Kaepernick and Rogan – A Tale of Two Americas
Many of the same people who condemned Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem of NFL games complain of “cancel culture” against Joe Rogan. This hypocritical treatment illustrates the tale of two Americas today:
- One where “legitimate political discourse” means using your platform as a NFL player to protest police brutality; and
- Another where “legitimate political discourse” means violently ransacking the U.S. Capitol, threatening to “hang Mike Pence”, and supporting a podcaster who spreads vaccine misinformation and has a history of dropping N-bombs and using racist analogies.
Welcome to 21st century America. The term, “legitimate political discourse”, was coined recently by Republicans to describe the events of January 6th, despite how Republican leaders characterized that harrowing day at the time. Many Republicans and self-proclaimed defenders against “cancel culture” are also extending a similar defense to Joe Rogan, the embattled comedian and podcast host who has spread COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and had past content surface where he repeatedly used the N-word and analogized a black neighborhood as “Planet of the Apes.”
Former President Donald Trump told Rogan to “stop apologizing to the Fake News and Radical Left maniacs and lunatics.” This is the same person who said that anyone peacefully protesting by kneeling during the national anthem “maybe shouldn’t be in the country.”
These episodes depict the divided America we live in today. One tale focuses on injustices, while the other inflames culture wars. One advocates for equality and against police brutality, while the other defends racism and legitimizes assaults on democracy. Much has been said and written about each of these tales, so let’s take a closer look at each one.
Tale 1 – Colin Kaepernick
He first started “protesting” by kneeling during the national anthem in the 2016 preseason. There had been several shootings of unarmed black men that summer, and Kaepernick refused to show pride for a country’s flag that oppressed black people and people of color.
At the time, I was admittedly skeptical whether it was the right move. He had so much to lose and I often rolled my eyes whenever athletes, actors, or any celebrity used their platform for political purposes. But in retrospect I should not have been so skeptical. He was standing up – by kneeling – for what he thought was right. He was using his platform to try to affect positive change in American society. There is nothing more American than that.
Folks on the right have tried to spin this narrative that he only started speaking out once his career was in decline. That narrative is inconsistent with the facts. It is true that he started the 2016 season as a backup quarterback to Blaine Gabbert, but he eventually reclaimed the starting role in week 6 and finished middle of the pack in QB rating with a 90.7. That was less than two points below Russell Wilson (92.6).
He was also returning from a string of injuries and the team had changed drastically. His coach had left and he was in a new system. Kaepernick was also only 29 years old in the 2016 season, with arguably a few years of prime football left.
Yet the entire NFL blackballed him. There were a number of mediocre quarterbacks signed by NFL teams ahead of the 2017 season, but Kaepernick was not one of them. Not even for a backup role. So he filed a grievance against the NFL, which had been critical of his protests. They reached an undisclosed settlement protected by a confidentiality agreement.
It would not be the last time someone accused the NFL and its owners of racist-motivated collusion. Former head coach Brian Flores recently filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL with similar claims.
Criticism against Kaepernick was never about his continued ability to play the game. His protests made people uncomfortable, particularly the white men in charge of the league. Many on the right rationalized Kaepernick’s protests as someone seeking attention in the waning years of a hopeless career, despite this narrative completely misrepresenting the facts. Kaepernick cast a bright light on injustices – long before George Floyd and the protests of 2020 – and white America was simply not ready for it.
Tale 2 – Joe Rogan
The same right-leaning contingency that criticized Kaepernick for peacefully kneeling is the same cohort ready to defend Joe Rogan and the events of January 6th at all costs.
This is what willfully blind Americans say when presented with the truth – racism is still very much alive. The worst part of the Joe Rogan controversy is probably not even the N-word compilation, but his “Planet of the Apes” story. As Trevor Noah stated, that’s “old school racism” right up there with cross burning.
Aside from the racist remarks, Rogan has prominently featured COVID-19 vaccine skepticism on his podcast since April 2020. While he has had discussions with doctors – many of whom have opinions on the fringes of the medical community (see Dr. Robert Malone) – most of his discussions around COVID-19 have occurred with non-experts. He brings it up in almost every episode, regardless of guest. In fairness to some of these guests, many have called out Joe for not knowing what he’s talking about. He’s not a doctor, after all.
Which is why 270 doctors, physicians, and science educators penned a letter to Spotify, calling them to take action on misinformation on its platform.
“Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”
Anyone who thinks Spotify – or Joe Rogan – does not have this responsibility is being reckless with the truth and its potential consequences. With almost 1 million deaths to date in the U.S. alone, it’s imperative that companies and people with influential platforms take a balanced approach when presenting vaccine information. Spotify is starting to see the light here, but they refuse to “cancel” Rogan, which I appreciate to some degree as we don’t necessarily want platforms like Spotify regulating free speech. It’s a slippery slope.
The world has seen who Joe Rogan is and what he stands for. Let people decide if they still want to support the man.
Having listened to many episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast over the years, these latest controversies are in line with Rogan’s overall narrative. He has pushed supplements, potions, and magical elixirs on his podcast for years, long before the pandemic. He advocated for a lifestyle of hacks and shortcuts to good health and manliness. With lots of weed.
Hardly the person to be taking COVID-19 vaccine advice from, but of course his biggest fans and defenders will say something along the lines of, “He always says, ‘I’m not an expert”, and doesn’t expect anyone to take him seriously.” The problem with this line of reasoning is that people throughout history have needed to be protected against themselves. That’s why we have entire regimes of consumer protection laws. It’s why your coffee grinder won’t grind unless a cap completely covers it.
Joe Rogan is like a coffee grinder without a cover. Get too close and not question him enough, and you might get hurt. Combined with what are clearly racist tendencies at a minimum, and we’re presented with a man who needs to come with a “buyer beware” warning sign.
I’m not saying he should be canceled. I think there are better alternatives to outright canceling people. And some of Joe’s episodes are actually pretty insightful and entertaining. But the 11 million people or so who listen and watch each episode need balanced information, regardless of what anyone on the right says.
In the end, I’m not sure how we reconcile this tale of two Americas. The people who criticize Kaepernick’s peaceful protests, but defend Rogan and January 6th to the grave. I can only hope that these folks eventually see the light, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell finally did about Kaepernick. Before it’s too late.
