World-famous podcaster Joe Rogan observed on Wednesday that while both sides of politics can be closed-minded, modern conservatives are more willing to allow freedom of speech.
Rogan has risen to fame and popularity with people on both sides of the aisle largely because of his willingness to have honest, freeform conversations with anyone. He's also a staunch advocate for the freedoms of expression and debate and has noticed the rise of unusual political bedfellows as society is besieged by cancel culture.
"Regular people get caught up in mind viruses," Rogan said to Malice. "Like, we always want to look at people in a cult and go, ‘Wow, that would never be me, I'm too smart for that. These f***ing morons, why do they believe that guy?’ We're all susceptible, all of us are!"
Rogan and Malice talked about how modern society and social media allow people to disregard other people’s opinions if they don’t agree on a checklist of controversial issues. While the host noted that conservatives are not immune to this, he claimed they have taken up the mantle of at least allowing their opposition to speak, unlike the modern left.
"So, when I was a kid, the left was all about freedom of speech and freedom of expression – if you were like a person who never vaccinated your children you would be much more likely to be on the left, you were someone who didn't trust pharmaceutical companies," Rogan recalled as an example.
Later in the episode he suggested that modern entertainment is a great example of how political sides have switched on certain issues.
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"The left used to be about, like, freedom, it was more like freedom of speech, freedom of expression, you know, like, think about the comic books that came from the left," he said. "But then somewhere along the line, the roles reversed, and I don't even know if people realize it's like a shifting of the polar ice caps, like, today if you are going to be a person who had a controversial comic book you would most likely be on the right.
The shifting political landscape has been a frequent topic on Rogan's show, as he and guests like comedian Russell Brand have discussed how left-wing figures from past decades that advocate anti-establishment views or freedom of speech are smeared by modern liberals as far-right.
Rogan recently opened the Comedy Mothership venue in Austin, Texas, as a safe haven for comedians and audiences from cancel culture.
The official website’s FAQ page warned in clear terms that the venue will host controversial comedians, featuring the query, "Should I research the comedian before attending a show?" The following answer explains, "Yes. Comedy is subjective and certain comedians are not for everybody. Watching a YouTube clip or reading the headliner's biography is a great way to get insight on the expected performance."
