Guy Sebastian has made a remarkable statement distancing himself from Australia’s #VaxTheNation campaign launched this week by the music industry.
The #VaxTheNation campaign is designed to influence Australians to get vaccinated as soon as possible so that the nation can return to live music tours. Since Covid became in March 2020, there have been no international tours in Australia and there won’t be until 2022. Major Australian festivals such as Splendour, Bluesfest, Apia Good Times and the Red Hot Summer tour have been cancelled or postponed. Artists like Jimmy Barnes and Icehouse have had to cancel shows and all but a few local national tours have managed to fit between lockdowns.
Given the impact on the Australian music industry, Guy Sebastian’s public distancing of the #VaxTheNation campaign looks like a person bowing to the pressure of the anti-vaxxer sector of his fanbase.
In a video posted to his socials Sebastian said,
“I’m sure some of you might have seen an industry call-out for the best of intentions for the live music industry which has been absolutely decimated trying to find a pathway forward so that we can all assemble again.
“I have always done everything I can to support my industry but the campaign was posted to my page without my direct involvement. Whilst, like everybody in my industry, I want everything to get going again it was not my role to communicate in a way that post was communicated. I would never tell people what to do when it comes to their personal health choices.
“I am very sensitive of it. Not only in a public level but in my personal life with people who have circumstances that they have to consider when making these choices.
“It was not a post made with love or compassion which I feel comes to things like vaccinations”.
Nowhere does the #VaxTheNation campaign tell anyone that they have to Vaccinate. It is all about reopening safely.
The irony is Guy’s anti-vaxx backdown is that he happily accepted money to talk up a children’s vitamin brand. Children do not need vitamins if their diet is balanced. As a parent, that is his job but had no trouble grabbing the corporate cash cow saying, “Our family has been taking (edit: vitamin brand name) for years… our kids love them and love the taste so this was a bit of a no brainer for us. We love the fact that (edit: Vitamin Brand name again) is an Australian owned, family business and so we’re proud to be aligned with them”.
Sebastian is indeed between a rock and a hard place. His core fan base includes a large chunk of evangelists who oppose vaccinations. In one episode of The Voice he stated, “I had to burn all of my non-Christian records. I wasn’t allowed to ever have a drink or go into a bar, or even see a non-Christian gig when I was younger. That’s just a chapter in my life”.
Guy Sebastian himself is double vaccinated. Instead of bowing to the pressure of his extreme right followers with an excuse, apologising for the post, it is a shame he didn’t offer a more positive message to his total fanbase. God won’t save the anti-vaxxers. Science will.
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