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The one thing the history books neglect to mention about war is the unexpected boredom and endless waiting. It’s been 27 months since the coup on November 3, 2020. While things in America are weird, our day-to-day is relatively normal. We go to work. We shop for food in stores that mostly have food. We watch shows, listen to music, and scroll through social feeds.
Away from the screens, we pretend like we aren’t engaged in a to-the-death battle for the soul of our nation and Her people.
During the Trump Administration, censorship came to the forefront of the American conversation, as our invisible governors were forced to emerge from their shadows to protect their power. During the early days of COVID, in the run up to the 2020 election, censorship and information manipulation reached a fever pitch. Anyone with an off-narrative viewpoint experienced the wrath of tech, from shadow banning to search suppression, and even removal from the platform.
After the selection of Joe Biden, as the regime prepared to enact vaccine mandates and other unconstitutional measures that have since failed in the courts, suppression became the norm for free thinkers who ask too many questions.
From fact checks and context labels to the formation of the short-lived Disinformation Governance Board, the regime had near total control over American discourse in the digital public square. For two years, we were banished to new and alternative platforms to share the truth and discuss its impacts.
Then Elon Musk bought Twitter.
While it’s still too slow, the banned are being freed and once again allowed to participate in the national conversation. The boredom and endless waiting have subsided, and the battlefield of Twitter is back.
At least for now.
The Rise of Spaces
Twitter Spaces was launched in December of 2020 to compete with Clubhouse, a popular audio-based social media platform. Two years later, under Elon Musk’s leadership, Spaces was disabled on the platform once the new CEO learned that banned users still had access to it.
This highly public controversy occurred around the same time that many of the previously banned users began reengaging with the platform, a new (returning) user base for Twitter Spaces. Many of us had participated in Telegram live chats or Stereo discussions while off platform the past two years and, now that we are allowed to engage in ‘the public square’ again, Spaces are being adopted on the right for communication, collaboration, and social connection. Users can engage in live conversation, or just listen, with discussions focused on the news of the day, local organizing, deep dive research and my favorite: live entertainment.
Here are a few of my most memorable experiences in the two months or so that I’ve been engaging in Spaces:
Jesus is King
There is church happening in Spaces along with prayer groups and Bible studies and the sharing of testimonies.
A few times a day, there is a space entitled “Jesus is King” where prayer, scripture, and testimonies all come together into a Spirit-filled worship session run by a Canadian Lion named JAVA (@JamesVanAllen9).
Where two or three are gathered in His name, the Spirit is with them. You can feel that in JAVA’s space, reminding us that “church” is the Body of Christ—not the building or the Sunday concert.
That said, there are a lot more church Spaces on Sunday, go figure.
America Mission
Best known for “We Build the Wall,” married couple Dustin Stockton and Jennifer Lynn Lawrence use Spaces for activism and organizing resistance against the Great Reset to the New World Order. Correction: at this point, Lawrence is probably more well known that time Adam Schiff doctored her tweet in the second impeachment trial.
In Spaces, Stockton and Lawrence are, primarily, building community. Some America Mission Spaces feel like meetings with agendas, directives, action items, and follow-ups. Participants, both speakers and listeners, come from all walks of life all across the nation, and America Mission Spaces often spin off into more localized discussions. Other Spaces held by the couple are conspiracy deep dives and late-night fun.
Recently, I attended their “Crypto/NFT for Newbies” space to learn more about decentralized finance. At the beginning of the space, I shared how I am being dragged kicking and screaming into this movement. As a former technology consultant, I am a literal luddite when it comes to currency as code. At least I was. Because of Stockton and Lawrence—and Dylan and Kim and Sam and ZNO—I now own cryptocurrency and even an NFT.
#WeirdoGames: Boo’s Clues & Who’s This, What’s That?
I love games, and some of my favorite experiences in Spaces are the game shows. Full disclosure: I have not yet found a family-friendly game show, and these Spaces are generally irreverent, explicit, and offensive. Not to me—I only get offended by luciferians, pedophiles, and communists (but I repeat myself). Still, I want to make sure our readers have a clear heads up on what to expect.
Boo’s Clues takes place on Thursday nights, hosted by a couple of users named Paddy (@DOM_FADDA) and Megalito (@therealmegalito). In this game, a player chooses a movie or television show and provides three vague clues. Once all the clues are read, players can jump in with answers and the winner provides the next clue. Warning, it’s very competitive, so check your feelings at the door.
Who’s This, What’s That? is run by Vince (@VinceintheBay) who puts an image or sound file in the nest and players give their response of what that artifact is. Only wrong answers are acceptable which makes the game hilarious. Anything goes in Vince’s game; just don’t insult his mom or you will get moon-doored (removed from speaker).
Live with Mike Lindell & Tina Peters
The first Space I personally ever hosted was more of a presentation than an open discussion. I’ve covered the story of Tina Peters extensively, and I used to work with Mike Lindell. Election integrity is the most important issue facing our nation, and this Space was engaging and informative. The speaker panel was stacked with election integrity experts and independent journalists, and the discussion covered the RNC Chair election, the Maricopa Audit, the Mesa County Election Reports, and Clerk Peters’ upcoming trials.
These types of Spaces are the most common experience, and topics range from politics and religion to sky circles and train derailments. Experts or other featured guests will present for an hour or so, and the hosts and moderators will open up dialogue to a pre-selected panel or bring up audience members to join the discussion.
The very large Spaces you see on the platform fall into this category, though I consider these to effectively be the mainstream media of Twitter Spaces. It’s maddening to listen to Grant Cardone or Mario Nawfal raise a topic and then defend the central narrative. The “discussion” generally features regime-friendly “experts” asking and answering questions that are so detached from the known-but-suppressed truth, that I don’t tune in any longer.
I’d rather watch Mika and Joe, if I am being honest.
These presentation spaces are my least favorite experiences because the prepared content makes them feel more like shows and less like authentic connection. I’m here for the community and collaboration.
The J6 Community uses Spaces to raise awareness, organize, and build the community of those of us who are living the “insurrection” gaslight despite our first hand experiences on January 6. Spaces are the only place where you can discuss The Ericsson Report, though these Spaces generally crash more than others for some reason.
There are comedy shows, therapy sessions, open mics, and struggle sessions. There are crypto spaces and reparations debates happening every hour of every day. If you’re into a topic, you can probably find a Space about it. And if you can’t, you can definitely start one.
Obviously, I’ve spent way too much time exploring the space of Twitter Spaces. With that body of work to draw from, I can say without reservation that my favorite Spaces experience to date is the six-day marathon that I lovingly refer to as the “Tweaker Space.”
WTF, Psyops Everywhere
On the last Friday in January, the news was a firehose, blasting through the screens—none of it good.
California was reeling from three public shootings, including two in just three days, with a total of 25 dead. The five Memphis Scorpions—the rogue police unit that viciously murdered Tyre Nichols—were indicted on murder charges and public anticipation of the violent video had everyone on edge. The video was released, and violent riots broke out in Memphis and other cities.
Adding to the domestic angst, Biden announced that he would be sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine—a reversal from his prior position that tanks would provoke Vladimir Putin into escalating the war. In the African Theatre, the US conducted a “successful counterterrorism operation” in Somalia, believed to have killed ISIS leader Bilal al-Sudani. As if that’s not enough, the US and Israel wrapped up the “largest-ever joint drill-in message to Iran,” with 6,400 US troops, 1,500 Israeli soldiers and over 140 aircraft, 12 naval vessels, and artillery systems.
Twitter Spaces were plenty that afternoon, with different angles of each of these stories, all serious and seemingly aimed at elevating our collective blood pressure. That’s when Nikki direct messaged me a link to a Twitter Space entitled, “WTF PSYOPS EVERYWHERE?!”
Exactly how I was feeling. Nikki gets me.
I entered the Space and embarked on a very weird and wonderful six-day experience with a bunch of random Tweeters.
Nikki’s room had one rule: No serious talk about the news or current events. It was a haven from the tsunami of headlines battling for ears and eyeballs over in normie Twitter. Instead, the conversation traversed all conceivable conspiracy- and spirit-related topics.
What are they doing to the children they’re trafficking?
What happened to the monkeys?
Do viruses exist?
Is Biden a clone?
Is Earth a globe?
Discussion was lively and combative and authentic until that last one.
Is the Earth a Globe?
Debates about the shape of the earth, in my experience—which is extensive—always devolve into pearl clutching and cries for decorum.
It generally goes like this:
Glober comes into Twitter Space with a Flat Earth title and mocks the Flat Earthers.
Flat Earthers challenge the Glober’s knowledge of his own model and ask specific questions about the science.
Glober reveals that he—in my experience, it’s always a very arrogant dude—doesn’t actually understand the heliocentric model but, rather, has accepted the “settled science” because that’s what they do.
Flat Earther then mocks the Glober—who, remember, entered the discussion by mocking the Flat Earther.
Finally (and this is my favorite part, and it happens every single time), the Glober very respectfully calls for decorum, declares that the Flat Earthers are mean and aggressive, demands that people start raising their hands and stop interrupting, and then suggests that the Flat Earthers adjust their approach of discourse. They do this with zero recognition of the irony.
A variation on this occurs when the host is a Glober. In that instance, the Flat Earther will generally get moon-doored once the Globers realize that they cannot debate the science (largely because they have no idea about the model they so vehemently defend).
My new friend Sacred (@100KryptoKeyz), despite being fact-based and respectful in presenting his evidence and asking his questions, has been moon-doored from every debate once the Glober’s moment of realization occurs. Every single time. And he never even raises his voice.
For another example, check out Badlands’ Flat Earth debate, where this exact dialogue takes place.
For those experiencing the discomfort of cognitive dissonance right now, understand that most people called Flat Earthers don’t believe the earth is flat, but that the earth is not what we’ve been told. They ask questions and challenge the “science.” They point out fallacies and inconsistencies. Many don’t even posit an alternative model.
Still, the label “Flat Earther” is assigned to them—just like the term “conspiracy theorist” was assigned to anyone who questioned the CIA’s involvement in the JFK assassination. Just saying.
Since you’re likely wondering what I believe, I stand on the Word of God and claim the scriptures. For example, that the firmament (Gen 1:6-8, 14-19; Job 37:18; Ps 19:1) separates the waters above (Gen 1:7, Ps 104.3:3; Ps 148:4) from the waters below (Gen 1:7-9). Or that the earth is fixed and does not move (1 Chr 16:30; Ps 93:1; Ps 104:5). Or that the sun does move (Eccl 1:5; Ps 19:6; Josh 10:13).
The Christian Glober’s response to the scripture is usually some variation of, “God didn’t mean what he said” about our world. I wholly reject that assessment.
Back to the Tweaker Space; over the course of the six days, the room name changed to “PsyOps and Rabbit Holes” then to “MonkeyOps and Rabbit Holes” with a dozen variations—and a couple dozen co-hosts—in between.
Now, I didn’t spend six days in a Twitter Space; I don’t think anyone did except Nikki’s phone that was hosting—and probably this dude named Todd. But the room remained and, for six days, the 30 or so diehards committed to this little impromptu experiment refused to let it die.
At times, there were three to five people. Other times, there were 400-500. On night four, in the wee hours of my insomnia, I was co-hosting and moderating the discussion while Nikki slept. Somehow, I got removed from co-hosting, so I was unable to rotate in speakers.
Then the other co-host, who was also asleep, got removed.
Then the speakers started getting picked off one by one and dropped down to listener. We started wondering if we were going to lose the space entirely. I panicked. This was my watch!
With just me and three speakers remaining, Nikki woke up and restored my control. That was a close one!
On the sixth day, the space finally crashed, and on the seventh day we rested. Selah.
Community’s New Frontier
The most profound impact of Elon’s purchase of Twitter is the ability for us to speak to each other again. For nearly three years, free thinkers have been relegated to echo chambers while the public square was dominated by the regime’s central narrative.
I am not convinced that it will last, largely because it’s effective. America Mission and the J6 Community are proof positive that the American People are innovative, action-oriented, and capable of governing ourselves. That terrifies the regime—which, side note, obviously brings me joy—so I expect that old Twitter’s sleepers (and the regime handlers directing them) will interfere in our efforts in every way they can.
For now, though, come find me in Spaces. If I’m hosting, my only rule is no fake decorum. That means you don’t whine about feelings, expect me to be nicer to you, or tell me to smile more. Leave the fake decorum outside the room or you get the moon door.
Other than that, anything goes.
A Final Word to Elon Musk
Mr. Musk,
Thank you for buying Twitter and allowing many to reclaim their voices in the public square. Please accelerate these reversals and restore the voices of everyone who was banned by the regime’s illegal censorship.
I also want to thank you for Spaces, and I’ve taken the liberty of writing a few user stories for your dev teams based on my extensive use of this feature.
As a Spaces host, I want to be able to clear the nest in a single action as a control against porn bombs and other spammers.
As a Spaces host, I want to be able to transfer HOST to a CO-HOST so that a great experience doesn’t have to end just because the host has to leave.
As a Spaces host, I want the nest to be saved with the Space and accessible in the chat thread after the Space closes so that content isn’t lost and can be referenced.
As a Spaces user, I want to be able to access the full emoji board so I can provide more diverse and inclusive range of responses.
Emojis are very important to the Spaces experience; they are the primary way that listeners engage in the discussion.
As a Spaces user, I want the emoji board to persist (like the sound board) so I can more easily clap along when a host plays music.
Seriously, having to reopen the emoji board makes me look like I have no rhythm.
Thank you for your consideration, and please reach out with any questions.
Cheers,
Badlands Media articles and features represent the opinions of the contributing authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Badlands Media itself.
If you enjoyed this contribution to Badlands Media, please consider checking out more of my work for free at Ashe in America.
Very interesting topic Ashe! Now I want to check out Spaces! Thank you!
It’s nice your connecting to people with various topics on space twitter. Unfortunately I have never been a twitter fan. Musk also was allowing warnings to go out about using comments that hurt....like calling someone a bitch. But after reading your positive take about twitter I must admit I will try space , maybe . The only negative thing I have to say about your piece today is that I find it incredibly frustrating to hear radio talk, podcast talk, you tube talk bitchut talk, on and on...and now SUBSTACK written words.
Quite honestly it seems to do NOTHING. The stage we are currently living in is in complete free fall. What good is talking and yet accomplishing NOTHING. Where are the changes in our world? I dont see anyone anywhere organizing and fighting in real ways. The machine is so huge, so powerful, so hidden, so dangerous. We are so small, so afraid, so unorganized, so traumatized, so useless in the face of true fascism and hidden communism that they are winning without really giving a shit about us. Not one thing since trump was forbidden to be president of our country... All he was trying to do was lost..to great extent...an extremely demoralizing to good citizens in this country. I am leaving most of my SUBSTACK subscriptions. I am keeping some positive ones like yours, Burning Bright and Crispin Miller two others. But as time goes on I am wondering how much of SUBSTACK is just another --PSYOP.