looking back now, this supposedly "game-changing" corridor didn't just fail to achieve its intended effect - it's actually exposed the limitations of the US and its allies when it comes to regional cooperation. As one analyst put it: as long as the Gaza war continues, this plan can't possibly get off the ground.