Did Joe Rogan Just Become the Media’s Public Enemy No. 1?
Podcast giant goes 'all in' on freedom vs. vaccine mandates, plays Nazi card
The press never officially declared war on Joe Rogan.
They didn’t have to do anything of the sort. Anyone who consumes media knows who reporters love and who they view with suspicion (Chris Pratt). The former group includes:
- Billy Porter
- Stephen Colbert
- John Oliver
- Beyonce
Some stars were once revered in the press but lost that status for sins both real and imagined
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Lena Dunham
- J.K. Rowling
- Roseanne Barr
- Russell Brand
Rogan, Spotify’s undisputed king of podcasting, is viewed with disdain by reporters today. Why? He’s an unabashed defender of free speech, first and foremost. Reporters, sadly, no longer embrace the concept as they did in the past.
Sound hyperbolic?
Quick, share all the mainstream media news articles decrying how Big Tech canceled both Donald Trump and the Hunter Biden laptop investigation. Or gather stories slamming YouTube for its latest censorship campaign, eliminating accounts pushing “misinformation” about COVID-19 vaccines, knowing today’s misinformation is tomorrow’s truth.
See the Wuhan Lab origin saga for one example of Fake News that suddenly seems true.
The only thing creepier than corporate journalists leading the demands for more online censorship by Big Tech is that the majority party in the DC is constantly issuing dictates to tech monopolies demanding more political censorship:https://t.co/CSHkR8YWoG
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 29, 2021
It’s why the press pounced on “No Safe Spaces,” a docudrama detailing the assault on free expression on colleges nationwide.
Rogan similarly angered the press by not singing all the right verses from the pandemic hymnal. For example, he allowed his fans to receive a refund if they paid to see his New York City show but preferred not to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
He also suggested younger Americans consider skipping the vaccine since the virus is most deadly in senior citizens. He later softened that stance after the press pushed back on him, but he didn’t recant his advice.
It’s worth noting liberal stars routinely share Fake News far and wide, even on COVID-19, and the press’s fact checkers stand down.
So when Rogan contracted COVID-19, and successfully beat it with several medications under his doctor’s care, reporters pounced on him using Ivermectin as part of that treatment.
It’s the horse drug, they whinnied in near unison, ignoring other vital uses for the medication in humans.
Other examples abound, like how reporters celebrated fading radio star Howard Stern’s attacks on Rogan.
Howard Stern Loses His Mind Over Joe Rogan and His COVID Stance.
https://t.co/q908zPTDzd— RedState (@RedState) September 29, 2021
If Rogan’s latest free speech salvo catches fire, Rogan’s media war will soon go nuclear.
Rogan has railed against vaccine mandates in the past on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” This week, he shared a provocative video from Samuel Rivera Films that slapped a big, fat exclamation point on his argument.
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The video extols American freedom, swats at Arnold “screw your freedom” Schwarzenegger and warns how politicians rarely give up power once they get a taste for it. The same media that compared President Donald Trump to Hitler and praised Michael Moore for doing the same will clutch serious pearls about the clip’s Nazi imagery, no doubt.
And they certainly won’t share images of the draconian measures in Australia, where freedom is being extinguished before our eyes.
The irony is Samuel Rivera Films posted the clip on YouTube more than a month ago – Aug. 25, to be exact. Since then, it’s gained more than 200,000 views. The snippet likely out-drew those numbers after Rogan used his massive platforms to spread the word this week. Consider:
- Instagram: 13.2 million followers
- Twitter: 7.5 million followers
What happens next?
The media is slowly picking up the story, spinning it exactly as expected. Here’s the far-left Rolling Stone whacking Rogan for spurious reasons.
Rogan did previously come under fire for comments casting doubt on the vaccine, but while he said he’s “not an anti-vaxx person,” he has repeatedly voiced his opposition to vaccine mandates and proof-of-vaccine requirements.
Being against vaccine mandates isn’t the same is decrying the vaccine itself. Reporters know that, but they conflate the two on purpose. They also ignore how Black Lives Matter has taken a stand against the mandates in New York City, where many black residents have chosen against taking the vaccine.
There’s a bigger story brewing here.
If Rogan’s penchant for interviewing people across the cultural landscape slapped a target on his back, consider how his pro-freedom, anti-vaccine mandate will intensify those attacks.
Rogan isn’t dumb. He must realize the hornet’s nest he kicked over with a few social media shares. He appears ready for whatever happens next.