My thoughts on Joe Rogan

For those who unaware of Joe Rogan, he is a former reality tv host,  MMA color commentator and comedian who is the principal figure behind the very successful - Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He is well known for engaging in extended discussions with guests that average around two and a half hours.  Much of his material has been well received and he now boasts a viewership that routinely dwarfs that of the mainstream media.

I have for the most part had a favourable disposition to Rogan.  Most admirably he served as a pertient avenue for freedom of speech during the Covid lockdowns, when various state actors were using the pandemic as an excuse to suppress necessary discussion on health policy. Rogan took issue with this stance providing a forum for both dissenting and established opinion.Elucidating the truth was his raison d'etre. Something I could only respect.

Rogan also helped boost the profile of Jordan Peterson and Gad Saad especially when the former was attacked by the opinion police here in Canada. Rogan's opposition to Wokeism has been relentless. The way I see it,  is that he likely peaked in 2022 (at the time of the Trucker protest in Canada) when the excesses of the global political landscape had reached peak stupidity (or so it seemed).

However soon afterward I started to notice that Rogan was shifting in focus. He was becoming more conspiratorial in nature. Sub plots around complex phenomena were highlighted with greater regularity and more time was being allotted to those voices who emphasized opaque double play invisible to us regular mortals.. 

While he still was far from the loony world of Alex Jones, Rogan seemed far less discerning with maintaining intellectual balance on his show. Outlier voices were granted more air time as Rogan pushed forward with what appeared to be his personal fight with the establishment. 

Rogan clearly relished the opportunity of taking down accepted views with hostile unsubstantiated narratives an observation that was highlighted recently  during his interview with historical podcaster and WWII revisionist Darryl Cooper.

Just as he did on the Tucker Carlson, Cooper reiterated his extreme view, based on selective fact mining and a loose interpretation of events. His central point is Winston Churchill was the war’s baddie and that Hitler has been misunderstood (a common far right position). The research and finely reviewed studies that have filled academia to the contrary be damned. Cooper had it figured out and Rogan was giving him the chance to shine.

Lacking in topic knowledge Rogan was limited in his push back, nor did he appear to want to do so. There was no need to counterbalance the Cooper take with that of a mainstream historian such Victor Davis Hanson or an Andrew Roberts. Why bother?

What mattered to Rogan and I have noticed this in his stance since then is that Cooper had stuck his finger in the eye of the MAN and that is what really mattered. For him it was good enough.

 This is where Rogan is as a person right now and Cooper had delivered.  As for the truth it can take a back seat. The medium had delivered the message.