A Quick Thought Experiment

We're going to play a game called "Guess Who Said It" - and then when the game is over, we'll dive in a little more on what is happening in our public sphere.

Hello, and welcome to Guess Who Said It. I’m your host Faybomb and thanks for being here on this pretend gameshow that isn’t real. Like Whose Line Is It Anyway, the rules are made up and the points don’t matter. Since that’s out of the way, here’s how we play: I’m going to share two quotes without context or an identifier, and you try to guess which one was Joe Rogan apologizing for his past use of the n-word. Here we go! Quote Number One:

I have long been reluctant to address this, as I knew doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us. I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last twenty-plus years, and I hope that is evident to anyone who watches my show. I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me. I love this country too much to allow that. I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage.

Sound like Joe Rogan? Not sure? Here’s Quote Number Two:

My sincere and humble apologies. I wish there was more that I could say. All of this is just me talking from the bottom of my heart. It makes me sick watching that video.

So which one was Rogan? Which one is from the horse de-wormer boogeyman who the mainstream corporate establishment wants you to hate? Well, Quote Number 1 seemed to come from someone who is pretty defiant and against fake outrage. Think that was Joe?

If so, you’d be wrong. Quote Number 1 is none other than Jimmy Kimmel. It’s the beginning of his apology for wearing blackface on The Man Show when he was impersonating Karl Malone.

Joe Rogan was Quote Number 2. Does that change how you feel about Jimmy Kimmel? Does it change how you feel about Joe Rogan?

The brutal truth

We have a complicated history in this country. The system has oppressed certain people based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and yes, religion. We should always be learning in an attempt to be our best selves going forward. What we shouldn’t do is put people in boxes. We shouldn’t view individuals as caricatures of a group or class. Don’t look at me and see a straight, white, male, who believes in Jesus Christ. Am I those things? Yes. But you can just call me Mike. We can have a conversation as individuals. I don't like that Joe Rogan said that word. I don't think he should say it even in the context that he said it. But I also believe he apologized sincerely. He acknowledged that he doesn't say it anymore and I think that's good.

What is really happening with Rogan

In my opinion, it should be pretty obvious at this point that Joe Rogan is the target of an organized cancel attempt. It doesn’t have anything to do with him saying the n-word a decade ago. If that is legitimately what this is about, then Jimmy Kimmel probably shouldn’t have a show anymore either. Now, I say this as someone who doesn’t like Jimmy Kimmel’s rhetoric. He has become a mouthpiece, in my view. And he says things that make me sad. This video from Aba & Preach addresses, not just Kimmel’s crappy viewpoint, but a lot of the issues that people have had with trust generally speaking.

Seriously, watch the whole video. For me, acting as though your interpretation of what is a healthful personal decision should be a prerequisite for health care is a mindbogglingly bad take. Where do you draw the line? Should we stop giving care to people who have become diabetic because of their chocolate intake? Should we deny care for those who are obese from overeating? What about drug addicts? Drink a lot of soda? Yeah? Congrats no health care for YOU! Is this really where we want to be? One of the best quotes in this video though might be this one:

What do you think this does for public discourse? When you say if that’s your stance than you deserve to die by the side of the street. What do you think that does when you want to say something to that person’s benefit? And you be like guys this is what you need to do it’s gonna be good for you. Do you think they’re ever going to listen to you?

Perfect. And now we can bring it full circle. Take it a step further. Do you think people are going to be more or less likely to consider opposing viewpoints when they’re KICKED OFF THE PLATFORMS ENTIRELY?!

Cancel culture is bad. Censorship is bad. Putting people in a box and judging them based off that box is bad. I don’t like Jimmy Kimmel. I used to before he turned his back on people who don’t think exactly the way he thinks. But that doesn’t mean I think ABC needs to fire him. We need to become consistent on this to move forward in society.

I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Do they still teach Voltaire in school or not? Asking for a friend.