Moral outrage isn’t what it used to be – Black Hills Pioneer

OPINION Depending on their deals with Spotify, their record companies and publishers, hippy rockers from the 1960s and 70s have the right to deny Spotify listeners the opportunity to listen to their music on that platform for whatever reasons they choose. Likewise, Spotify, depending upon their deals with the artists have the right to remove hippy music from the 60s and 70s from their menu for whatever reasons they choose.

Beginning with Neil Young, several artists have removed their music, podcasts and other audio content from Spotify until the platform agrees to remove The Joe Rogan Experience podcast from their offerings. Young and others say Rogan has advanced misinformation about COVID-19, vaccinations, masking, lockdowns and other aspects of the pandemic. Spotify has, at these artists requests, removed their offerings and have given no indication they will end their relationship with Rogan, who has far more listeners than all the protesters combined.

Rogan, for his part, has provided a bit of an apology, not for the content, but rather for upsetting the artists in the first place. He has said he will try in the future to do more research and have more balance on his podcast regarding controversial subjects. Of course he will. He knows his controversial imbalance is what makes his podcast the most popular on the planet.

Rogan represents a $100 million Spotify investment. Spotify made this investment because Rogan is controversial and popular. The Rogan podcast is the cornerstone of Spotifys business plan to offer a complete audio experience, to include music, podcasts, audio books and more. The plan is highly dependent upon Rogans continued success. So, regardless of what Joni Mitchell, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Graham Nash and Neil Young want, it was clear last week that Rogans podcast wasnt going anywhere.

Then there was the word. Fellow Spotify R&B artist India.Arie last week asked that her music be removed from the platform because she said Rogan is a racist, who has used that word (you know the one) in numerous podcasts. In the current world of political correctness, that word is radioactive. Anyone who is not black may not use that word, even if one is using it to explain why it is unacceptable. It may only be referred to as the N word. It is so toxic that the late politically incorrect comic George Carlin did not include it in his seven words bit about words that cannot be uttered on broadcast television. He even added three more in a later bit. But not that word.

It turns out that Rogan used that word with relative frequency so frequently that Spotify has removed dozens of Rogan podcasts from the platform not podcasts containing misinformation about COVID-19 or vaccines or masks or mandates podcasts containing Rogan using that word.

Now, Rogan has said he was sorry that the hippy rockers were upset with him for including in his podcasts information the hippies believe to be everything from dangerously misleading information to outright lies that lead his listeners down the dangerous path of illness, hospitalization and even death.

Hes sorry theyre upset. But, hes really, really sorry for the more than 70 podcasts that Spotify saw fit to remove from the platform after India.Arie pointed out to the world that Rogan says racist things on his podcast. And Spotify apparently had no idea that more than 70 Rogan podcasts contained the most hated word in the American vernacular. And Rogan remains employed, continuing to collect his $100 million.

Moral outrage isnt what it used to be. The hippies, 52 years ago, sang of four unarmed Kent State (Ohio) students who were killed by National Guardsmen during a peace rally after then President Richard Nixon announced a U.S. incursion into Cambodia. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Youngs song about the students, Ohio was likely a catalyst to the beginning of the end of the United States involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia.

But their protest about Rogan fell on Spotifys deaf ears. Their lack of response had nothing to do with moral outrage and everything to do with money. It took one word to get even a partial Spotify response, not because of moral outrage, but because they fear significant subscription cancellations. The hook of Ohio is familiar to everyone my age: Tin soldiers and Nixon comingfour dead in O-HI-O. Welcome to 2022 900,000 dead so far.

Michael Sanborn writes from Rapid City.

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Moral outrage isn't what it used to be - Black Hills Pioneer