My Joe Rogan Playlist

Daniel Ek
Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Baratunde Thurston
February 15, 2022

It’s been a few weeks now, and I still don’t have a grand unified theory to explain Joe Rogan, misinformation, racism, and deplatforming. Instead, in the spirit of the platform on which this discussion is playing out, here’s my playlist of sometimes-contradictory thoughts about the entire situation.

1. This is not how I wanted to spend my Black History Month.

I usually look forward to Black History Month. It’s a time when companies try to flex their pro-Black bonafides by linking Civil Rights battles for freedom to our freedom to buy things we don’t need, or by making pledges to “elevate Black voices.”