One of the most memorable and tragic parts of President Joe Biden's first year in office has been the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. It's similarly marred the credibility of the State Department, which has a lot on its plate going into the new year, at least it ought to. Yet the social media platforms aren't exactly exuding such an urgent on the important topics, not when they have Secretary Antony Blinken's Spotify list to tweet out multiple times over several days, from multiple accounts.
The following is just a sampling of some of the tweets.
Have you heard the news? @SecBlinken is now on @Spotify! Check out his latest recommended playlist, listen to some tunes from around the world, and follow the Secretary here: https://t.co/z5SyMkIJqz. pic.twitter.com/ytz8t4JQAM
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 2, 2022
As @Deadline noted, putting together a global end-of-year @Spotify playlist is "a bit of a cultural and diplomatic exercise." Who better for the task than @SecBlinken, our top diplomat with a musical ear. Here's more background on the artists he selected: https://t.co/TgmcsduPpz
— Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) January 1, 2022
.@SecBlinken is now on @Spotify! Check out his latest recommended playlist, listen to some tunes from around the world, and follow the Secretary here: https://t.co/vgL6HJeucr pic.twitter.com/GEDbQDVSGg
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 31, 2021
Have you heard the news? @SecBlinken is now on @Spotify! Check out his latest recommended playlist, listen to some tunes from around the world, and follow the Secretary here: https://t.co/z5SyMl0ki7. pic.twitter.com/xlDsd66O0o
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 31, 2021
Music brings people together--it transcends borders and everything else that might otherwise divide us. As we close 2021, I'm sharing some of my favorite songs released this year (or recently), by artists around the world. Hope you enjoy as much as I have. https://t.co/KYiXQiVrx0 pic.twitter.com/Ln2F0zHxaJ
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 31, 2021
Perhaps one of the most absurd promotions of the Spotify playlist is that Sec. Blinken tweeted it as if it were part of his duties. "Part of my job includes promoting people-to-people diplomacy and forging ties with other nations through a shared love of culture, including music," one tweet claimed.
Part of my job includes promoting people-to-people diplomacy and forging ties with other nations through a shared love of culture, including music. Here are some favorite songs by American artists that I listened to this year and hope you will enjoy, too. https://t.co/msumXpVHHB pic.twitter.com/6PkLUja8la
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 31, 2021
As pathetic as such a priority may seem, it's not entirely surprising coming from the Biden administration's State Department. Another New Year's message from Blinken included some self-congratulations, with claims that the department "made great strides in restoring American leadership and rebuilding and revitalizing alliances and partnerships this past year."
From our @StateDept family to yours, wishing everyone around the world a Happy #NewYear! We made great strides in restoring American leadership and rebuilding and revitalizing alliances and partnerships this past year. Looking forward to continuing the work in 2022. pic.twitter.com/NLm2jCDzqW
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 1, 2022
The "at home" playlist is actually only a little over one hour with 17 songs included in the playlist. As of January 2, 6 days after many of the songs were added, the playlist has 183 likes. The "on the road" playlist has 391 likes and is a bit more substantive, with 36 songs and close to 2.5 hours long.
