21 Pilots or Twenty One Pilots is one of the most beloved bands currently producing music. They are popular among LGBTQ+ groups, and fans love the energy the two performers bring on stage. But this year has been a weird one, with 21 Pilots controversy in 2020 being another “huh?” moment in a memorable year.
The group had their share of funny antics, not wearing pants to accept their Grammy being the most hilarious yet. But this week, Tyler Joseph misjudged the situation when he made a joke, and some fans were having none of it. This resulted in the Twenty One Pilots’ frontman, causing a small Twitter controversy.
21 Pilots Controversy 2020 Explained – Why Some Fans Laid into Tyler Joseph
https://twitter.com/tylerrjoseph/status/1301265619724177409
This year has gotten to the nerves of a lot of people. There is a virus that is causing us all to stay home, unrest is all over the world, and in America, the police cannot stop killing unarmed black men on video. The last point is where the 21 Pilots Controversy comes in.
With tragedies all around, some fans look to their favorite stars to raise their voice and use their platform to raise awareness. The point is they do not have to do it, but most use their voice anyway. While Tyler Joseph is a left-leaning man, he did not use his social media to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
The singer was asked by fans to use his platform to bring awareness to tragedies happening in America. There is no denying that Tyler is an ally of the oppressed at his heart, but at times like these, being a white man would not have been a great thing. Also, raising awareness may be taken out of context, so it was probably the reason why he stayed silent.
Nothing more was going on in terms of fans asking the artist to ally with the BLM movement. But Tyler took this moment to joke about the “using platform” term and posted some pictures along with a tweet that did not sit well with the band's fans.
21 Pilots controversy was when Tyler Joseph wrote, “You guys keep asking me to use my platforms, feels good to dust these bad boys off.” The singer sent the tweet with two pictures of himself wearing platformed shoes.
Tyler definitely meant the pictures and the tweet as a joke, but his response hurt some fans. An ally of the marginalized for so long, some fans were angry with the singer making levity of the whole situation.
One fan wrote on Twitter that they were disappointed that the singer took this time to make a joke. Another wrote that Tyler should be more understanding of the situation and the joke he is making considering the time we are all in.
After the tweet caused a lot of controversies, Tyler started to talk about a cause close to his heart, mental health. He wrote, “can even handle everything that’s happening right now,” mentioning the times have been hard and that he “can only carry so much.”
Still, the fans asked the singer to apologize as they considered the mental health only an excuse not to apologize for the things he said earlier. Well, the singer refused to apologize but did give extended support of the moment and mentioned his joke was a little problematic for the time.
Finally, Tyler wrote, “my tweet wasn’t suppose to be about human rights, so in case you are wondering where i stand: Black Lives Matter. i just wanted to take a moment to raise awareness about something else that has meant a lot to me for a long time. but now I see there is no room for that right now... im truly sorry if it hurt anyone.”
Some Fans Came to the Rescue of the Artist
While some fans were hurt with the tweet sent out by the singer, others came in support of Tyler, saying that he should not be forced to take up a stance on any issue. The fans are there because of their music, and the artists’ political and social issue beliefs are for them to keep.
We have to agree with the situation; every time something happens, an artist should not be asked to carry the burden for the whole fanbase. Some will raise their voice; others will not, but shaming people into following your cause is pathetic.
This is Not the First 21 Pilots Controversy – 2017 and 2019 Incidents
The Stressed Out singing band was at a UK festival in 2017 when Tyler decided it was a good idea to scale a pole. This resulted in BBC unplugging the mic of the singer, and their set was cut short.
Fans were not happy with the band being forced to stop. But BBC had not cleared the stunt first, which is why it was so risky for the singer to attempt it. This resulted in the broadcasting service putting safety first, and stopping everyone before someone got hurt.
In 2019 Twenty One Pilots were caught in another controversy when a writer for the Washington Post mentioned the band in a Straight Parade piece. It was done in a tongue-in-cheek fashion saying the band performing in the parade would be a thing.
Fans of the band were quick to point out that the band is an ally of the LGBTQ+ group. Tyler is seen donning the pride flag during performances, which is why the joke did not fly well with the fanbase. Well, those are the 21 Pilots controversy we know of, but the 2020 one really got on the nerves of some fans.
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