Joe Rogan Is the Joe Rogan of the Left
If Democrats want Joe Rogan, they should talk to him.
In his illuminating, accessaible book Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates ponders the question “Who is the Tolstoy of the Zulus?” The conclusion to which he comes is simple and powerful— Tolstoy is the Tolstoy of the Zulus.
The reasoning is that since the Zulu people have a different experience than that of Tolstoy’s people, they cannot have someone exactly like him. That is okay; actually, no, that is more than okay. By recognizing and appreciating this reality, Coates (and his readers by extension) is more fully able to recognize and appreciate the Zulus.
The Zulus don’t need a Tolstoy; they have the Zulus.
They have their own brilliant writers and philosophers (which I gather is what/who Tolstoy was). To me, it seems like, in coming to this realization, Coates was removing the lens placed onto the Zulus by onlookers and was instead viewing them as they truly are, in their own terms.
Similarly, Democrats ought to part with the goal of finding a “Joe Rogan of the left” especially since Rogan himself is not as far to the right as many on the left seem so deadset on pushing him to be (pro tip: if you tell someone they’re far right enough times, they might start to believe you).
To extend Coates’ point about the Zulus, Democrats don’t need a Joe Rogan; they have the Democrats.
This is not, by the way, to discourage Rogan or Donald Trump or JD Vance or Mark Zuckerberg (all of whom were closer to the center a decade ago) from returning back to a more centrist position, though they may dispute my framing here. To the contrary, though, I’d encourage them to do so.
In any case, my point is Democrats ought to focus on who they (and perhaps I should say we) do have, rather than who we do not have (unless we are trying to persuade the people not on our side to be on our side, but far as I can tell, that’s not what’s happening).
Here are a few left-leaning men, who aren’t Joe Rogan, whose work I really enjoy:
Ta-Nehisi Coates - he’s a must read from me! (2)
Ezra Klein - he’s a must listen from me! (3)
Bernie Sanders - he’s a much watch from me! (4)
I started listening to Klein’s podcast around 2016-'17 when it was on Vox (5), so just imagine my excitement, when I discovered this podcast episode in the backlog! (6)
I can’t remember when I became familiar with Coates, but quite possibly, on this podcast, and so perhaps I became excited and inspited as I was listening to both of these left-leaning men engage in discourse.(7)
Here are a few Honorable Podcast Mentions, just because:(8)
FY Pod - Tim Miller and Cameron Kasky
Vibe Check - Zach Stafford, Saeed Jones, and Sam Sanders
I would like to say, thank you to all of them for their work.
And thank you for reading!
Obligatory Disclaimer: all views expressed here are my own personal views and do not represent the views of my employer nor those of the U.S. government.
Side Notes, End Notes, and Tangents
(1) placeholder since I’m sure I will add a note earlier in the article/newsletter than where number 2 starts!
(2) and his book referenced above has so much more wisdom befitting this moment than what’s mentioned here.
(3) and his new book and podcast also have so much wisdom applicable to our current times.
(4) I know, I know, many Democrats will be annoyed at me, and their feelings are valid, but I had to say it :)
(5) a much-needed media outlet that I think is awesome. To my knowledge and memory, Vox, founded by Klein and a few other people, started the trend of explainer-journalism, which I think is precisely what we need in this moment! More on that to come in another newsletter, so stay tuned.
(6) the first one linked is from 2016. The second is from later in the year 2017 I think, so I probably had listened to that one in real time.
(7) though of course, far be it from me to make a claim about people’s views, but I think it’s a fair one.
(8) I considered adding Trevor Noah’s podcast to this list, and others, but I haven’t listened to Noah’s enough and mostly, am too short on tie to find it atm. Maybe another newsletter piece?