FREEDOM’S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR ROGUE TRUCKERS TO SPREAD DISINFORMATION
TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist
We got a big old trucking convoy headed toward Ottawa … a convoy!
I have been to protests and demonstrations, but only peaceful ones. I’ve never been to one where the crowd was beat on by batons or arrested. I’ve heard of such protests, from a professor with a doctorate and distinguished grey hair who told us of being tear-gassed during a G7 summit protest, and how people came prepared with the number of a lawyer written on their arms with magic marker.
I’m not against protests. The “Freedom Rally” began as a protest against truckers needing to be vaccinated to cross the border. This is regulated on both sides by the Canadian and U.S. governments. Most truckers are vaccinated, so the change would affect a minority. The rally has morphed into a general protest against all mandates and COVID restrictions.
I have an issue with this being called a rally for freedom, because I don’t think that mandates or vaccination passports violate freedom. I’m fully vaccinated and have my booster shot; so maybe I would feel differently if I weren’t?
But I don’t think so.
If a business has a “No shirt, no shoes, so service” sign and I wasn’t complying, I wouldn’t protest to be let inside, I would just go somewhere else.
I do have a problem with vaccine passports in that it created division, and I would prefer if we could either all do something or none of us do something, but economically that probably isn’t the best solution.
I am sympathetic toward people who don’t want to feel forced into getting a vaccine against their will. But I do wonder where their information is coming from and what exactly is motivating their distrust.
Do they consider the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to be a reliable source?
Neil Young sure doesn’t.
Of course, it’s not only Young. Hundreds of doctors wrote in to Spotify to protest the show and its host for circulating misinformation. Rogan has interviewed guests that have been banned from Twitter and YouTube. The medical community wanted Spotify to have a stronger policy against airing things that have proven to be false.
When a platform like Spotify has so many millions of listeners around the world they need to have some mechanisms for accountability and responsibility.
Freedom of speech isn’t about saying whatever you want to. You can’t be libellous, spread hate speech, or distort fact and opinion in contentious times during a global pandemic.
Young is a Canadian folk legend. I grew up on his music. Rogan is a former actor, Fear Factor host and self proclaimed “moron.” Apparently, he is a brilliant Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) commentator and is such a pro at trolling and courting controversy, he earns millions in dollars yearly from Spotify.
Young does not have to share his music on a platform he finds offensive. There are plenty of other sources for you to find his music beyond one app.
But on social media his battle was simplified, as a cranky old dude who said it’s Rogan or me, and he was shown the door.
A lot of musicians take their music off of streaming sites for reasons ranging from money to sound quality — but Young took a moral stand. He won’t be hurting financially either way and it gets people talking. Hopefully more people will take a more critical look at the JRE, and more podcasters and musicians will follow Young’s lead.
It’s not about Rogan or trying to get him “cancelled.”
The Freedom Convoy is converging on Ottawa. As with any large crowd, in draws together people with many different agendas. Many have expressed fears that some in the crowd are bringing with them last year’s Jan. 6 vibes, when a mob descended on the U.S. capitol to cause chaos. Even with so much of that footage of that event, there is still debate about what really happened and why, apparently whether an act is treason or freedom fighting, an insurgency or a revolution is in the eye of the beholder.
Are the truckers and the people supporting them bringing the same energy to the Indigenous Canadians whose freedoms were literally stripped, and who are still feeling the repercussions? Are they as outraged that they can’t go to the movie theatre or eat in a restaurant without showing proof of vaccination as they are about the mass graves still being unearthed all over Canada?
This convoy isn’t representing what I believe as a Canadian. And it’s important to remember that it isn’t representing the opinions of all truckers. Veteran truck driver Jeremy Ivany commented: “You’re not making a difference, you’re causing a scene.”
I’m tired of the pandemic too. But it’s not over, just because we’re all over it. A huge act of division is the last thing we need.
