What I am talking about is Spotify's decision to pull down Neil Young's music because Young has an issue with Joe Rogan. The issue stems over concerns about COVID 19 information and how messaging around it has been presented.
At first it seemed that the company was siding with Rogan but, as things kicked off and other artists jumped to Young's defense Spotify saw a bit of dip in it's market share they decided some clarity was needed and they released guidelines for what is and is not acceptable on it's platform.
FYI Joe Rogan's podcast is exclusively published on Spotify.
What all of this represents is the deep and sometimes devastating divide over handling the COVID virus and it's variants. When all of this started there were some concerns but most people generally stood behind the health teams and other front line workers. Now insults, racist language, yellow stars and swastikas are being displayed along with assaults against the very people trying to help.
The people engaging in these debates are devolving into what amounts to adult versions of toddlers with temper tantrums. This is coming from both sides of the arguments about how to handle COVID. The fight primarily is between anti vax and anti COVID mandate movements vs pro vax and mandate movements.
I will admit I am weary and quite fed up with dealing with COVID. That said I also know that I have to do my part to ensure I don't risk my health and the health of others around me. I also understand that everyone has a right to voice an opinion for and against mandates and vaccines. What is needed is to respect the spaces that is there to express opinions in. Use of platforms like Facebook, Spotify, Twitter and even broadcast media and online chat rooms to pick fights, which seems to be what is going on here is unacceptable. The debate has devolved into nothing more than shouting matches and that does not help anyone.
This does not mean that the discussion is not happening, what I am saying here is that the angry toddler adults throwing tantrums have drowned out healthy dialogue and it's time to give them a time out. In short enough is enough. They have made their points done their protesting and now it's time to get on with the business of ending the pandemic.
My concern is that because we value freedom, and we should value freedom, that we will continue to allow a bunch of men and women with the brains of 2 year old kids continue babbling nonsense. I heard one individual state that God gives us freedom not the government and that we have to obey God's law. Well here is a 411 for this person and others like him. The Bible is crystal clear. You have to obey the government, it's God's law. Don't believe me then read Romans 13 verses 1 through 7.
What this spat between artists and Spotify over Rogan's comments are is a reflective mirror of the struggle to gain power and uphold a narrative regarding the pandemic and how to the handling of it is managed and discussed. None of this makes sense any longer because the sides in the debate are not debating they are looking for megaphones like Spotify to promote a singular view of the situation.
Here is the kicker in all of this. Each side is yelling at the other while more or less preaching to the choir. All this shouting and posturing takes away from the good healthy debate that is out there and ongoing. That is why this is so strange to me to see the response that Spotify went with in the first place before clarifying things. I guess they realized that oooops we goofed by siding with profit over common sense and good curation.
I do believe in fair comment and I do think at times protests are appropriate. The problem is that the line has been crossed between fair comment and protest into bullying and gross behavior. I would dare to say that the current situation has essentially escalated into acts that are anything but displays of standing up for freedoms and rights, they are more like a power struggle between factions and the government and the healthcare professionals doing a difficult job. Maybe instead of fighting about how everyone should manage the pandemic, everyone should be fighting to end it.
Explainer Neil Young Protest effect on Spotify.
