For those not familiar with Neil Young, his work, and his politics, it may look like an old man inserting himself into a political feud with a big media star and a big media company just to make himself look good. Got news for you…Neil has been commenting on social and political issues his whole career. Heck, just a quick look at his song catalog shows multiple times he has “gone political” in his lyrics.  His spat with Spotify and Joe Rogan has made the news, and both sides in America’s current ideological divide are fighting over what it all means.

“Southern Man,” “Ohio,” “Rockin’ In The Free World,” “American Dream,” and many others, all poked at authority, the dominant social order, wars, racism, and other issues in American society. Neil has been doing this literally since the 1960s and the Vietnam War.  While I do not really care about Joe Rogan one way or another (his viewpoints on the pandemic, from what I glean from various sources, border on the idiotic, if not malevelant), I also do not always agree with Neil Young’s political stances.  That is part of the joy and advantage of being an American, in my view. You can disagree with someone and still like them.  I have many friends who are either more conservative than I , or more liberal than I.  Yet, while we may disagree, we are still buddies.

I take that attitude into my music and media consumption as well.  I love the music of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John “Cougar” Mellencamp, Neil Young, and many others whose political songs and other commentary on the world I do not always agree with. The same is true on the other side of the ideological coin. I love Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and I like a good deal of the music of Ted Nugent and Kid Rock (despite the fact that is a really stupid stage name!), again, among others.  I don’t always agree with them either.  The point is, I am tolerant of varying viewpoints, as long as they do not stray into “evil” territory, like out-and-out racism, or violence.

Part of this, I admit, is about selfishness. I do not want to deny myself the company of friends (and relatives) who think differently than me, nor do I want to deny myself the music I have enjoyed my entire life. But it is also more than that.  My willingness to see both sides and tolerate a certain degree of ideological differences is a choice as an American who still believes in America. 

To me, America is the promised land of freedom.  If we take the spirit of the First Amendment to heart, (as we all should), that means that we recognize that we all have true freedom of speech, and we should all respect that (again, to a point in my opinion-racism and violence excepted). Yes, that means that Joe Rogan DOES have the right to spread disinformation and lies. And yes, Neil Young DOES have the right to call out Spotify and remove his music from that service.  And I have a choice of what to do also, as does every other person. If someone wants to be stupid (see, I am expressing my right to have an opinion) and not believe in what true science and medical experts say, then that is their right as Americans.  Take the horse dewormer and see if it cures your COVID infection, while I choose to get vaccinated and survive when I do catch it (I did get it, and I am clearly still alive!)

Listen to Neil Young music, or listen to the Joe Rogan podcast.  That is your choice. Sign up for Spotify or cancel your subscription. That is your choice. I shake my head at the wonder of how otherwise intelligent people make stupid decisions (yes, I have made bonehead decisions in life also…that is part of life), but in all this debate and haranguing about this small battle in the war of words we now have in our nation, we need to keep in mind that we are all in the same boat, and that we are all Americans who have been raised to believe in the personal freedoms we are all born with and guaranteed in the Constitution and in the Bill of Rights and other Amendments.  Our country is losing sight of that basic truth. We DO all have the freedom and liberty to make choices, but we must also recognize that the other person has the right to make choices and, yes, the right to be wrong.  

Political and financial boycotts, which is what “cancel culture” is really about, have been with us forever. The idea of taking your money and walking away from a service (we see you Spotify), or from a performer (I’m guessing a lot of people on one side of the debate are now avoiding Neil’s music), that is a very American idea.  And that is ok.  I choose to side with Neil, because I agree with him on this issue, (plus I am a long-time fan).  In full disclosure, I have never used Spotify, as I use a competing streaming service, so I am not actually changing anything I don’t already do.  But this is a fascinating example of how we as a country are tearing ourselves apart instead of accepting that some people have differences. Cancel Spotify? Go ahead, it is your right. Cancel Neil Young? Go ahead, it is your right. But please people, do not cancel your ability to talk and interact with other people with respect. We all have the freedom and liberty to our own opinions. Americans have always had this right (though many Americans had to fight to actually make use of their Constitutional rights in our history), and we need to remember that the person we debate also has those rights. Remember that!