Every night before they go to sleep, hard leftists check under their beds to make sure podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan isn’t lurking underneath, waiting to assault them with “misinformation” as they slumber. The furor over the podcaster’s decision to chat with high-profile medical professionals who do not support the Democrat-approved narrative about COVID-19 has not subsided.
Indeed, the controversy became even more pronounced after Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and a bunch of other musicians removed their music from Spotify, the service that hosts Rogan’s podcast. But they were not the only ones trying to deplatform the comedian. The United States Surgeon General also called for his show to be canceled. Even worse, a group of 270 scientists and doctors signed a letter addressed to Spotify urging the company to remove Rogan’s show. Last, but most certainly not least, even Meghan Markle and Prince Harry chimed in, complaining about the podcast allowing people to express opinions with which they disagree.
The whining was even worse on social media with several prominent left-leaning individuals decrying Rogan’s podcast. Here is a small sampling:
The issue of platforming bad actors with harmful ideas and not pushing back against them goes way beyond Joe Rogan. Any time a media outlet gives a massive audience to a crank who makes their living off pushing misinformation, no matter the subject, critical thinking suffers.
— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd) January 31, 2022
I just closed my Spotify account; I have no desire to enrich dangerous pro-virus propagandists. Fortunately, it's easy and painless to move (almost everything is available elsewhere). @violetblue has great instructions for finding alternatives and migrating playlists, etc. below. https://t.co/Wdaag9gyaH
— matt blaze (@mattblaze) January 29, 2022
I updated the post with a simple walkthrough on the steps to cancel your plan *and* close your Spotify account, which is two different things (and requires you to click buttons at an *extremely* clingy support bot). 🙃 https://t.co/0MWWvjylyX
— Violet Blue® (@violetblue) January 28, 2022
On Sunday, Rogan posted a video on Instagram in which he apologized to Spotify for all the drama, but doubled down on his decision to invite controversial guests on to his show.
“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” the podcaster said. “I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”
JUST IN: Joe Rogan addresses Spotify controversy pic.twitter.com/3BX9kyQkzX
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) January 31, 2022
The left has been targeting Rogan’s podcast for years – even before he went exclusive with Spotify. They have constantly complained about his having conversations with people whose political views do not align with woke orthodoxy. What is ironic about this whole affair is that every time folks on the left go full Karen on Rogan, his popularity increases, and they still don’t get it.
Rogan’s podcast receives far more listeners and viewers than every cable news outlet in existence. His show has been wildly popular for years and his audience is only growing despite the multiple cancelation attempts coming from the left. Journalist Glenn Greenwald noted:
The more employees of large media corporations attack Joe Rogan, the more his audience grows. The two individuals with the largest audiences happen to be the two people most hated by corporate media because they can’t be controlled or ordered around:
The more employees of large media corporations attack Joe Rogan, the more his audience grows. The two individuals with the largest audiences happen to be the two people most hated by corporate media because they can't be controlled or ordered around:https://t.co/kjgUQRwWIs
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 4, 2022
This reality gives us insight into why the left is so intent on canceling Rogan. The bottom line is that they are absolutely terrified of his podcast. He embodies everything they fear: a platform featuring conversations and information the left does not control.
Rogan does not need the blessing of the progressive chattering class and the activist media to do what he does. He does not have to ask permission to have certain guests on his show. He can say whatever he wants and converse with whom he wants – and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it.
Because of this, people know they can tune in to Rogan’s podcast to hear long-form discussions on various issues, which means they will be exposed to views and ideas that run contrary to the tenets of wokeism. To put it simply, they fear Rogan because they cannot control him or the people he has on his show. The bottom line is that they do not want the public to have easy access to opinions they don’t like.
These folks believe they – and only they – should be the arbiters of what information people should and should not consume. The authoritarian impulse compels them to target prominent figures who refuse to toe the line. This is the reason they are so desperate to cancel Joe Rogan. It is the reason why they are so upset that Spotify has not severed its relationship with the podcaster.
What is even more interesting about this situation is that even if they managed to apply enough pressure to get Spotify to end its relationship with Rogan, it would not matter. He has amassed a loyal and devoted following that would just continue listening to him no matter where he lands. Despite their best efforts, there will be no way to truly cancel Joe Rogan and that is why progressives fear him.
