Hi Bob,<\/p>\n
The problem with Joe Rogan is not that he spews subtle antisemitic tropes or false medical information or conspiracy theories. The problem with Joe Rogan is that he represents the majority of Americans\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6undereducated, incurious for the truth, stupid, getting off on watching other people being treated badly, “it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about me” fu*k them I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got mine, etc.<\/p>\n
Rogan is a symbol of America today.<\/p>\n
As a Jewish person, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m particularly sensitive to subtle and blatant \u00c2\u00a0comments about Jewish people. People who say these kinds of things usually dismiss as ignorant a-holes. \u00c2\u00a0The bigger issue is that Rogan is a symptom of some thing much uglier. That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just bother me. It makes me really scared.<\/p>\n
Susan L. Dodes<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I’m not Jewish. I’m half-Irish, some English, some French, etc. The things Rogan is saying are despicable. He shouldn’t have a platform, no matter how much money Spotify is making. However, he still has the right to speak out. It just shouldn’t be amplified.<\/p>\n
William Brody<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
So sorry to read some of the stupid and misinformed responses. Most of the Billionaire class are not Jews. Most of the investment bankers are not Jews. Certainly most of the CEO\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S of major corporations are not Jewish. Actually most of them are Christian. Why are there not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153 partially truthful stereotypes about those Christians\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? Prejudice?
\nBy the way HOW MUCH MONEY is Joe Rogan making? Is he Jewish?<\/p>\n
Ken Seider<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Bezos<\/p>\n
Gates<\/p>\n
Buffet<\/p>\n
Musk<\/p>\n
All Goyim<\/p>\n
Sara Joseph<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am just a regular guy that is in the middle of the road\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bullsh*t. \u00c2\u00a0Dumb ass is lost in his lack of self awareness and critical thinking like the bulk of the rest of these hero worshipping dipsh*ts. They leak their actual thoughts and intentions throughout what they write, fu*king clueless.<\/p>\n
Bill Nelson<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got some pretty stupid readers. Anti-Semites who believe anti-Semitism is so part of the culture they are oblivious to it. As a Jew hard to read the comments defending Rogan of which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure there are dozens. Just shows you how deep anti-Semitism is ingrained.<\/p>\n
Mitch Tenzer<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Look at all the anti-semitic, overt or perhaps\u00c2\u00a0subconscious, emerging\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6all\u00c2\u00a0to back up a guy who successfully\u00c2\u00a0turned stoner casual conservativism into a million dollar pod, a\u00c2\u00a0safehaven for bitter white incels or anti-woke bigots\u00c2\u00a0and a few faux-free speech\u00c2\u00a0contrarians. \u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just a dummy but I do know this\u00e2\u20ac\u201d Jews love money\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Who the fu*k doesnt? \u00c2\u00a0How many of the top CEO\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in America are Jewish? \u00c2\u00a0 Bet they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the stats.<\/p>\n
Thanks for publishing their stained names. This country has entitled these armchair warriors to air out their inner bully, their inner bigot.<\/p>\n
Bending over backwards to maintain harmful stereotypes that they prob rage against when they are labeled a certain way (boomer, racist, typical white guy, trump maga dummy, old).<\/p>\n
Amazing the unifying effect of anti-semitism from all across the political\u00c2\u00a0spectrum. Fu*k em all.<\/p>\n
Kevin Berntson<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Just a quick point about Joe Rogan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s comments. White people, and white men in particular, have been accused of the most horrible things by activists. We are guilty of the original sin of being settlers, haters, blah blah blah. Where is the outrage about this kind of racism? Somehow Rogan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s comments are terrible but calling white people evil (literally) is just fine. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Tim Doyle<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
So much “white man scorned” nonsense from these tough men on the right. They obviously feel threatened…as they should. White women are over them, too!<\/p>\n
Alison Miller<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I know many Jewish people. Married one who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dad was Jewish. That whole side of the family is freaking awesome, and certainly not cheap. The incredible generosity I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve personally felt from all of the Jewish people in my life has been consistent. WTF? Did I really just have to defend that? What a stupid thing to say. What year is this? And stereotypes are rooted in reality? No, stereotypes are designed and spread to marginalize and hurt people. F\u00e2\u20ac\u2122n crazy.<\/p>\n
Niels Schroeter<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
They sure do( prove the point).<\/p>\n
Thanks for once again shedding light on some of the darkness in our world.<\/p>\n
David Brown<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I dumped Spotify and switched to TIDAL (so much better for so many reasons) right after Rogan’s COVID nonsense. This latest attempt at comedy(?) 100% confirms my decision.<\/p>\n
Neil Krupnick<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Wow. I am shocked at how many of your readers think actually agree w Rogan.<\/p>\n
Awful. I have to face the facts\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a Jew and people are going to hate me because of that. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just how it is. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve unsubscribed from Spotify and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to encourage everyone I can to do so too.<\/p>\n
Regards,
\nMark Feldman<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Also, this is good.<\/p>\n
“Rogan’s Jews – What the shock jock doesn’t get about antisemitic conspiracies”: https:\/\/bit.ly\/3YM80Xl<\/p>\n
Ian Schafer<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I cancelled my Spotify subscription just Uber two years ago due to Joe Rogan. Never looked back<\/p>\n
Thomas Meyer<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in your camp. Rogan is a bigot, ignorant and not worthy of air time endorsement.<\/p>\n
Tony Bro<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
What can you expect from a pseudo-intelligent, egotistical, alpha male, who has no common sense?<\/p>\n
Lin Wolen
\nJewish, but never anointed Princess<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Like most American Jews, I’ve been hearing the “Jews & money” trope since I was a wee lad.\u00c2\u00a0 Almost all the time, it’s in a light-hearted manner, in jokes and asides from friends, classmates, etc.\u00c2\u00a0 Only occasionally has it been mean-spirited.\u00c2\u00a0 Nonetheless, it gets under your skin.\u00c2\u00a0 The irony is that, in my professional\u00c2\u00a0life as a musician, I’ve been notoriously chill about money.\u00c2\u00a0 Almost to a fault, and often-times to my own detriment.\u00c2\u00a0 And I think that’s due, in part, to a (barely) subconscious attempt on my part to DISPROVE\u00c2\u00a0the stereotype.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s kinda ironic that, due to the stereotype that all Jews are ruthless business people, this Jew is a lousy businessperson.<\/p>\n
– Seth Kibel<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Many of your followers are bigots, and frequently ignorant as is common trait in bigotry. \u00c2\u00a0I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how you put up with them.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Joe Rogan found a way to become massively wealthy by playing on angry male insecurity. \u00c2\u00a0Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh,\u00c2\u00a0the mega church preachers, today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Republican Party all cash in on playing angry and\u00c2\u00a0getting people pissed off. \u00c2\u00a0I deactivated my Spotify account years ago but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plenty of Joe Rogan on YouTube. \u00c2\u00a0You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need Spotify to see that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a sharp mind\/deficient morals\u00c2\u00a0to go with those\u00c2\u00a0big muscles. \u00c2\u00a0He makes small minded men think they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re smart.<\/p>\n
Jeff Capshew<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I find Joe Rogan and his dumbass fans repulsive. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re like people who were born to be meatheads but they worked out how to login to wifi started flirting with the idea of applying their frontal lobes but cant fully commit cos gym. So now we have this idiot army who over simplify complex issues and dive into \u00e2\u20ac\u0153reasonable debate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d over topics they know nothing about, with other meatheads who know fu*k all, over-intellectualise human behaviours they can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t comprehend, blame everyone else for immediately poo-pooing what they have to say and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t consider other people might already have thought\/discussed the same topics at length (or maybe even have a masters degree) and have a more well rounded\/less black and white understanding and aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t prepared to engage with someone whose world view is so warped and void of empathy that a discussion would be a waste of time. When people like Jordan Peterson \u00e2\u20ac\u0153destroy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say a non binary person in an intellectual debate about let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say trans-rights- or referring to the person the way they want to be referred to- maybe that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cos Mr Peterson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s complete lack of human emotion allows him to make arguments that simply cannot be argued with because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 hurtful. I found Joe Lozarros comment particularly troubling (soz if I got your name wrong I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be fu*ked getting it right, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure that won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t offend you?)\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Words are not violence. \u00c2\u00a0They can be used for calls to violence for sure, & this type of speech is not & should not be protected in any circumstance. \u00c2\u00a0Uncomfortable words may cause stress & trigger offense, but they are not violence.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sorry but words are violence.<\/p>\n
Words such as: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Certain races or cultures have more of a tendency to act in different ways in every day life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n
This is literally the definition of racism. Using the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153race\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in that context is violence. A \u00e2\u20ac\u0153race\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a way to group people by their physical appearance. So what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re saying (intentionally or not) is that black people have a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tendency to act in different ways\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Whether you like it or not your statement is racist. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure you would understand that all people are born equal no matter the colour of their skin, same goes for racists- you might not hate a certain group of people but the simple act of recognising a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153race\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as a legitimate way to group people together is racism. You can mean well and still be racist. But racism is violence. Your \u00e2\u20ac\u0153logic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is fu*ked.<\/p>\n
Stick to the gym you fu*king meatheads and leave the thinking to people with more frontal lobe capacity. (I know you all must love the gym cos joe Rogan goes to the gym and you listen to joe Rogan so I applied a stereotype to you cos it would be crazy not to recognise that stereotype and apply it to you).<\/p>\n
Benjamin Carter<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
“Congressman who raised issue of antisemitism on Twitter says he was bombarded with antisemitic tweets”<\/p>\n
Joe Weinstein<\/p>\n
https:\/\/cnn.it\/3YEQx2U<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Rogan gave Alex Jones the microphone on his show October 27, 2020.
\nHe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a pot stirrer and has misinformed fans \u00c2\u00a0hanging on his every word.
\nI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been done with him since he let Jones rant.
\nNeil and Joni did the right thing.
\nDW Davis<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I wonder if a lot of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153yeah, but it was just one small thing, said as a joke, taken out of context\u00e2\u20ac\u009d crowd,
\nalso can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see why \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All Lives Matter\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not an acceptable response to Black Lives Matter.<\/p>\n
Harrison Merims<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
As you and I have witnessed in our own lives, blaming the Jews never loses its charms. Thirty five years ago when my first child was born, I thought, thanks goodness he won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t endure the hate that I did. Wrong.<\/p>\n
L\u00e2\u20ac\u2122chaim,<\/p>\n
Jon Sinton<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Unreal. I wrote him a mean thing on Instagram not sure I saved. Dude was a total piece of sh*t EVEN BEFORE THE RACIAL STUFF.<\/p>\n
He makes me sick thank you.<\/p>\n
Adam Shacknai<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
The amount of feedback defending Rogan and his unacceptable remarks is truly repugnant.<\/p>\n
And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d wager $500 that every single person who wrote to you in his defense is a conservative-leaning straight white religious hetero male.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m truly just about ready to give up on this country and abandon ship.<\/p>\n
Mike Froedge<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
The amount of idiots you have here supporting Joe Rogan is unbelievable.\u00c2\u00a0 The funny thing about stereotypes is that they work both ways.\u00c2\u00a0 So I’m not surprised that the dumb Polack and sleazy Italian responded as such.<\/p>\n
Paul Trust<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Wow, so many of these messages prove your point indeed. So F\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ing depressing to see the anti-semitic supporter comments in 2023.<\/p>\n
Perhaps I fool myself\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6an entire career in music\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6a business where you deal with people of varying color, ethnicity and religion on a daily basis\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I like to believe that is one of the unique strengths of the field we chose\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6somehow WE are different.<\/p>\n
Turns out, the embarrassing bullsh*t tropes and stereotypes that infect so much of far right and accompanying media are alive and well in music as well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
so alive in fact that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll type it out and hit \u00e2\u20ac\u0153send\u00e2\u20ac\u009d without a second thought.<\/p>\n
Kevin Day<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Bob:\u00c2\u00a0 I worked for and became a managing partner of a “Jewish” owned national (NASDAQ) entertainment company for 24 years. I was the only “gentile”. EVERY day was amazing and filled with opportunity and innovation.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a “family”. It was an education not\u00c2\u00a0found in academia. I will simply leave it at that.<\/p>\n
Scott Hazlewood<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
“\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00c2\u00a0I am way more offended by your lack of authenticity than you will ever truly be about Rogan\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6”<\/p>\n
apparently you are inauthentic regarding the extermination of 6m brethren.<\/p>\n
they will never make the connection especially when it is 2 or 3\u00c2\u00a0degrees more vague\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6which is the very definition of dog whistle.<\/p>\n
then he closes w\/\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u02dc’ighten up’.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a tad ashamed that I goog every one of the crazies who offer up these inanities. \u00c2\u00a0ill keep to myself about what I do\/don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do w\/ the data.<\/p>\n
Gary Mendel<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Attention and fear. The only currencies that we find monetizable in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
Michael Becker<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I don’t take Rogan’s remark as a defense of Ilhan Omar. She apologized for insensitivity, explained she was talking about AIPAC, and that’s totally fair. Rogan just used it as an excuse to stereotype Jews because it’s what he feels his listeners want. My background is Jewish, and I know the difference.<\/p>\n
thanks<\/p>\n
Joseph Henderson<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Bob, as a hard-working, right-leaning Irish Christian, I love and respect the Jews. There are good and bad of all stripes. But Jews on the whole to me at least, just seem harder working, and smarter than most people I’ve met. And they Never Forget.<\/p>\n
Gerald Moore, Jr.<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Anyone using the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rogan is a comedian\u00e2\u20ac\u009d line should note the difference between describing hours of audio drivel vs. when Jon Stewart used it much more aptly to torpedo Tucker Carlson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s critique of him on Crossfire in 2004.<\/p>\n
There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no comparison. As Stewart pointed out at the time, no one should have taken them seriously as they did a half hour of jokes with a lead-in from puppets making prank calls. No one can tell me that Joe Rogan doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t crave being taken seriously on multiple fronts.<\/p>\n
Matt O’Donnell<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I got about \u00c2\u00a0halfway through the comments; I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t read anymore. It hurts my eyes and heart\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what is wrong with people?<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so sad that Jews for centuries still have to fight antisemitism on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
It terrifies me to go to temple, a place as a child I used to feel safe at.<\/p>\n
What will happen to my half Jewish daughter one day?<\/p>\n
Sasha Dodds<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Bob,<\/p>\n
Oof. The Rogan Stans who listen to their dumbass hero for 10-15 hours a week or whatever and can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t imagine how anyone could tune in and be offended.<\/p>\n
Nice to see you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting it from from both of the loudest pro-Rogan-bro camps: the first being those who consider themselves intellectually superior; they hold JR up to be some kind of modern-day Socrates. The ones whose crap responses drip with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153civility porn.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
“Yes, kind sir. Agree to disagree with respect to this complicated, nuanced issue of anti-semitism. I only mean to gently inquire out of pure, innocent curiosity. Despite these differences of opinion, I am delighted to have been edified by the discovery of your missives and digital audio broadcasts. Good day.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
That kind of thing.<\/p>\n
Then you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got the other camp:\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Go cry about it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0Nice. Seems like a great time over there in the JRE-verse. Yikes.<\/p>\n
Yeah, sure, the only people complaining are those who have not listened to a full episode. Okay. Do I need to have attended a full klan meeting before I can consider myself qualified to judge it or express an opinion? Come on. And I happen to have listened to many full episodes of Joe Rogan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s podcast. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had some great guests! Unfortunately, I had to give up just based on the sheer, cringey dumbassery of the host. And all the meathead bro bullsh*t. Which was the veneer covering the real racist sh*t. Not to mention the severe, hilarious-if-he-didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t-have-an-audience-of-millions, deficiencies in critical thinking (while proclaiming oneself to be a paragon of it!).<\/p>\n
No wonder all the anti-vax quacks love to appear on his show. They know they can dazzle the guy with five-dollar words and their fancy charts and graphs. The modern anti-medicine supplement racket (and so many other rackets!) is strong thanks to JRE and his coterie of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153independent thinkers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an episode of the wonderful\u00c2\u00a0Decoding The Gurus\u00c2\u00a0podcast, in which the hosts break down the Rogan bullsh*t pretty masterfully:\u00c2\u00a0https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/5lwyOhkPW13b09RL7RMe6s?si=12e7d351679048ac<\/p>\n
Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the follow-up episode, in which the hosts react specifically to Rogan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s non apology with regard to promoting vaccine\/Covid misinformation:\u00c2\u00a0https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/0ZsC6vDXfsButAtgLVGte1?si=944fcbf2745647a3<\/p>\n
Thanks, Bob. I love the podcast (you just let these legends talk and tell their amazing stories without interrupting! Imagine that!) and the newsletter. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how you keep it up, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad you do.<\/p>\n
Take care.<\/p>\n
Matt Kollock<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I need to respond to the response of one of your readers, and I’ll refrain from the predictable ad hominem response. Your nameless reader wrote:<\/p>\n
“I grew up in Manhattan in the 80 & 90\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and I can tell you, from experience, jews love money and are cheap. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fact. Same as they are GREAT friends, loyal as f..k and super driven \/ hard working.”<\/p>\n
If he knew from experience the many millions of other\u00c2\u00a0Jews out there in the world he wouldn’t make such a small and generalized statement.<\/p>\n
So, here’s what your reader\u00c2\u00a0actually\u00c2\u00a0meant with his statement:<\/p>\n
“I grew up in Manhattan in the 80 & 90\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and I can tell you, from experience, that the sub-microscopically tiny amount of Jews that I personally knew and worked\/interacted with out of the multiple millions of Jews that exist in the world, did love money and were cheap. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fact that only those very specific people that I happened to\u00c2\u00a0know or work\/interact with were. Same as they are GREAT friends, loyal as f..k and super driven\/hard working.”<\/p>\n
Noah L.<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Wow, Bob.<\/p>\n
You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a little sick-o. Sure wish you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d step back and take a look at how ludicrous you sound.<\/p>\n
In the midst of control measures the government has exerted over online speech (from FBI and their Twitter interference, to Hunter Biden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s laptop coverup)\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I am utterly amazed that you are too fragile to see the correlation to your cries for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153control\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of Joe Rogan!<\/p>\n
Your myopia has become a real joke. Has old age really fu*ked up your vision?<\/p>\n
Jacqueline Rhinehart<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Most semites (Jews, Arabs, etc.- and dare I add Chinese, Iranians etc?) fit the stereotype of being frugal and trying to cut themselves the best deal. It goes back thousands of years. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s called survival in a harsh landscape.<\/p>\n
Where it gets ugly in when institutions get involved. The Catholic Church demonizing Jews so that the rich landowners and the church didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to pay back the money they borrowed. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when the Church tried to get all the mercenaries out of Europe by setting them on the Muslims – and allowing them to prey on Jews as well.<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the Ford Motor Company with the truly pernicious Protocols of the Elders of Zion funded by Henry Ford – demonizing Jews around the world. Then, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Hitler.<\/p>\n
And today, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the Joe Rogans and the GOP. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a hair-trigger world that we can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t treat any anti-semitism as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153just a joke\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. The stakes are just too high.<\/p>\n
John Parikhal<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
some of these emails are really fu*king scary…oh and by the way fu*k Joe Rogan….<\/p>\n
Michael Rosenblatt<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Joe Rogan is a world-class fu*king a-hole<\/p>\n
Glenn Frese<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
What I find strange is not that we have a world with Joe Rogans in it, but that so many people listen to him. It seems to me that when I was a little kid in the \u00e2\u20ac\u212260\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s we really looked up to people that were intelligent. What I remember is worshipping the astronauts and the people in white coats who sent them up and brought them back, the doctors who came up with vaccines that saved our lives and the scientists who figured out how to make our lives better. That wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a perfect time, far from it, but this part of American life seems different. Now, it feels more and more like a lot of Americans worship people that are demonstrably stupid and equally demonstrably proud of it; almost like they feel some odd kinship with them. People now seem to distrust intelligence because it makes them feel stupid or even \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tricked\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Politicians, talk show hosts, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153influencers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, and yes, musicians or should I say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153entertainers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. I just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get it. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m walking around OFFENDED all the time, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not- I grew up in the early days of punk, it is VERY hard to offend me. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M FU*KING BORED!!!!! Stupid is boring, I can NOT even bring myself to focus on people like Joe Rogan, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make my mind stay on it, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just too boring. I can watch a documentary on ANY subject, even something I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never been interested in- if the film is done with intelligence. Why anyone would WANT to listen to that guy is completely beyond me, I just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how they do it. All the excuses, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a comedian\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, well then do fu*king comedy, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give vaccine advice. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to see Dr. Anthony Fauci do standup either, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just dumb. Rogan is not nor has ever been funny\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. Richard Pryor is funny. Lenny Bruce is funny. Both offensive and both REALLY fu*king funny and intelligent. Rogan just isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I am and always will be baffled that anyone listens to him. Gun to my head and given the choice I would honestly rather listen to Carrot Top, for real. Hell, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M funnier than that dude. Kick Rogan off the air, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t kick him off the air,I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give a sh*t and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably above my pay grade, but I remain supremely uninterested\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 \u00c2\u00a0and fu*k yes you can use my name.<\/p>\n
Kevin Bowe<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I’m an old flat land Baptist. Who grew up with a Jewish family I thought of very highly.<\/p>\n
This has nothing to do with why I occasionally read your letter. You and I disagree over many items and I’ve voiced my displeasure several times in the past. I truly believe everyone has and must have the ability to voice their opinion even when I disagree. One of the reasons I spent my service time in the Marines. That is why you have the ability to send this news letter over the internet every day or so without any ramifications or extra costs. Everyone in this country has the right to have their say even though we may disagree it is a constitutional right to be able to say it.<\/p>\n
These Jewish folks and kids felt much the same as me. Sure we had our disagreements and squabbles but in the end we stayed friends. One of the boys enlisted in the US Navy and while on leave had a car wreck. Unluckily he passed from a severe kidney infection. His father spent many hours working to raise money for a dialysis machine for the community. Being an old man this is what I remember about the group in my home town.<\/p>\n
Even though I disagree with you I do at times agree so all is not lost and I wish you much good fortune in the future.<\/p>\n
Ken Pratt<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I started reading and had to stop and start commenting. Probably not the way you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d want to post it, but this is more for you than anything.<\/p>\n
Really sorry to see this kind of thing in 2023.<\/p>\n
Comments and reflections below.<\/p>\n
“Stereotypes are rooted in reality.:<\/p>\n
So college students are all lazy slackers, ultra-progressive with no root in reality?<\/p>\n
Europeans never wear white socks?<\/p>\n
Middle Easterners all stink of BO?<\/p>\n
Black people are all amazing basketball players with oversized penises who listen to rap music?<\/p>\n
Priests are all upstanding models of unimpeachable moral and ethical authority?<\/p>\n
Wealthy people are all greedy, narcissistic, cruel people?<\/p>\n
I could go on.<\/p>\n
You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find if you do a little digging (no, not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153research\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on Facebook) that there are as many exceptions as there are examples of whatever rule or stereotype you can find, which only illustrates the variety and diversity even within each community or collection of stereotypes.<\/p>\n
“Sorry bro.”<\/p>\n
We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all people first \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bro\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Humans. With our individual differences and preferences, regardless of what group you want to put people in.<\/p>\n
Stereotypes are rooted in ignorance and laziness. Through defining in groups and out groups and finding characteristics to simplify and paint all with the same brush, make it easy, no thinking required. I guarantee you would also resent being stereotyped based on your phenotype, geography, or an number of other characteristics.<\/p>\n
“Certain races or cultures have more of a tendency to act in different ways in every day life. \u00c2\u00a0Certain lifestyles correlate to different groups. \u00c2\u00a0This is arguable, & always evolves over time. There are good, bad, & terrible historical reasons why these tendencies may exist today.”<\/p>\n
Even if this were true (doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter whether it is or not), look a bit further into the background for things. Why did Jews become connected with banking? Why connected to the entertainment industry? Hint – it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a racial, religious or other \u00e2\u20ac\u0153characteristic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153trait\u00e2\u20ac\u009d reason, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because they were kept as an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d group by the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153in\u00e2\u20ac\u009d group and had to find some area where they could work and provide for themselves and their families. And as you can see – they as a group overall did quite well!<\/p>\n
“To de-platform, or ban, certain stressful speech harms the overall discourse & society as a whole.”<\/p>\n
I think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve come to the point in society where we need to reexamine the role of overall discourse vs purposeful disinformation and propaganda.<\/p>\n
“I grew up in Manhattan in the 80 & 90\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and I can tell you, from experience, jews love money and are cheap. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fact. Same as they are GREAT friends, loyal as f..k and super driven \/ hard working.”<\/p>\n
That certainly proves it, must be true if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what your little corner of Manhattan was like in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and 90\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Great sample size, statistically rigorous analysis, fantastic sociology research right here. \/s<\/p>\n
What you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re describing here are stereotypes, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re simply reinforcing them. I know a few girls with short hair who like girls, therefore all short haired women must be lesbian, it stands to reason! But they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re great friends!<\/p>\n
“Sorry Bob, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re way wrong. Every person that criticizes Rogan obviously never has listened to an entire show, not even once. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not crazy about everything he says, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a comedian. Have you ever listened to a whole show? Find one where you like the guest, listen start to finish, and you might learn that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just a curious goofball who is genuinely interested in people from all walks of life. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so tiresome that one clip of him making a tasteless joke gets thrown around the bought and sold media again, acting like he said it with bad intent or harm. Are we going to go after every single comedian that makes jokes about stereotypes? Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t we make goddamn fun of anything or anyone any more?”<\/p>\n
That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s his schtick. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not especially intelligent, and is at best a tool, at worst a useful idiot.<\/p>\n
He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the human equivalent of clickbait, and has found a formula and built a brand that works really well – for him. Looking at his influence I would say the negative far outweighs any (of there is any) positive. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just my opinion.<\/p>\n
“Because I happen to listen to Joe Rogan, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m inane and insane, wow, talk about a stereotype. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcJoe Rogan listeners are wrong.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 No, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not wrong, Bob. And by the way, Rogan CAN NOT BE CANCELLED. Take him off Spotify and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just be independent again. Spotify needs him more than he needs them. And it drives media people crazy that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so popular.\u00c2\u00a0”<\/p>\n
Not an idiot at all. Possibly like most of us, drawn to the sensational, the bright and shiny, the big names, and blinded by it so missing out on the ultimate emptiness of the actual content and negativity perpetuated through his program.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve listened to several of his shows and would normally have been surprised that others don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t react at the utter lack of logical thinking, understanding of history or society. Knowing human nature and the state of the education system, I’m not. Yes, I know that can sound elitist, it isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. As Richard Dawkins once famously quipped, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to have an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Critical reasoning has left the room, unfortunately.<\/p>\n
“I promise you that anyone who hates Jews will not be emboldened by Joe Rogan making a joke. They were f..ked up to begin with. I hate Trump and the MAGAts more than words can express, but I pretty much hate the far left as much these days. If he was as terrible as you think, he wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have MILLIONS of listeners every day. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just sick to death of everyone trying to take away free speech in this country.”<\/p>\n
That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like saying no one would be emboldened by Trump\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rhetoric. Yet we have Charlottesville, BLM protests, a photo op in DC in front of a church, as well as the attack on the capitol on 1\/6. But he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean it that way! Those were completely unrelated to what he said. Right?<\/p>\n
“Joe Rogan argued the moon landing was a fake government staged conspiracy for years before finally coming around. That’s the level of person you’re dealing with here.”<\/p>\n
Joe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in it for the clicks. And the Benjamins. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no substance there at all.<\/p>\n
Sorry Bob, so much hate and ignorance, I had to stop here.<\/p>\n
Totally agree with you. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m with you.<\/p>\n
Hope you have a great weekend!<\/p>\n
Thor Legvold<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Thank you Bob. Your replies are a good barometer of humanity and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not optimistic. Please keep doing what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing, speak the truth.<\/p>\n
Matt Mach<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Wow.Some pissed off people.Everyone wants to argue.Just stop reading or listening.That post got you so worked up that you email your anger?Thanks Bob,stay well,Ted Keane<\/p>\n
Ted Keane<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Bob. Shocking attitudes shown here by many of your correspondents. How did it get to this?<\/p>\n
Mark Earls<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Please stop with the cancel culture. \u00c2\u00a0You are what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wrong but you just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get it.<\/p>\n
Kent Stewart<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I’m not a Rogan fan, but I don’t dislike him either. If he has a guest on that interests me, I’ll listen. That being said, this cancel\/de-platform bullsh*t is nonsense. He’s has a right to say it. Spotify has a right to air it.<\/p>\n
We need people saying ridiculous things, especially now-a-days. It’s up to the individual to decipher what’s true\/false, appropriate\/inappropriate, satire\/news. Rogan is a comedian at the end of the day. It’s unfortunate that so many can’t think for themselves, but legislating to the lowest common denominator isn’t the answer. Thanks. Love your letters.<\/p>\n
Todd Brooks<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Hey Bob,<\/p>\n
It’s weird\u00c2\u00a0how a low-level personality trait in high amounts (i.e. arrogance) can be more powerful than high-level intellect (fluid intelligence or IQ)… but in your case, that often seems to be the case. Arrogance is a blinding\u00c2\u00a0trait… and all too often (and sadly) high IQ feeds arrogance and creates a feedback loop.<\/p>\n
I used to find your letter to be intriguing, amusingly\u00c2\u00a0provocative, and even thought provoking… a good read whether I agreed with you or not…<\/p>\n
In recent years though, it’s just become an e-bummer filled with deeply flawed ideologies wrapped in pseudo-smarts.<\/p>\n
Just because you’re a good\u00c2\u00a0writer\u00c2\u00a0doesn’t make you\u00c2\u00a0right. The\u00c2\u00a0strong writing style often serves as a camouflage\u00c2\u00a0for the deeper flaws.<\/p>\n
In this recent letter, to me, you define two important things too narrowly:<\/p>\n
1) What an artist is (or isn’t)<\/p>\n
2) Free speech<\/p>\n
Fascinating! Also, sad.<\/p>\n
Adam Watts<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I have followed you for years, Bob. But this thread is making me unsubscribe. If you want to preach from the soap box, you need to have a thicker skin.<\/p>\n
Mike Nuvo<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
Dear Bob L.<\/p>\n
Please stop with the politics. Your lane is the music industry. No one wants to hear your politics anymore than you want to hear mine.<\/p>\n
I like your stories about the things you witnessed about the industry far more. Stick to what you know.<\/p>\n
Thanks<\/p>\n
Larry Litz<\/p>\n
Sacramento Ca.<\/p>\n
__________________________________<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m Jewish and I love Joe. \u00c2\u00a0Time to awaken.<\/p>\n
Randy\u00c2\u00a0 <\/span>Thomas<\/p>\n __________________________________<\/p>\n I find it funny that you allow even the most opposing views to get heard on here.\u00c2\u00a0Very diplomatic. Yet these are the same people who want to unsubscribe\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a Jew and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m very mixed about this. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fvcked\u00c2\u00a0up for someone to be able to spew stereotypical\u00c2\u00a0rhetoric under the guise of being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153comedian.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d However, I\u00c2\u00a0definitely don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hate Joe Rogan either and I AM\u00c2\u00a0a fan of free speech. The issue and the problem is not him. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deeper.\u00c2\u00a0We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve\u00c2\u00a0NEVER agreed in this country where that\u00c2\u00a0line is drawn. Just because a corporation sells you junk doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean you need to buy it yet consumer watchdog\u00c2\u00a0groups are designed\u00c2\u00a0protect us from their bad behavior.\u00c2\u00a0Rogan is a brand and a pretty big one.\u00c2\u00a0So why is he\u00c2\u00a0exempt? He can just say what he wants?\u00c2\u00a0Just food for thought\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n Danny Jay<\/p>\n __________________________________<\/p>\n Yikes, looks like you’ve got a heavy hard right-wing readership going.<\/p>\n L.A. Gonzalez<\/p>\n __________________________________<\/p>\n There is one thing that you and Rogan have in common. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re both fu*king morons.<\/p>\n Chris Joseph\/George Peabody\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hi Bob, The problem with Joe Rogan is not that he spews subtle antisemitic tropes or false medical information or conspiracy theories. The problem with Joe Rogan is that he represents the majority of Americans\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6undereducated, incurious for the truth, stupid, getting off on watching other people being treated badly, “it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all about me” fu*k them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-53o","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19430"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19432,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19430\/revisions\/19432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}