Covid Will Leave Us (More) Divided
Have the guts to lend an ear to dissidents
A couple of weeks ago, Spotify was grilled because a famous podcast presenter /comedian, Joe Rogan, hosted an anti-vaccine advocate in his show. It backlashed due to its potential to pose a public health risk. Several musicians severed their ties with the platform, and other prominent podcasters stopped producing content.
Adding fuel to the fire, Spotify stood by Joe Rogan and said they’ll change their content-sharing policies concerning Covid19. Unlike Apple, which has a different platform/sub-brand for the podcasts, Spotify has fully integrated podcasts into the music platform, engendering an inherent business risk related to content and content policies for the parent brand.
It did not take long for the already-polarized world to be polarized again. Some people think, including Rogan, that silencing dissidents is not a democratic stance, even if it is related to health. After all, health experts have continuously changed their claims regarding best healthcare practices for many years and many times. First, they made us cut back on meat, and now they’re blaming carbs. Who else knows about the upcoming culprit? When confronted with this dilemma, they claim that opinions change with the latest technology and advancements in science. Apparently, this claim does not apply to vaccines in a pandemic.
And yesterday, the Levis top executive, Jennifer Say, left her role in the company because of her views on Covid restrictions. She spoke out against school closures and lockdowns on kids, and she was forced to resign as her stance enraged company staff. She quotes:
‘I never set out to be a contrarian. I don’t like to fight. I love Levi’s and its place in the American heritage as a purveyor of sturdy pants for hardworking, daring people who moved West and dreamed of gold buried in the dirt.
‘But the corporation doesn’t believe in that now.
‘It’s trapped trying to please the mob — and silencing any dissent within the organization. In this it is like so many other American companies: held hostage by intolerant ideologues who do not believe in genuine inclusion or diversity.
I have never been vaccine-hesitant. I am double vaxxed with the mRNA type and will continue to be vaxxed as long as needed. However, I HAVE THE RIGHT to listen to dissidents who help us analyze this calamity with a 360-degree perspective by factoring in social, economic, and psychological factors. A pandemic cannot be managed only from a healthcare perspective.
Cancel the cancel culture if you want to see these vaccines with fewer side effects and more effectiveness in the long run and gain a broader perspective of the pandemic. This is what a scientific, inclusive mindset entails.
