Joe Rogan ‘N’ word shaming increases Spotify pressure

Wow, so the pressure on Spotify just took another level, and I did not see this turn of events. Um, I've been trying to move on from this Spotify censorship war between Spotify and Joe Rogan and the, the massive pressure from very famous people with a lot of influence, even the White House stepping in, but then quite a lot of other people coming in to support, like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and other people. And this started as a fight against censorship and a fight on our freedom of speech, which I still believe is the central thread, but it's just completely changed. And I'm going to tell you about that first, and then maybe let— I want to know where you think this is going, by the way, so stay with me. And I really hope that the central theme of protecting free speech and stopping censorship, I hope that that stays the central theme here. But there's been some distractions that I have, um, I wonder where they've come from because I was actually researching and studying the whole course of events to write a full article on it with the White House stepping in and putting pressure on Spotify, which I thought changed the game again. But then this morning, there's breaking news— well, depending on where you are in the world— that there's been a mashup video of Joe Rogan using the N-word, you know, the derogatory term, the N-word. And what someone has done is gone through Joe Rogan's entire back catalog of 12 years and what, 1,600, 1,700 episodes. And what they've done is they've taken out where he used the N-word and they've mashed it up. And Joe Rogan has just responded. Now, Dwayne Johnson came to Joe Rogan's defense saying, keep speaking up, brother, and I look forward to being on your show. And then he started to get attacked saying that, do you know that Joe Rogan is a racist? And are you using your platform to support racists? And then Joe wrote— uh, Dwayne Johnson had to sort of backtrack and go, thanks for the education, I didn't know that narrative. Um, you know, we must all always learn. Now here's what's happened. Um, someone has gone through Joe Rogan's entire back catalog and taken out every time he used the N-word and done a mashup. Now, I don't know if you've seen the Beastie Boys music mashup version of "You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party." And what someone's done is they've mashed up Boris Johnson and I think Rishi, you know, some of the guys in UK politics, and they've mashed up their, you know, the parties that they were having when we were supposed to be in lockdown and made quite a funny video on the Beastie Boys you know, party song. So that's obviously a mashup that is not in context. And what someone has done here is mashed up Joe Rogan using the N-word. Now here's the thing, the timing is somewhat impeccable, that just as there's pressure on Joe Rogan and Spotify where the White House step in and the mainstream media are pushing back, then bang, this is created. I mean, that must have taken so much time to dig all that out. So what do you think about that? Have you seen that mashup? Have you seen Joe Rogan's response? Do you think that he deserves to be canceled because he's used that word? Do you think everyone should distance themselves from him? Or do you think that it's an unfair manipulation of, of lack of context and that despite this, the fight for freedom of speech should be continued. Um, now, um, let me tell you Joe Rogan's response. Now, um, I am reading you his response. I watched it twice this morning and took specific notes. This is Joe Rogan's response. I'd love your thoughts on this, by the way, because, you know, I'm friends with Gerald Ratner, who said a fairly innocent joke and got completely canceled and his life was ruined. Now, the N-word is not a joke by any means, and it's, you know, that's a different level. But I guess it depends on context. So here's what Joe Rogan is saying. He said that there's been a mashup video created of Joe Rogan using the N-word. He says that he used the N-word in context. So for example, he said Richard Pryor was saying it in the 1970s. Or Quentin Tarantino said it a lot in Pulp Fiction. He didn't say it as a weapon or, you know, using it in the racist context. He used the word in context. But what he's now said is he should never have used the word. Now, the reason he used the word is because he didn't think he should say the N-word. He thought he should just actually say the word. Now he believes that he should not have said the word. He should have used the N-word or not used the word. And he said, addressing how white people can't say it but black people can say it, and that that's unusual, um, and he says he regrets saying that. He said, um, he used— this was years ago, by the way, and all this has been brought out now. Here's the thing, I always think, like, for example, with, um, Boris You know, there's a lot of scandals coming out now about Boris that happened years ago. My wife said, why is it all coming out now, I wonder? Because obviously a lot of people want Boris out. And these things that Joe said, he said years ago, years ago. Why has it now come out literally at the most opportune and perfect moment where there's pressure to cancel Joe Rogan. Now, I can't answer that, and I'm asking you, but it does seem that the timing is very specific and timely. He said he used the word years ago. He hasn't used it since, but he said he fucked up. He said, because if you have to address talking about race, then you fucked up talking about race. He said he never thought it would all be taken out of context like it has. By the way, let me know your thoughts on this. I'm interested in this. Um, but people are taking, um, parts that aren't racist in clunky stories that he created. And he says, but it actually looks terrible when he was only trying to be entertaining. He never wants to offend people with racism, even when entertaining. He said he said a lot of stupid shit in 12 years, which is fine when you talk about most things, but not when you talk about race. So are there some areas where we just shouldn't go? By the way, I want to learn about this as well. I'd love your thoughts. Um, because, you know, maybe there are places we should not go. He wants this to be a teachable moment, and, um, he— what, you know, there's certain words that no people should say. He sincerely and humbly apologizes. He said that he's always talking from the bottom of his heart, but this mashup n-word video makes him feel absolutely sick. Now also, have you seen that Jimmy Carr has just been slammed for joking about the Holocaust? And I think these raise very important moral dilemmas. Um, are places like comedy a place where we can address those really sensitive issues? Or basically, these sensitive issues of race, um, you know, and demographics of society and that kind of thing— are there places that we should just never go? Please let me know what you think in the comments. I think it's important that this content is shared. Because I actually think we're in the moment of a potential revolution right now. And I, I felt that this was coming. I felt that this revolution was coming. Someone has said here, we all chat bollocks from time to time. I know if you went through 12 years of my content and mashed it up out of context, you could certainly make me look silly. I, I know that that is the case. And this— I want to learn from this as well, um, you know, moving forward as we're all growing a profile. You know, it's good to— Joe Rogan is right, it is a teachable moment. Okay, but I don't want this to cloud the main issue, or one of the main issues. Maybe another— maybe this has changed and this is now the main issue. But, um, the, the initial issue was, should Spotify cancel Joe Rogan? Now what happened was Neil Young came out and said it's Neil Young or Joe Rogan, and Spotify chose Joe Rogan. 'Cause Spotify said they're a publisher— sorry, they're a platform, not a publisher. So therefore they don't screen all their content 'cause they're a platform, not a publisher. Neil Young left, and when he did, I thought, this is bad. The reason this is bad is 'cause if Neil Young does it, he's obviously an influential guy, then loads of other people are gonna do it. And Neil Young's was an ultimatum. Now, if you leave a platform in protest quietly, and you don't threaten with ultimatums and power and leverage, I believe that's your right. It's anyone's right to communicate on whatever platform they want, and I believe that's right. I do not believe it's your right to threaten ultimatum and, and maybe a mild form of blackmail a platform to cancel and silence and censor someone else. I don't think that is right, and I think we should fight for that. And here's what the BBC said, because I was researching the BBC. I wasn't actually going to do this content, by the way, but this has become the thing that we now need to talk about. Um, BBC said this: just as Joe Rogan has the right to talk to who he wants, so musicians and scientists have the right to urge Spotify not to give a platform to advice that isn't rooted in available evidence. I disagree with BBC. That's arrogant. Just as Joe Rogan has his right to talk to who he wants. Yes, he does. Musicians and scientists have the right to urge Spotify not to give a platform to advice that isn't rooted in available evidence. Well, who are BBC to judge what is available evidence? I don't believe musicians and scientists have the right to threaten Spotify to get rid of their biggest creator, who they paid $100 million for, and cancel Joe Rogan because they don't agree with Joe Rogan. I don't think that anyone has that right, personally. What do you think about that? Um, again, I think it's important that we, we share this message around. So, um, people are now doing what I was scared of. I was scared that once Neil Yogan went— Neil Yogan, Neil Yogan, um, Joe Young, Neil Rogan, Neil, I knew this would happen and I didn't want it to happen. I was scared about it happening. I knew that when Neil Young came out and said it's Neil Young or Joe Rogan, get rid of Joe Rogan for misinformation, disinformation, and lies and putting public health at risk, which by the way is Neil Young's opinion, which is his absolute— Neil Young has his right to that opinion. Neil Young doesn't have his right to say that that opinion is fact and information and Joe Rogan's opinion is misinformation, disinformation, and lies, and threaten a platform and use that as leverage and blackmail to cancel another creator. I don't believe that's Neil Young's right. And I knew that when that happened, everyone else would follow who didn't agree with Joe Rogan. And then, of course, the mainstream media, whose ratings have been going down and down and down and down and down— this is the moment that the mainstream media have been waiting for. And who owns half of Neil Young's back catalog? And who was behind this N-word mashup video of Joe Rogan? Now, I don't know, but you know, you know what, you know, House of Cards. So now Alec Baldwin's quit Spotify, Henry Kissinger, um, you know, Dwayne 'The Rock' has come out in support, and now he's had to backtrack. And, you know, someone just said here, I think within comedy there are no boundaries. But there are, because Joe Rogan's a comedian first and foremost, and then he has a channel. Now, all comedians have a channel and a platform. And someone could say, yeah, but he's become more than a comedian. But he has. But he could have said that in an auditorium with 10,000 people, or he could have said it on a YouTube video. So, um, if someone says comedy has no bounds, well, Joe Rogan's a comedian. So where is this freedom of speech line? Summary, and I would urge you to share this: if we the people sit in silence and don't fight for the freedom of speech of anyone, everyone, and one, whether it's you or Joe Rogan or the president, if we the people don't fight for the person to have freedom of speech, then we give the power to the powerful. And the powerful are obviously the mainstream media, you know, and the new big tech platforms. We the people give them the power. Now, so many people on my content Moan and complain about how much power mainstream media and, you know, the people who meet at Davos, uh, and the, you know, the people that run and rule the world and the VC firms and the big tech companies. So many in my community moan and complain that, you know, they're controlling us. So you have to stand up and speak out. And so therefore, I believe we should protect everyone's right to free speech and stop using the word misinformation and disinformation and check your facts and fact-checking as our weapon of canceling you. Because when people use the word misinformation and disinformation and fact-checking, they're using that as a weapon to cancel someone else's opinion. They, they are doing that. The mainstream media are doing that. BBC have their own fact-checker. By the way, I was reading a BBC article day before yesterday, there was 3 typos in it. Yeah, BBC have the BBC fact-checker, you know, these, these are facts. No, that's BBC's opinion, and this political power probably behind that opinion. Now mainstream media is losing its reach and its influence, and Joe Rogan is growing more powerful than mainstream media could ever have imagined. I think it's good that individuals are gaining more influence now, because the more decentralized power and influence is, the more of a democratic and, um, merit-based society we have. But the more centralized power and control is, like big tech companies and you know, billionaire families going back millennia like people seem to think there is, then the less power we have. So we have to stand up for the individual's right to free speech even if we don't agree with it. And ironically, a lot of the people who want democratization and want decentralization and want to push back against globalization are leaning to get an individual canceled who's part of breaking up mainstream globalization and media. So we have to know what's behind this. Hit the share button, let me know what you think in the comments. Let's have a good discussion about it. Discussion number 1: should Joe Rogan be canceled because he used the N-word? Lesson number 2: did he make a mistake, or was that mashup part of, you know, like a smear campaign against him? Number 3, should we fight for the right for freedom of speech and support Spotify and Joe Rogan? Let me know your thoughts. Hit the share button. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, if you don't risk anything, you risk everything. Everyone's getting censored everywhere. So many people in my comments, yeah, I got banned on Facebook, I got banned on YouTube. You know, podcasting is one of the only remaining virtually uncensorable media. And if Spotify get pressured to cancel Joe Rogan, now podcasts become just like everything else, just like YouTube, Facebook, big tech, where you can't say what they don't want you to say. So it's a dying— this, this here is the endangered species now. We have to protect this. Because this is the only place left where you can speak freely. There's more to this. Tune in next time.