I Don't Know if Joe Rogan is Racist, but I Know he's an Asshole

I really didn’t want to write this post.

To still be fighting this battle about the n-word is exhausting. There are so many real systematic, structural changes that we need to be exploring within our society to make sure we create a better healthier and sustainable world for POC, that to keep beating our heads against a brick wall trying to convince white America not to use the n-word seems a little dated.

But I also understand the importance of holding white America responsible for its actions and keeping the pressure on. So, I decided it was worth it.

When I first saw that Joe Rogan had said the n-word I wasn’t surprised. I don’t really listen to his podcasts or pay attention to anything he does but within the social media world it is impossible not to encounter some of his content. Basically, I know him as someone who feels like what he says and believes matters because society has deemed his opinion as valuable. Why does this society believe his opinions matter? I have no idea. I assume it’s because he’s a white male with money and that typically is enough. But oh well that’s how it goes.

I assumed I would see him release a statement saying how he was sorry and how he has changed as a person, and he would try to do better moving forward. Blah Blah Blah.

Lots of people have come out on both sides of the fence with their opinions. Some defend Joe Rogan and say that he isn’t racist and just made and honest mistake, and others are calling for his podcast to be taken off Spotify.

Now I don’t know if Joe Rogan is racist. I don’t know if he hates Black people. I’m sure if you ask him he would say he isn’t racist. That he has Black friends and has Black people on his podcast all the time. Maybe he isn’t. Maybe he is. I wouldn’t be surprised either way.

But I do know that Joe Rogan is an asshole. And here is why.

What white America has always done to Black America is attempt to discredit Black America’s own experience.

In my book Real Nigga Real Nigger I talk about how taking ownership of the word Nigger was foundational to Black America’s growth because it allowed us to take control of our own narrative. It was a defense mechanism to cope with the hatred and malice of white America.

If I call another Black person, my “nigga” it is because I know that person understands the deep psychological conflicts that are created when you exist and a Black person in America. There is a shared experience that the word Nigga is meant to symbolize.

White America cannot understand or appreciate these psychological conflicts and therefore the n-word should never be part of their vocabulary. Unfortunately, white America confuses shared experiences that exist outside of “whiteness” with ‘white discrimination” and then creates a political firestorm around how their “freedoms” are being restricted because they can’t say the n-word.

But that’s a topic for a whole other post.

Let me return to why Joe Rogan is an asshole.

Joe Rogan is an asshole because with all historical perspective and social evidence that he should not use the n-word he boldly used it on multiple occasions on air. This means he understood the divisive nature of the word and how harmful/hurtful it is to Black Americans and decided he didn’t care.

He didn’t care about the harm that word has done to the Black community, he didn’t care about how hurtful that word is to the Black community. He didn’t care because the Black community didn’t have the power to affect him then.

And to me that’s what an asshole is. Someone who doesn’t care about how what they do affects others.

To those who would say he's changed, that he has admitted and apologized for his mistakes I would ask this.

Is he apologizing because he is genuinely sorry or is it because he got caught and he wants to maintain his lavish lifestyle.

In my experience assholes only apologize when they get caught.....