Ok. I’ll admit. When it comes to rock bands these days, I tend to gravitate to newer bands like The Beatles and The Stones. Oh, wait.
Ok, that is another way of confessing to the disease known as Creeping Years. As a result of which I had no idea, there was an English rock band out there calling themselves The Cure.
But imagine my surprise when I see this headline over at Mediaite by writer Sarah Rumpf.
Facebook needs to lighten up, get a grip, and, if possible, a sense of humor.
Facebook Took Down A Ridiculous Coronavirus Meme I Posted Two Months Ago For Causing ‘Physical Harm’
Writes Ms. Rumpf:
“The English rock band The Cure has enjoyed a long and successful tenure, including Grammy awards, top-selling albums spanning across multiple decades, and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. No reasonable person would think that their musical prowess conveys upon them any sort of medical expertise, but that didn’t stop Facebook from taking down the lighthearted meme I posted back in March.
I originally found the meme, posted above, circulating on social media when the coronavirus pandemic was just starting to affect the United States. I thought it was irreverent but not offensive, and it passed my personal “is it ‘The one that makes me laugh’?” test, so I shared it on my Facebook page on March 24. The pandemic has caused a lot of stress for many of us, and sharing ridiculous memes — such a gorgeous sight — has been a cathartic release.”
And what was the meme that she posted? It was a photo of the aforementioned rock band with the headline:
“I’m No Expert On COVID-19
But This Is The Cure.”
A very good funny when a lot of people out there could use a good belly laugh.
Then there’s Facebook.
I should say here that I have stood up here for Mark Zuckerberg and his resolute stance for free speech on Facebook, notably when it comes to all the would-be fascists that want Trump posts blocked or taken down. Zuckerberg refuses to bend the knee, even as Twitter’s @Jack virtually kneels himself into a pretzel. Three cheers for Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.
But someone over there at Facebook has zero sense of humor. Here’s Ms. Rumpf again:
“But Tuesday’s grey for Facebook: I got a message yesterday saying that my post had been removed because it ‘goes against our Community Standards on misinformation that could cause physical harm.’
‘We encourage free expression,’ the message continued, ‘but don’t allow false information about COVID-19 that could contribute to physical harm.’”
Say what? Say what?
This could not possibly be more ridiculous. Sarah Rumpf posts a humorous photo/meme of an English rock band named The Cure, a rock band that has “Grammy awards, top-selling albums spanning across multiple decades” and was inducted “into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019″…and Facebook removes the post because it “goes against our Community Standards on misinformation that could cause physical harm”????!!!
Not to date myself, but this sounds not unlike my late Dad’s warnings to my 13-year old self the Sunday night the Lord family always gathered to watch The Ed Sullivan Show – and beheld the sight of four mop-topped English lads singing their lungs out as an audience filled with teenage girls shrieked their own lungs out. Dad was certain the end of the world was at hand, and he suddenly was less of an Ed Sullivan fan.
So in other words? Facebook is suddenly my Dad in 1964.
What’s wrong with this picture? Somebody at Facebook needs to lighten up, get a grip, and, if possible, a sense of humor.
All of which is The Cure for the madness swirling around us.
