Niagara Falls Review e-edition

Critics slam COVID-19 video as ‘disrespectful, tone deaf’

Mixed reaction for Niagara Falls mayor’s year-in-review music video

RAY SPITERI

A cover of a Billy Joel song released by Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati Thursday has been met with mixed reaction.

Several people have criticized the four-and-a-half minute video about the COVID-19 pandemic for being “embarrassing” and “tone deaf.”

“This is an embarrassing and selfserving waste of city staff, time and money,” posted Niagara Falls city Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni to her Facebook page.

“We need a leader, not a man who has made a mockery out of the pandemic rules and guidelines since this horrible chapter in our lives began. This is pure Jim Diodati self-promotion at its best, in his typical style of bad taste and just to prove that point he tweeted this video out to over a dozen media outlets and to the prime minister and the premier.”

The video, set to the tune of Billy

Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” looks back at news clips, online footage and vignettes highlighting what the community, and many others, experienced and overcame during the health crisis.

The “We Didn’t Start the Virus” video opens with a dedication to those who lost lives, directly or indirectly, through the pandemic and to those on the front lines.

Diodati said he wanted to show a “fitting snapshot” of the past 15 months to “ignite meaningful discourse” and highlight scenarios that “unified us” while touching on topics and ideas that “challenged us.”

He said the video was “meant with the greatest respect for everybody, in all positions,” which is why it opens with the dedication. He said “a lot of effort” was put into the video to be “sensitive to people that were affected by COVID.”

Diodati said he has received positive feedback from people impacted by the pandemic, including some who lost family members to COVID-19.

Laura Ip, a St. Catharines regional councillor, posted on Twitter she “couldn’t make it through the whole thing.”

“Shockingly disrespectful to all those who lost loved ones, businesses, jobs, or suffered with their physical or mental health,” she tweeted. “I can’t imagine @billyjoel would like it very much either.”

On the Niagara Falls Review’s Facebook page, one reader described the video as “completely tone deaf,” while one Twitter user called it “the most cringe thing I’ve ever seen ...”

Some positive comments on social media pointed to the video as a “clever” parody and “something to lighten the mood.”

“Everybody is ready for this to be over, so why not start the final push with a positive message,” wrote one Twitter user.

Diodati said a lot of the criticism is coming from his usual critics, and “they’re entitled to their opinions.” He said he doesn’t agree the video is “tone deaf” and “disrespectful” to people hurt by the pandemic.

“We knew well in advance that there were going to be a lot of critics because COVID, if it’s done anything, it’s really polarized people and it’s intensified criticism for everything by a lot of people,” said Diodati.

“The haters will hate, and the critics will criticize, and the usual suspects are consistently critical of my efforts, and I accept that, that’s their right. People will find what they look for,” he said. “If they look for negativity, they’ll find it. If they look for something uplifting, they’ll find it. I’m focused on being upbeat. I’m really proud of all the efforts that we’ve done to try to uplift people as we come out of this long, dark tunnel.”

“The haters will hate, and the critics will criticize, and the usual suspects are consistently critical.” JIM DIODATI NIAGARA FALLS MAYOR

FRONT PAGE

en-ca

2021-06-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://niagarafallsreview.pressreader.com/article/281483574329470

Toronto Star Newspapers Limited