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Over 150 so-called “experts” are labeling viral podcaster Joe Rogan as “extraordinarily dangerous to society” because of his unapologetic stance on COVID that he promotes to his massive audience of “particularly persuadable” young Americans.
One of the many experts that signed an open letter to Spotify attacking Rogan claimed that he appeared to have a cult of personality. Others were outraged over his spreading of alleged misinformation about the virus despite being ordered to stop.
The experts are allegedly comprised of scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals who all consider Rogan “dangerous.”
Spotify has been besieged with demands to remove Rogan who is the host of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. They assert he is a purveyor of false information concerning COVID and the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
Joe is extraordinarily dangerous to the narratives “experts” push. For that reason, he’s incredibly important.
— COY (@COYANGCOYANG) January 18, 2022
“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine,” purported experts from the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia wrote.
“He has discouraged vaccination in young people and children, incorrectly claimed that mRNA vaccines are ‘gene therapy’, promoted off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 (contrary to FDA warnings), and spread a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories,” the letter continues.
Anand Swaminathan, who is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at St Joseph’s University Medical Centre in Paterson, New Jersey, told The Independent that it was the vast size of Rogan’s audience that was the problem.
More than 11 million people tune into each episode of Rogan’s podcast.
It’s amazing what a platform offering open, diverse, good faith conversations can achieve
— MJ (@0pppatunist) January 18, 2022
“Much of the alarm stems from the immense following Rogan has. If an anti-science, anti-vaccine personality has 10 followers, the impact would be minimal. I would have just as much of an issue with the comments but it would still create less total harm,” Swaminathan said. “Rogan has millions of followers and tens of millions of downloads/month. The combination of anti-science, anti-vaccine rhetoric with a large platform is an enormous issue and, in this case, an enormous threat to public health.”
Imogen Coe, who is the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, also stated that Rogan has repeatedly spread misinformation concerning the virus.
“Why would someone deliberately share information that is potentially damaging to the health and well-being of others? That needs to be addressed and health professionals, in particular, have a duty of care and scientists have an ethical responsibility to speak up,” she said, according to The Independent.
“Experts” … the most meaningless phrase thanks to 2020/2021.
— Kevin (@afreetongue) January 18, 2022
The outlet asked Coe how an open society should balance free speech and COVID misinformation. She replied, “There appears to be a conflation with ‘free society’ meaning anyone can say anything, including misinformation and falsehoods, without being held accountable for it.”
“Falsehoods and misinformation that lead to illness and death (which happens when scientific consensus and public health directives are undermined) surely must be challenged in a free society,” she added.
I checked the names on the list of experts and apparently they’re all named Karen? What are the odds.
— Mission Bitcoin (@mission_bitcoin) January 18, 2022
“People get sick and die when physicians spread misinformation and undermine evidence-based public health interventions,” remarked Dr. Jonathan Stea, who is a clinical psychologist at Canada’s University of Calgary. “And celebrities have a large platform from which they can amplify misinformation. If the pandemic has had any silver lining, it’s that it has highlighted the dangers of tolerating a culture that allows pseudoscience to remain unchecked.”
Eden Maness, who is a psychiatry research fellow at Harvard Medical School, pointed out the pandemic is now entering its third year, “Allowing discredited individuals onto a popular podcast to offer debunked and potentially dangerous misinformation related to Covid, and its treatment – particularly when the target demographic of this podcast is largely composed of young adults who erroneously believe they are impervious to the detrimental and potentially long-term consequences of this disease – is dangerous, irresponsible, and likely to result in further conflation of what is actually helpful and what is counterproductive.”
“This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform. We, the undersigned doctors, nurses, scientists, and educators, thus call on Spotify to immediately establish a clear and public policy to moderate misinformation on its platform,” the signatories concluded in their letter.
People aren’t buying the opinions of these “experts” and view them more as a bunch of screaming Karens:
“Experts.”
— Curtis Schube (@AstroHog6) January 18, 2022
Because governments have been so open and transparent about information and facts haven’t they?
— Dave Oldham (@buffetbowler) January 18, 2022
If Rogan was a book, they would ban him or burn him. Most books that come in for that kind of treatment are worth the read.
— Thomas Cranmer⚡️✝️ (@kehetauhauaga) January 18, 2022
Not clicking on this garbage propaganda. If an expert can’t make their case without trying to silence someone else’s case, they aren’t worth listening to.
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐰 ⏳🦺 (@TheDesignFlaw) January 18, 2022
Why so threatened?
Legacy media’s dying, he’s growing and dismantling your narrative simply by having free discussion.
— Michael™ (@MyKull_ed) January 18, 2022
I want no part of any society that can be toppled by a podcast
— Neko (not like the cat) (@nek0wA) January 18, 2022
You guys simply can’t stand not being able to control someone. It’s eating you alive. It’s clincal
— blake (@bbqbaseball62) January 18, 2022
Freedom is dangerous. The alternative is worse: a safe, controlled, sterile life. All good, y’all, this is a feature, not a bug.
— BelleMyButterfly (@BelleMyButterf1) January 18, 2022
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