@joerogan #jre
The JRE podcast has, in recent years, become a touchstone for anyone trying to reach the “unreachables“. Those adults that do not get their news through the so-called, main-stream media. Until the JRE and other shows like it, caught on, these unreachables remained just that. This is why it’s no surprise our 2020 Presidential candidates and politicians often visit the show.
I began listening to Joe Rogan a few years back. Back then he’d do shows with other comics and fighters, and sometimes, he’d have some out-of-context guests that were interesting. I’m a big MMA fan and that’s what initially attracted me to the podcast. Very few can argue that Joe is not one of the most knowledgeable minds of MMA. His insights are amazing. When it comes to MMA, he is very good. His comedy, to me, is OK, but that is not a good or bad thing. If there is one thing that is based on taste, comedy is it.
As the non-comedic and non-MMA guests began to get more and more peppered throughout, one thing that always fascinated me was Joe’s ability to maintain the conversation going while always asking questions. I may not be a fan of his comedy, but a comic is a comic and to be one, you MUST be smart and think quickly on your feet. Joe is a comic.
We all have our own opinions. These opinions are based on many things; from our own experiences, to the experiences of others, to our current circumstances. To expect everyone to agree on the same thing is futile. The issue I have with Joe is not that we do not agree on everything, the issue is his influence and seeming lack of concern of his ignorance on subjects.
In other words, Joe’s view is that since he’s a comic and therefore smart and quick(er) on his feet, that he can talk to anyone on any topic even if he’s not well versed in it. He’s just trying to learn. And that his purpose for the show is to have an honest, long-format, conversation with his guests. The blind spot here is that his guests understand the influence of his show and they come very well prepared (much more than him) and as a result they go unchallenged in their statements.
The most dangerous citizen, is an ignorant citizen. I completely understand if Joe’s retort is that he is not doing this to please me, or others, and that he just wants to have a conversation with his guests. My response is that the influence of the show is such that he’s got a higher-level of responsibility that he must deal with. And that given the influence of his show, that even good-intentions can have bad consequences.
The most recent example of this lack of preparation or ignorance, was the show with Dan Crenshaw, a congressman from Texas. Mr. Crenshaw is ex-military, something Joe greatly admires, and was given a great level of latitude in the various pro-gun, pro-military statements he made. When asked what to do about mass shootings, Mr. Crenshaw had very little in the form of a solution. He opined, of course, that guns were not the issue and that at worst, we could have paid security at schools. Why not, right?
I, like most, also do not have an answer for the epidemic of mass shootings we’re facing. However, one thing that goes unsaid in politics is that our government has clauses in the criteria of studies they are willing to fund and one of them is any type of research which looks into the effect of guns. This is one of the reasons we do not have a way to look at comprehensive data which could allow someone smarter than me to propose a solution.
Joe is one of the best MMA analysts out there. He’s a true comic. But he should be aware that unless he’s fully prepared and well educated on certain subjects, that he and his show can be turned into vessels of propaganda. Ignorance, even if true, still results in very real consequences.
