The ‘Cancel Joe Rogan’ Campaign Enters Its Third Phase—Courtesy of CNN’s Jan. 6 Obsession – Opinion

First, they tried accusing him of spreading “misinformation” about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations. Next, they found footage that showed him using N-words and called him racist. Now, the effort to cancel comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan has entered its third phase, and it’s even more ludicrous than the first two.

In an attempt to force Spotify to end their podcast, they have resorted to one of the most popular ploys. They used the Jan. 6th riot at U.S. Capitol as an excuse to attack the podcaster. In a lengthy op-ed, CNN Enterprise writer/producer John Blake laid out his case for arguing that Rogan’s use of the n-word was somehow as deadly to American society as the U.S. Capitol riots. Blake wrote:

Joe Rogan, the podcaster, did not belong to a mob which forced legislators to run for their safety. The Confederate flag was never displayed inside his Capitol rotunda. Nobody tried to stop him using the n word.

Rogan, and his supporters have been doing the same thing as a mob storming the US Capitol last January 6.

He continued, explaining that the comedian “breached a civic norm that has held America together since World War II.”

Is there a civic norm Rogan broke? According to the author, it was the unspoken agreement made after World War II that “[a] White person would never be able to publicly use the n-word again and not pay a price.”

Blake complained that the podcaster has not yet paid a “steep professional price” for using the word and speculated that “[i]t may even boost his career,” pointing to the controversy over country music star Morgan Wallen, who came under fire last year for dropping the n-bomb.

According to the author, Rogan’s failure to be cancelled is a sign that America society has entered dangerous territory. “But once we allow a White public figure to repeatedly use the foulest racial epithet in the English language without experiencing any form of punishment, we become a different country,” Blake wrote. “We accept the mainstreaming of a form of political violence that’s as dangerous as the January 6 attack.”

The article then hearkens back to a time when “life would never go on as normal for a White person caught using the n-word,” and when “[t]here used to be a consensus that any White person caught using the n-word or other racial slurs would pay a hefty price.”

Later in the piece, Blake argues that America is “poised to enter an era where a White person can use the n-word publicly and not only survive but thrive if they portray themselves as a victim of cancel culture,” and then urges the reader not to let the Rogan controversy “devolve into another tired discussion about cancel culture.” The author intimated that if Rogan is not canceled, “all of us – not just Black people – will pay a price. Our country won’t be the same.”

The entire article is another example of why the left-wing chattering class believes their audience is dumb. The fact that Blake actually expects readers to believe the debate over Rogan’s use of the n-word is indicative of the rise of a new wave of political violence and a society more tolerant of racism is yet more evidence showing they believe their viewership is made up of orangutans.

But Blake’s arguments fall short for a variety of reasons.

For starters, his contention that white people could not use the n-word at all without fear of reprisal isn’t exactly accurate. A piece I wrote recently about an editorial that was published in the New York TimesJohn McWhorter (columnist), in which he points out that it wasn’t common for white people to use this term less than two decades ago. If a white person read aloud from “Huck Finn: The Adventures of Huck Finn,” and says the word, it was not considered offensive.

It is clear that there are two distinct uses of the word “racism”: when someone quotes another person, or describes racist behavior. And, when the threat is directed against a particular person, or group, there’s a difference. It is easy to see why these two things are different.

We also have Blake’s disingenuous arguments. It makes you wonder if anyone is trying to appear sincere. You wonder what I might find if I did a Google search for the name of this author complaining about the use of the n-word. There were also videos showing President Joe Biden repeating the phrase when he was U.S. senator. Or what about footage of pundits from “The Young Turks” uttering the slur when quoting other people?

It was obvious. I didn’t find a damn thing, and there is a reason why.

Blake does not mind Rogan using the “n-word”. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he does not care if non-black people say the word. He, like the rest of his leftist contemporaries, only feigns outrage when a white person whose politics don’t align with his drops the n-bomb. We can be sure that Blake wouldn’t have published this article if Rogan only hosted progressives on his program to denigrate conservatives.

He isn’t stupid. He is able to clearly distinguish between Rogan’s usage of the word and David Duke’s. He won’t use the term racist to describe a white person if they happen to be on the same political side.

Rogan’s ridiculous gaffe was not the reason he got the benefit of this kerfuffle. It will actually be Rogan’s victory over Blake, who tried to end his career, that will cause celebration.

Like I stated before, anyone who doesn’t view the world from hyper-partisan lenses can see that Rogan wasn’t using the term in a derogatory way. The idea that Spotify should be forced to cut ties is abominable. Moreover, the more you tell people they shouldn’t watch or listen to a particular individual, the more they are going to want to do it. In light of this, it won’t be a surprise if Rogan’s audience grows.

CNN’s shameful desperation shows in publishing a piece that compares the Rogan case to the Jan. 6 Riot. The hard leftist authoritarian types have been trying to sink the comedian’s career for years, and each time they try, he only grows stronger. This battle is futile and seems to drive them insane. They are not victorious in this battle, and it seems to be driving them crazy. RealThe question is, what will they do next?