Joe Rogan Tells His Fans, "If You Want My Advice, Don't Take My Advice."
It's never a dull moment in the saga of Joe Rogan and his stand-up show in Austin, TX Tuesday night only added to the story.
During the set, Rogan went into some of the issues he has been facing since his misinformation and n-word controversies. When talking about the latter to a small crowd of fans he riffed about the YouTube post circulated by India Arie, which was a montage of him using the racist slang,
"I used to say it if [I was talking about] a Richard Pryor bit or something, I would say it in context. Somebody made a compilation of every time I said that word over 14 years and they put it on YouTube, and it turned out that was racist as fuck. Even to me! I'm me and I'm watching it saying, 'Stop saying it!' I put my cursor over the video and I'm like, 'Four more minutes?!'
He added,
"I haven't used that word in years. But it's kind of weird people will get really mad if you use that [word] and tweet about it on a phone that's made by slaves."
That last bit was in reference to the poor working conditions of phone manufacturers overseas. But he didn't stop there. Rogan next addressed the anti-vaxx issues which started the whole ordeal for the comedian,
"I talk shit for a living - that's why this is so baffling to me. If you're taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb shit were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better? 'You know that dude who made people eat animal dicks on TV? How does he feel about medicine?' If you want my advice, don't take my advice."
Well, Joe is half correct. Yes, it is insane to think a person would take advice from a celebrity who once hosted a game show. But then again, look who our last President was. People will follow what celebrities say, so saying that you're not fully responsible is an understatement.
He took a few questions from the audience and when asked what makes him the most nervous, he replied,
"Being a bad person. For real. I try to do my best."
On his show The Joe Rogan Experience, he did express how he was misconstrued in what people have been saying about him in the case of his racist dialog, yet he was happy to finally come to terms with his past transgressions.
"In a lot of ways, this is a relief. That video had always been out there. This is a political hit job. They're taking all this stuff I've ever said that's wrong and smushing it all together. It's good because it makes me address some stuff that I really wish wasn't out there."
Riding the fence as usual, Rogan and Spotify seem to be trying to get past the controversy, yet, never seem to claim full responsibility for Rogan's actions. Recently, we reported about how Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO, sent out a half sincere letter to his company addressing the issues, while still defending their star.
Freedom of Speech is an important part of what makes America a fair place to speak one's mind, though people who talk for a living, spout opinions to the masses, and are looked up to by fans should take into account their effect on the populace. Hopefully, going forward, Joe Rogan and Spotify can find a way to rectify and learn from the influence they have, while being more conscious of how having a voice in the world comes with responsibility.
