[discopicante]

This is the first critical yet reasonable piece I've read on Rogan. The author correctly points out that there is no left-leaning equivalent to Rogan's format. The author also correctly points out that the left is (too) often delusional in thinking that many of their values have (or could have) broad appeal across the electorate, not mention society at large.

This makes me think of past attempts like Air America to counter right-wing talk radio only to end in bankruptcy. Or MSNBC to counter Fox News only to consistently come in third behind CNN with 25-54 year olds (the demographic that matters for TV advertising).

Perhaps the conclusion is, in the marketplace of ideas with every opportunity of distribution, some ideas just aren't selling. Maybe that's due to bad packaging and marketing but it might also be that the idea itself is bad.

I rarely if ever see this kind of reflection on the left. Hat tip to the author for writing and sharing.

[Levitz]

>The author correctly points out that there is no left-leaning equivalent to Rogan's format.

Well I don't think there is a right-leaning equivalent either, in the sense that there really isn't any other "Joe Rogan" kind of guy out there, it's a singular, unique show. Besides the format itself, if one wants to find counterpoints or different stances to the ones presented in his show I'd like to learn how not to find those, it seems to me they are everywhere.

[discopicante]

The author points out that Rogan (who I agree is not partisan) frequently has guests that the left loathe but rarely has guests that the left like and/or love.

[lazyeye]

Is Joe Rogan really right-wing? Or does he just have his own opinions that dont line up exactly with the narrow railroad tracks of leftist thought. And because he's so popular that makes him a threat and a target.

[quantified]

Would you say that Bill Maher occupied the same spot on the left? He was fairly prominent until he pointed out something that seemed true but was radioactive at the time, then was cancelled.

[Zelphyr]

What did he get cancelled for? Not having had HBO for awhile, I haven't watched his show for some time.

[yellowcake0]

Is Joe Rogan really right-leaning though? He voted for Bernie Sanders after all.

He doesn't strike me as particularly ideological, and I've never gotten the impression that he had a partisan axe to grind. Granted that he is sometimes susceptible to conspiratorial thinking, however that's not a personality trait exclusive to conservatives.

[kcplate]

> Granted that he is sometimes susceptible to conspiratorial thinking, however that's not a personality trait exclusive to conservatives.

Pretty prevalent personality trait in humans though.

[rolha-capoeira]

It seems to me that there is something about American culture that is inherently right-leaning. The "left" struggles to gain any traction because they ultimately fail at marketing their ideas to the average American, to your point. There is also an aspect of playing dirty that gives the modern Republican a leg up.

[dogleash]

>It seems to me that there is something about American culture that is inherently right-leaning.

The American left's branding is being "other" to the status quo. Nothing can simultaneously be both status quo and belong to the left. Once something moves from the "left" to "status quo" the success doesn't count, because it's no longer the "left's," it's everybodies. And the left has to find a new way to be against it (or stay silent on the topic).

Without saying anything about where the force vectors that create this common view comes from, the sum result is a narrative with bounds. Bounds that are reinforced and entrenched because they can be useful to leverage for political gain by them and/or their opponents.

So no matter how many times the left have succeed or will succeeded at marketing many ideas to the average American, some people feel they're much more ineffectual than they are.

[yellowcake0]

The left struggles to gain any traction because they fail at marketing their ideas to a set of key demographics in a small number of swing and low-population states. The average American is a liberal American.

[Levitz]

In my experience, they fail to market their ideas to the average European too.

From feminism, to antifa, to anything touching economics, the American left tends to get itself deep enough into identity politics and neoliberalism to disgust about anyone here (I'm Spanish).

There definitely is something regarding American politics that sets it apart from the European understanding of how politics works, I personally think that the system encouraging a two party system establishes too strong of a "us vs them" mentality and that it damages political discourse altogether.