By Cassandra Fairbanks
Classical composer Daniel Elder has been “cancelled” and his life left in shambles after refusing to post a fake apology written by a Public Relations company after he condemned the Black Lives Matter arsons.
During the height of the 2020 riots, Elder wrote a simple post on Instagram condemning the rioters who were torching buildings in his home of Nashville, Tennessee.
“Elder isn’t composing very much these days. And even if he were, no one in the industry is willing to buy his work. His publisher has blackballed him. Local choral directors refuse to program his music for fear of provoking a backlash. They won’t even let him sing in the choir,” Reason reports.
The post that led to his being tarred and feathered as a “racist” simply read, “enjoy burning it all down, you well-intentioned, blind people” along with the words “I’m done.”
His post was a criticism of arson and said nothing about race or Black Lives Matter. In fact, he considered himself to be center-left and not very outspoken politically — but that didn’t matter. In order to keep his career, he would be told to grovel.
“I saw a mob mentality around my own friends, and I worried that was what was happening on the outside, too,” Elder told Reason.
His post sparked an incredible amount of outrage and declarations that he was a “white supremacist.”
Within 24 hours of the simple statement, Elder was contacted by his publisher, GIA Publications. The company President Alec Harris and social media editor Susan LaBarr would soon contact Elder again, with a prewritten apology that he would be required to post.
“Over the weekend I made a post on my social media accounts that was insensitive and wrongly-worded. I deeply apologize for the anger, offense, and harm that this post caused. While this offense was not intended, it is what was created. For this I am truly sorry,” the fake apology read.
“There is no justification that I can offer for my post. So, rather than try to offer an excuse for what was done, I offer a promise for what I will do going forward. I commit to making amends and to dialogue. I commit to continue educating myself about privilege and bias. I commit to continue seeking an understanding of the experience of others, especially the Black community. I know that working for justice requires that we each first act justly. My work begins now.”
Elder, sticking to his guns, did not post the pre-written apology as requested.
“I chose to be that guy who didn’t issue the apology. Things went from there and it wasn’t good,” Elder explained.
Things escalated to the point where he was dropped by his publisher and they issued a full throated condemnation of him.
“The views expressed in composer Daniel Elder’s incendiary social media post on Sunday evening do not reflect the values of GIA or our employees,” the statement read. “GIA opposes racism in all its forms and is committed to do what Michelle Obama called ‘the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out.'”
GIA added, “we are grateful to those who brought this to our attention and to all who continue to hold individuals and organizations to account.”
The attacks ultimately pushed Elder away from the leftists he once identified with.
