Joe Rogan is a Progressive

There are many different definitions of a progressive. In one google search, you’ll find many people arguing over what it means to be a progressive, and who has the right to call themselves a progressive. Since the Bernie Sanders movement has become what one might consider mainstream, being a progressive has become rather trendy. It is now seen as a good way to get the vote of the younger generation. And it would be…if the candidates were actually progressive. More often than not, they’re neo-liberals who self identify as progressive when it’s convenient.

So what makes a progressive? In my mind, a progressive is someone who continues to move in the direction of progress. Often people conflate progress with identity-based policies, like legalizing gay marriage. Politicians love it when we argue over identity politics because it doesn’t do much to threaten the establishment. A true progressive is someone who wants bottom-up social and economic change for the most disenfranchised. Progressives understand the importance of getting money and corruption out of politics and distributing wealth, enabling everyone to make a living wage. They are also anti-war.

I considered Bernie Sanders to be a progressive. After selling out to endorse Joe Biden, now, I’m not so sure. I don’t think a true progressive would ever endorse a warmonger. I think FDR was the last truly progressive president we had, and he wasn’t enough.

A meme popped up on my social media feed earlier in the week making fun of Joe Rogan and his audience. It said something to the effect of “‘Don’t get all your news from mainstream sources!’ Says man who exclusively listens to fight commentators podcast for news”. It features a generic white man and a picture of Joe Rogan. I can certainly find the humor in it. However, it’s obvious that the person who posted the meme, as well as the creator, were definitely not familiar with Joe Rogan or the people he interviews on his podcast.

Of course, the negative view of Joe Rogan is totally understandable if your information on him comes from mainstream news sources. There’s also a good chance that even if you have listened to Joe Rogan’s podcasts or if you only listen to one episode (depending on who he’s talking to), you may get a false impression of who Joe actually is.

The first time I ever heard a Joe Rogan podcast, I was outraged. I can hardly remember now what he was talking about, but I believe it had something to do with the role of transgender women in sports. Truly, I was infuriated. Here sat this middle-aged straight white dude who was a retired UFC commentator of all things. I was sure he spent more time lifting weights than he did reading up on transgender issues.

In case you’re not familiar with him, Joe Rogan is known for his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience and other things like being an MMA fight commentator, the host of Fear Factor, and playing Joe on the show News Radio. He is a true Jack of all trades. On his podcast, Joe is uniquely known for talking to anyone and everyone that he’s interested in. For obvious reasons, this has sparked some controversy. In the history of Joe’s podcast, he’s talked to everyone from Alex Jones and Ben Shapiro, to populists Krystal and Sagar, to author and journalist Matt Taibbi, and even Bernie Sanders himself. Despite slander from the media, when you look through Rogan’s collection of podcasts, it seems obvious that he isn’t biased about who he’s willing to talk to. The only driving factor in who Joe decides to talk to is whether or not he’s interested in what they have to say.

Months ago, Joe Rogan gave a quasi endorsement to Bernie Sanders, and the ultra woke crowd went crazy, similar to the way I had upon first listening to Joe’s podcast.

“I think I’ll probably vote for Bernie. Him as a human being, when I was hanging out with him, I believe in him. I like him. I like him a lot,” said Rogan, in a podcast episode back in January. Bernie later accepted the endorsement and received criticism from the left. How could Bernie accept an endorsement from such an alt right-wing conservative like Joe Rogan? He was racist, transphobic, sexist, and homophobic, according to the mainstream media. But then why, would Rogan endorse Bernie if he was such a conservative?

Turns out when you actually listen to Joe Rogan on a regular basis and don’t take things out of context, he’s generally pretty progressive. Look, I won’t pretend like he hasn’t said some stupid things. I think we can all agree (from a progressive standpoint) that not everything he says is “politically correct”. He’s a comedian, a fight commentator, and as he’ll be the first to point out, just a regular average guy (as much as one can be with a net worth of more than $100 million). He’s not a politician or a political commentator, nor does he pretend to be an expert on policy. That being said, when Joe Rogan talks about social issues, and politics, he tends to lean culturally left.

Joe Rogan strongly supports LGBT+ rights, is pro-choice, is anti-war, and pro-drug legalization, and he believes that we need serious economic reform. In many ways, he’s more progressive than the Democratic Establishment.

He often exhibits culturally conservative behavior. He’s a hunter, a mixed martial artist, he associates with many right-wing conservative people, and at times he may come across as old-fashioned. However, if we are the people that we associate with, Joe Rogan is quite an eclectic mix, based on his friends.

I highly encourage everyone to listen to a Joe Rogan podcast if given the chance. Currently, they’re available on Spotify and YouTube, and will soon be available exclusively on Spotify, (with short clips available on YouTube.) Joe Rogan is an interesting guy, and on his podcast, he talks about nearly everything including but not limited to mixed martial arts, history, politics, anthropology, science, and even gut health. Regardless of your interests, I’d wager you’ll find at least two very interesting conversations on the subject within Joe Rogan’s podcast library.

Sage Edwards

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