Can Elton John and Elon Musk Find Common Ground?
I find it remarkable that Elton John would abandon 1.19 million followers on Twitter. We see examples, all the time, of disgruntled people taking a “stand” in protest of one thing or another. We can’t help but notice when celebrities and people of status go public and get news media coverage. The hope is clearly that others will follow their example. I don’t imagine Elton John’s million followers will abandon Twitter, but if they did, that would be significant, of course.
I remember when Neil Young announced he was leaving Spotify and Joni Mitchell followed. Young gave Spotify an ultimatum. Either Joe Rogan goes or I go. Well, that didn’t work out so well for Neil Young. He miscalculated his influence. Rogan stayed.
Elon Musk immediately responded to Elton John with, “I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?” This looks to me like a very civil and appropriate way to handle a rebuff of this sort, for that is what it is. It is a “cold shoulder” and a “snub.” Definitely not a friendly overture.
Elton John means to send a very strong message. What is the message? Here is the direct quote:
“All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world.
“I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.”
What I hear is, “From here on Twitter will be peddling lies, and therefore I will take my business elsewhere.”
The problem is there is not another “Twitter” to which he can take his business. This looks to me like the proverbial ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ type of action where you do more harm to yourself, and the ones with you, than to the business you are disavowing.
Maybe it is enough to know the world will see this grand move. But I wonder if Elton John might, sadly, discover his diminished influence in the same way as Neil Young. In the music and movie industry Elton John could be a trump card of sorts. Now that this card has been played, what is left? How many more cards have to be played? Who is next? And what will be the impact?
Musk offered to address the “misinformation” Elton John referred to. Tell me what it is, specifically, and I will look into it.
Not only is Elton John speaking in generalities when he talks about misinformation, he is speculating. The things that he claims have prompted his exit have not yet happened and we don’t know if they will happen. We don’t know if a flood of misinformation will happen on Twitter.
I also have a question. If Musk has made a change that will potentially open the gates, what criteria were used to justify the barriers that were put in place, to date, to presumably prevent “misinformation” on Twitter?
Given that, “A stunning 99 percent of online political contributions made by Twitter employees in 2021 went to Democrats, according to Federal Election Commission data,” as reported by the New York Post, could there be a political bias? In the article The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election Democrats tell the story of how they used their power over tech companies to influence the last American election.
What if the current shift by Musk is not towards misinformation, but towards balance of information? Can Twitter be a platform where the public might look at both sides and draw their own conclusions? Can we be trusted to make an intelligent analysis? Can we be given the chance?
Elton John fears Musk will permit “misinformation” but I can’t help but wonder if this “misinformation” may only be a matter of “preferred information.” If something is unpleasant or disagreeable it does not follow that this is “misinformation.” We’ve already seen that the Hunter Biden laptop story was very disagreeable to the Twitter team and was censored when it appeared at a very inappropriate time, just before an election. The “Twitter Files” now reveal there was a great deal of doubt surrounding the move to “censor” a story from a reputable news source and make it disappear. Where would Elton John stand on what happened here? Would he readily speak out against misinformation wherever it is found?
I see a conflict here between Elton John and Elon Musk that, in my opinion, would be nice to resolve. When working to resolve conflict, it is important to deal in specifics.
I used to work in a church context where I was told that the difference between conviction and condemnation is that condemnation is not specific. It is a generalized sense of unworthiness. It says, “You are a bad person” and gives you no specifics. It just puts you in a category. God, on the other hand, deals in specifics so that we can amend our ways and be set free.
It is refreshing to be presented with specifics and offered a solution. Elton John and Elon Musk could sit down at a table and hash out their differences and find common ground but Elton John’s message closes that door. He essentially says, “I won’t even give you the opportunity to discuss this with me.” This brings into question his statement that all his life his intention has been to “bring people together.” He is making a sweeping generalization that Elon Musk will divide people. How will he divide them? What exactly can be done to remedy this possibility?
It is not a good feeling to be thought of as someone incapable of seeking the common good and deserving of abandonment.
Musk sees the generalization Elton John makes and he doesn’t fall for it. His response is, So, tell me, Elton John, about the specific “misinformation” you have seen, so that it can be addressed. This broad and sweeping accusation is unhelpful in working towards a resolution. I would rather see us come together, in understanding, than part ways.
Essentially Musk is doing with Twitter what Elton John claimed to do with music. He wants to bring people together. He wants to erase the divide. The difference between Musk and Elton John is that Musk is willing to work with the voices that the previous Twitter “oversight” worked so hard to eliminate. Bari Weiss informs us that the “Twitter Files” currently being released reveal the efforts taken to, “build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts or even trending topics—all in secret, without informing users.”
The way Elton John assumes to be both judge and jury and to come up with a verdict before the evidence is out, seems less than fair.
Unwilling to take a chance and unwilling to give Elon Musk a chance, Elton John will exit Twitter. He will not stick around and find out what might happen at Twitter under Musk’s leadership. Is this not a little surprising coming from someone with such broad life experience, who generally appears so open-minded, and who likes to present himself as inclusive, a builder of bridges and forger of bonds?
Elton John is working on an assumption. He thinks he can predict what will happen at Twitter. None of us knows what will actually happen. Some predictions have already been proven wrong, one being that activity on Twitter would drop as a result of the recent changes. Twitter usage has been steadily increasing under Musk. Seeing this ought to give Elton John pause for thought.
I am reminded of a course that asked applicants for an example of an ‘action taken’ that demonstrated agreement with the values of the course, as a requirement for admission. No casual observer was going to be allowed in without this show of absolute loyalty. The text for the course also recommended that members not enter into a debate in instances when certain claims might come into question. I concluded that their platform could not be rigorously defended, or these protections would not be needed. Elton John’s message gives the sense that Musk has failed a comparable litmus test before he has begun the course.
We have to accept that there will be those with whom we do not agree and we have to agree that they still have a right to space on this planet. Yes, we have the privilege of removing ourselves from settings where we are not comfortable, but others will be affected. In this case I am thinking about the 1.19 million followers Elton John can so easily abandon on Twitter. Rather than flee Twitter, Elton John could remain and engage in debate.