 So in case you haven't heard yet Spotify lost four billion dollars in market value Yes, that's billion with the B Following the announcement of artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell Stating that they want to pull their songs from the platform because they don't want to share the same platform with someone like Joe Rogan who's spreading deadly anti-vaccine misinformation during a pandemic and Spotify up until this point hasn't really responded But because the medical misinformation is now hurting their business model They were forced to make an announcement that they will indeed be trying to combat the spread of misinformation on their platform By quote adding a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19 Now this isn't going to make a difference at all, but they're panicking and they're trying to stop the hemorrhaging So they're announcing this and it's shocking to me that they didn't already have this because even on Facebook I think on Twitter on YouTube any video about COVID-19 you will see a little disclaimer for more details about COVID-19 or vaccines visit cdc.gov yada yada yada So it's shocking that they didn't even do that which is not even the bare minimum It's the most basic thing that you can do if you want to be responsible given that these podcasts feeds your commentary About this topic from people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about But still, you know, it's something that they're trying to do to stop the hemorrhaging now Joe Rogan Responded by being incredibly disingenuous and essentially playing dumb and lying But he did at least show a modicum of humility in this particular clip, which we'll look at first one of things that Spotify wants to do that I agree with is that at the beginning of these controversial podcasts like specifically ones about COVID is to put a disclaimer and say that you should speak with your physician and that these people and the opinions that they express are Contrary to the opinions of the consensus of experts, which I think is very important I'm sure have that on there. I'm very happy with that. Also, I think If there's anything that I've done that I could do better is have more experts with differing opinions Right after I have the controversial ones. I would most certainly be open to doing that Yeah, no fucking shit or better yet What if you just didn't platform cranks at all on your platform? Because when you do that even if you're bringing on a people subsequently thereafter to kind of counterbalance the Misinformation that you help disseminate you're still setting up the situation where objectable truth is debatable when that's just Bad being neutral for the neutrality's sake doesn't actually help propagate the spread of the truth over misinformation It just makes these non debatable issues seem debatable It's the same criticism that I have with regard to mainstream media and climate change they'll bring on a climate change denier like Marshall Blackburn and Bill Nye and We'll get both sides sure but this makes it seem as if both sides are equal with respect to climate change when it's not equal both sides are not equal and This bias towards neutrality implies that climate change is a debatable issue when it's not a debatable issue What we want is the objective truth not to hear both sides when one side is completely batched fucking insane And the other side is actual Scientists who have studied this throughout the course of their entire lives So that's not really going to help but I guess it's better than nothing But here's where he gets really disingenuous This is what Joe Rogan said courtesy of Sam Bifford from The Verge These podcasts are very strange because they're just conversations Rogan says and oftentimes I have no idea What I'm going to talk about until I sit down and talk to people bullshit And that's why some of my ideas are not that prepared or fleshed out because I'm literally having them in real time But I do my best and they're just conversations. Oh sure and I think that's also the appeal of the show It's one of the things that makes it interesting So I want to thank Spotify for being so supportive during this time And I'm very sorry that this is happening to them and that they're taking so much from it. Oh well gee golly I'm just so surprised that this anti-vaxed loon who I invited on my program who's currently trying to hawk his anti-vax book Would bring up anti-vax misinformation throughout the course of this two-hour plus long conversation I'm just so shocked. In fact, this is how shocked I was This is me surprised Pikachu face when this anti-vax grifter who I brought on my show starts talking about vaccines in a negative light Except Joe Rogan is in his fifties. There's no way. He's this naive. I refuse to believe it He might not necessarily be the brightest bulb, but there's no way. He's that naive. I mean You know what you're doing and if you don't then I don't know what to say You're even dumber than I thought but I think he knows what he's doing If you bring on someone who is known for their anti-vax grift then don't be surprised when they talk about anti-vaccine bullshit It's like when he brings on somebody who is a far-right grifter like Jordan Peterson Oh, what but they're talking about anti-trans issues when that's the reason why they're famous because of Bill C 16 Call her me surprised. I never would have expected this from them It's just he's so disingenuous here and anyone who believes him you have to be as naive if not more naive than him now as you're going to see he plays dumb a lot more and This is a little bit of a compilation put together by the recount where they show how What are you saying? It's just it's it's lies. It's he's so deceitful here Podcasts has been accused of spreading dangerous Misinformation if you're like 21 years old and you say to me should I get vaccinated? I go. No, I do not know if they're right I don't know because I'm not a doctor. I'm not a scientist Especially now when people are talking about actual microchips being injected into your arm to see if you have COVID 19 I'm just a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them Ivermectin alone if properly utilized is capable of driving this Pathogen to extinction, but I try to correct them So if you're in a high-risk area you take it and it's it'll protect you again I'm not trying to promote misinformation and they're trying to say the children need it when they don't they don't need it So if I pissed you off, I'm sorry. He's so sorry. He never meant to spread misinformation He only has the largest podcast on the planet So it's not like he has this responsibility or anything to vet guests before bringing them on or maybe be a little bit careful with The way that he speaks about things that he knows he's been criticized for he's sorry. He's sorry It's such fucking bullshit now look to be clear I am not advocating that we de-platform Joe Rogan. That's not what I'm saying here But at a minimum I think that it is absolutely valid that we criticize Joe Rogan and push back against the misinformation that he's spreading and More importantly, I do think it is important to exert pressure on platforms like Spotify who go out of their way to promote Voices like Joe Rogan as Brian Tyler Cohen put it Spotify isn't just hosting Joe Rogan They signed a 100 million dollar contract with him to host his content exclusively on their platform This isn't about censorship. It's about the misinformation that Spotify is financially Sponsoring and this is absolutely correct Spotify has Thousands of podcasts probably with millions of listeners, but the one that they promote is Joe Rogan Why because that's a business decision. They didn't just give Joe Rogan a hundred million dollar contract out of the kindness of their hearts They believed that the return on that would be double if not exponential But in doing that in overlooking the transphobia before they agreed to this contract and overlooking his other absurd beliefs the guests that he'd bring on far right individuals They thought oh well It's the controversy was worth it because the viewers that he'd bring in the new subscription that he'd bring into Spotify That overall would be better and now it's hurting them, which is why they're starting to reverse course This is all about business and what's really a double standard in my opinion is the fact that there are artists on Spotify who get ripped off by Spotify they pay the lowest if not one of the lowest in terms of royalties the artist But yet they give Joe Rogan a hundred million dollar contract and he's spreading misinformation So it's about what these platforms choose to promote are they platforms who are neutral and just going to allow these voices to Rise to the top or they're going to promote this with dollars now Joe Rogan would probably rise to the top anyway because he's the largest podcast platform on the program But they thought it was worth one hundred million dollars bringing him on the platform So now they have to live with those consequences of that business decision and as sam sacks points out if Spotify ever does cut Rogan loose it will be a purely business decision But it will be spun as some sort of vast liberal censorship project by the most annoying people on here and just two days later He was proven right with Glenn Greenwald tweeting out the pressure campaign on Spotify to remove Joe Rogan reveals the religion of liberals Censorship so if you ever criticized Joe Rogan or Spotify for promoting him Congratulations, you are an SJW sensorian and you must want him banished into the ether forever Except I don't see very many people outright calling for Joe Rogan to be de-platformed. I Think maybe they just want this to be handled in a more responsible way I don't think that's about if I should be promoting Joe Rogan It's the same stance that I have with other sources authoritative news sources that YouTube promotes for example They will promote Fox News Fox News will be in the trending news section on YouTube, but yet Voices like me who have to basically Debunk the misinformation that Tucker Carlson is putting out for example. We're not authoritative news sources. We get Demoted in the algorithm basically so, you know, it's just a matter of hey Maybe don't promote this voice over the other But if you dare to do that then it seems like you're a sensorian according to the dick writers and Joe Rogan's fan base Anything that daddy Rogan says is good because his wit wisdom is infinite and you can't question it Otherwise you must want him to be de-platformed or at least that's the implication. Can we just not? Ever have a nuanced conversation anymore about things. I don't know what the correct answer is I'm not saying that Spotify should promote Authoritative news sources because we know that that doesn't work. It's it's a disaster on YouTube I'm just saying maybe as a society we can come together and find ways to stop the spread of misinformation or limited Maybe don't promote the people who are intentionally spreading misinformation. I don't know. I don't know what the solution is I'm honest about that. I don't think de-platforming is the answer But I don't think that promoting authoritative news sources is the answer I don't know not that that's like the dichotomy that we have to choose between I don't know But the point is that I want to have a conversation about this And I certainly want to continue to criticize people like Joe Rogan who are disseminating propaganda and misinformation But you can't do that because apparently you're a sensorian It's just you know, the situation is really frustrating But either way, you know, it is nice to see Spotify finally Reap a little bit of you know, what they they sowed or I guess more specifically Lay in the bed that they made for themselves. You promoted this dickhead He was already problematic before you paid him a hundred million dollars and now that he's basically taken a turn for the crazy Now you have to live with that, you know, I don't again I don't know what the solution is but I know that Joe Rogan right here is completely disingenuous He's full of shit. He's playing dumb and you can see right through this if you're not a Sick of it, but for his audience, you know, nothing that he says or does is bad because this is a sort of cult of personality It's the same thing like with Donald Trump Nothing that Trump ever says is bad Everything that he says is good because they believe that he is a good person and a good faith actor So, you know, Joe Rogan's fan base is going to follow him no matter what and I'm sure they'll be Brigating this video afterwards, but I don't care. We have a right to push back on him Now if you disagree with me calling out Joe Rogan's misinformation Then am I not right to assume that you want to censor me as well? Let's maybe actually have a real conversation about this and not just assume that one side is a sensorious SJW that wants to censor him Maybe we'll find some way to stop the spread of misinformation on this platform or again Limited contain it force people like Joe Rogan to acknowledge that he has a sense or he should have a sense of responsibility With that gigantic platform either way, I don't know I'm honestly sick of hearing about Joe Rogan But he's not gonna go away because he has the largest platform on the planet So we will have to find some way to you know combat the spread of his misinformation and that a minimum I can use my small platform to push back But you know doesn't really make a difference in the grand scheme of things So, you know, maybe I'm just fucking I don't know farting in the wind. I don't know