Social media 'crippling'

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Neil Young 

Neil Young has taken aim at the world of social media in the wake of the Capitol riots, insisting it's "crippling our belief system."

The Harvest Moon star weighed in on the shocking events at the Capitol in a post on his Neil Young Archives, and wrote in the impassioned essay that things would have been very different if the rioters had been black.

"I was devastated to see the double standard," he wrote. "The way people were treated in the Black Lives Matter demonstrations compared to the other day. There is no place here for white supremacy. People need each other to be truly free. Hatred will never find freedom.

"I was shocked to see the Confederate flag being waved inside the chamber; the destruction and disrespect. But mostly I felt bad for the people."

Young, who has long been a staunch opposer of Facebook, added: "With social media, issues are turned into psychological weapons and used to gather hatred in support of one side or the other. This is what Donald J. Trump has as his legacy.

"Social media, at the hands of powerful people - influencers, amplifying lies, and untruths - is crippling our belief system, turning us against one another. We are not enemies. We must find a way home."