Joe Rogan must be stopped
This consensus is from the wisest, most compassionate voices of our society. The White House says Spotify shouldn’t just lead off Rogan’s COVID-19-centric shows with a content warning. Jen Psaki, a press secretary, stated that “it is a positive move but that more can be done.” Brian Stelter of CNN, host of “Reliable Sources,” said that Stelter is now apologizing. We’re going to see if Spotify has enough to compensate him for his exclusive distribution agreement.” Neil Young, a has-been rocker, says that he has removed his music from Spotify in protest of Rogan.
What was Rogan’s greatest sin? According to the media, Rogan’s greatest sin was COVID-19 misinformation. This is despite the fact that we have been informed by our public health officials over the past two years about the effectiveness of lockdowns, the effectiveness of cloth masks, the necessity of masking children, the need for vaccines, the inability of vaccines to prevent transmission and that the virus cannot have originated from a Chinese laboratory leak. All pieces of misinformation were later corrected. Rogan promised to be more informed about COVID-19 and vaccines and to invite more guests.
Spotify did not deplatform Rogan because of that accusation. The reason for Rogan’s demand for deplatforming was changed to: Rogan was racist for using the N-word and quoting lyrics from years ago. Rogan apologized again after a Left-wing activist group released a compilation video of Rogan using such language. However, apologies don’t mean anything. Rogan is not a racist, but that’s what everyone thinks. The radical Left sees you as either a tool or an object lesson. Rogan is now an object lesson.
Two reasons have made him an object lesson. First, Rogan refused to follow the party line regarding President Joe Biden. In 2020, ire erupted against Rogan for noting that Biden seemed “mentally compromised” during an election that was being called a turning point in democracy’s future. Rogan hosts guests who are not just repeating the Left’s nonsense on many issues. The Left demanded Spotify delete all old episodes. Rogan is known for talking to alternative voices for hours and then letting them speak their mind.
There are many lessons to be learned from the Rogan dust-up.
First, corporate bosses are completely gullible. CEO Daniel Ek believed that Rogan’s exclusive license would increase listenership. He was blindsided by the backlash and wrote a letter asking for forgiveness from his woke interns.
Second, the media doesn’t care about freedom of speech as an idea. They are only interested in freedom of speech for themselves and not for others. It has been fascinating to see the transformation of our treasured JournalismersTM from Guardians of the First Amendment to attack dogs for Big Tech censorship against their perceived enemies.
Third, it is always a mistake to apologize to insincere radical Left Alligators. Their goal is not to have a conversation. Their goal is to destroy. They may make you Reek to their House Bolton if you are useful. If not, you will become Ned Stark for their Joffrey.
Rogan will be able to survive this. Maybe Spotify pays him a lot of money to leave. Then he goes and takes his audience with him, causing a massive drop in Spotify’s stock price. This would be exactly what Spotify should get for their cowardice. No matter what, those without Rogan’s audience will learn the lesson: Shut up or face the whirlwind. Most will just shut up.
