Following a controversy concerning two episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Spotify, a new controversy has erupted over the podcaster’s use of a racial slur. A video compilation emerged of Rogan’s use of the word over twelve years, edited to exclude context.
It may be more accurate to describe Rogan as “saying” rather than “using” the word, as it was not directed at a group or individual, and even minimal engagement with the podcast is enough to dissuade one from the notion that Rogan is racist.
All the same, over 100 episodes have been pulled by Rogan, in consultation with Spotify. The video sharing platform Rumble reacted by offering Rogan $100 million to come on their platform, uploading all his old material, “with no censorship.”
The podcaster has also issued a video apology:
I’m making this video to talk about the most regretful and shameful thing that I’ve ever had to talk about publicly. There’s a … compilation of me saying the “n” word. It’s a video that’s made of clips taken out of context of me over twelve years of conversations on my podcast … and it looks [sic] horrible, even to me. Now, I know that to most people there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word—never mind publicly on a podcast—and I agree with that now. I haven’t said it in years, but for a long time when I would bring that word up … in conversation, instead of saying the “n” word, I would just say the word. I thought as long as it was in context people would understand what I was doing …
The video compilation was apparently first released by a group called Patriot Takes. This group is partnered with MeidasTouch, a pro-Democratic party “Super PAC” run by three brothers with experience in media. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, writing in April of last year,
The group spent more than $1 million on an advertising strategy that it calls revolutionary, but campaign veterans and independent experts say is nonsensical … despite its promised transparency, MeidasTouch’s financial structure makes a dollar-for-dollar accounting of its spending impossible … MeidasTouch, like many other Super PACs, is fueled by anti-Trump donors … But those donors were pouring money into a broken campaign-finance system.
The charge seems to be that the group principally raises money through donations, which it spends on producing advertisements to generate further donations.
What becomes clear is that U.S. money is pushing a European company to censor its platform. Here, “wokeism” may be good for business, serving Spotify’s interests.
Kyle Kulinski, a guest on one of the episodes that was taken down, has remarked that he does not think insensitive language was used. He speculated that, given the episode featured criticism of Saudi Arabia’s government—a country Spotify has recently begun streaming in—censorship over other issues is being used as a cover. Even if there were insensitive material, the moral calculus behind removing a discussion on human rights instead of blotting out the offending portion is at least questionable.
