Save TikTok

 Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2025 

To: United States Representatives 

Re: Save TikTok - please share with fellow Representatives 

Dear Servants of the People,

I’m writing this letter as a plea to save TikTok. As a 49-year-old, natural-born American citizen, a son of ancestors and family members who have defended this country since Emancipation, I humbly implore you - that as a survivor and a son of survivors, I would never knowingly defend a cause that is detrimental to those who may have endured a similar struggle. We are present because of those who have come before us. And, this more than anything else is the lens through which I see my way forward. 

It is with that lens that I write - the American citizens who use TikTok are not somehow blinded by their affection for the app such that they do not see it for what it is. There has been a gross misunderstanding of what drives and motivates users of the app, so much so that it has caused one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in the history of this nation. And, that is no exaggeration. If TikTok is banned, not only will tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual income be lost, a great repository of knowledge and information will disappear too. A modern Library of Alexandria would be burned to the ground. 

Understanding what the app is - is not the same as understanding what the app means. So, let me give you an analogy. Taking away this app is like taking away someone’s child or home. It’s like burning their photos and precious memories - all in the name of “national security”. How will history view politicians who managed to disenfranchise 40% of its population in this way? Please consider - if only for the sake of your own legacy, what you may have unwittingly signed onto doing. 

TikTok, for many, is a source of joy, laughter, inspiration and information. It is essentially a way to explore the unmapped, untapped universe that is “the community of human consciousness”. Users are essentially saying - let me explore your mind, your heart…the things that are near and dear to you. Let me acknowledge that you exist…that you matter…that somewhere in one of the dark places that the light of mankind failed to illuminate - I see you. 

In a nation that suffers from more hurt, pain, anxiety and depression than at anytime in history, our leaders have managed to rip off one of the very few bandages people feel they had. The American people have overlooked so much in the way of political and economic brokenness. We found a refuge, while we trust and hope that you all would figure it out. And, you know what? You turned your eyes toward that refuge and said, “Burn it down.” 

Who convinced you to do this? Was it want of their political contributions? Beholden to corporate interests? Was it want for their friendship? Was it the thought - “This is an easy one. We can fix this.” I don’t know if this is yet another moment for soul-searching and reflection or a coming well-deserved reckoning. What I do know is that- there is still time to fix this. Since you are “…by the people”, here is perfect opportunity to show that you are still “of the people and for the people.” Save TikTok. 

Kindest regards, 

James Power 

@Channelingideas on TikTok