Saturday was a major milestone in the history of American tragedy. It marked the passing of 20 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks that shook our nation to its very foundations. That day changed the country and the world forever. The day has been at the forefront of many American’s minds since they turned the page on their calendar 12 days ago. Perhaps that is why the Associated Press saw their tweet about Nickelback’s breakthrough album as being in “poor taste.”
The AP Planner Twitter account provides updates on memorable moments for the following day. For instance, it alerts its followers of upcoming birthdays, holidays, and other important events. Naturally, it reminded its followers of the anniversary of 9/11. However, it also sent out a tweet about Nickelback’s Silver Side Up turning twenty years.
They have since removed the tweet. However, from some existing screenshots, it seems that both posts hit their feed at roughly the same time. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like they caught too much backlash over the Nickelback tweet. In fact, most screenshots of the post-show people having a little fun at the account’s, and the band’s, expense. For instance, one widely re-posted tweet says, “One of the most important days in modern history and this is how you remind me? This is how you remind me?” The tweet referenced the band’s signature song, “How You Remind Me,” which was on Silver Side Up. Below is a variation of the pun.
Friday evening, the AP Planner deleted the Nickelback tweet and send out an apology message. It said that their post about the album’s anniversary was “in poor taste.”
Why Remove the Nickelback Tweet?
The AP Planner account removed the tweet about Nickelback’s album. However, they left a tweet filled with stars’ birthdays up. It just seems odd that noting that an album dropped on 9/11/01 would be considered poor taste. Yes, even if that tweet was about a Nickelback album.
September 11, 2001, was a Tuesday. Back then, all new music dropped on Tuesdays. As a result, several albums hit shelves that fateful day. Nickelback was the only band or artist to get a tweet from the AP Planner. However, legendary artists like Jay-Z and Slayer also released music that day. Many people turned to that music to help them process what had happened after the dust settled after the attacks.
Obviously, the anniversary of the greatest tragedy to ever take place on American soil is more important. However, the Nickelback tweet brought some levity to the day. People got a laugh out of it. If you look at the replies under the AP’ Planner’s apology, you’ll see several good-natured jokes. Good Lord knows we could use a laugh on such a heavy day in already hard times.
