I don’t think Musk raising his hand like he did was a big deal. This feels like another case of folks or platforms trying to cut him down. Let’s face it, this probably has more to do with him owning Twitter (now X) and upsetting a few people I won’t bother naming.

Take Reddit’s ban on X links after Musk’s rally gesture—it feels completely overblown. The moderators pushing these bans seem stuck in the past. Blocking X links isn’t going to drive any positive change; all it does is polarize things further. Reddit, with its self-appointed moderators running subreddits, hardly reflects the real world.

Sure, some historians might call Musk’s gesture a Nazi salute, but Musk dismissed the backlash as “tired” and “dirty tricks.” Honestly, it feels like people are just searching for reasons to criticize him. And really, who even uses Reddit like that anymore? It’s a niche platform, full of specific communities and fan groups—not exactly a representation of public opinion.

Over 100 subreddits—like r/NBA, r/TwoXChromosomes, and r/NFL—have banned X links. While this might hurt traffic and engagement for now, will it lead to actual change? I doubt it. Most of these subreddits are fan-run, not tied to the organizations they’re about, so their bans don’t necessarily reflect what the wider public thinks.

Meanwhile, some communities—like Maine or British Columbia subreddits—are ignoring the ban altogether. They see it as unnecessary censorship. And let’s be honest, Reddit’s system of unpaid moderators deciding what’s allowed feels like a fragmented, inconsistent approach to free speech.

Will any of this matter in the long run? Probably not. Sports subreddits might take a short-term hit since they rely on X content, but these kinds of protests on Reddit usually fizzle out. Remember the 2023 blackout? It made noise for a while but didn’t change much.

Instead of focusing on bans, why not push for constructive dialogue and real progress? Reactionary moves like this don’t help anyone.