Joe Rogan On Jason Aldean Outrage: What About The Rappers?
Earlier this week, we discussed how critics mislabel Joe Rogan as a conservative political figure. We argued he is neither conservative nor political. Rather, he views society through a lens of reason, a strategy that often runs afoul of the prevailing narrative.
Case in point: Rogan's coverage of Jason Aldean.
Aldean criticizes BLM and ANTIFA riots in a song called Try That in a Small Town. Detractors say the message is racist, hateful and violent.
The song is, of course, none of that. And Rogan said so Wednesday in a conversation with Gad Saad.
“The level of outrage, now I’m not saying that that’s the greatest song in the world’s ever known, you know, but the level of outrage coming from people that are upset about that song is so strange when there are hundreds of rap songs out there that are infinitely worse and also enjoyable,” said Rogan.
“And we’re not even talking about old stuff. There’s new stuff too. There’s hip hop, there’s wild rock songs. There’s a lot of wild shit. And to be focusing on that one, and it’s the racial aspect of it,” he adds.
The very groups fuming over Aldean continue to pay homage to Tupac. So, we thought we'd compare Aldean and Tupac to better understand where the former falls short.
Here are some lyrics from Aldean's Try That in a Small Town:
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalkCarjack an old lady at a red lightPull a gun on the owner of a liquor storeYa think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like
Cuss out a cop, spit in his faceStomp on the flag and light it upYeah, ya think you're tough
Well, try that in a small townSee how far ya make it down the roadAround here, we take care of our ownYou cross that line, it won't take longFor you to find out, I recommend you don'tTry that in a small town
And here are some lyrics from Tupac's Hit Em Up:
I ain't got no motherfuckin' friends (sucka-ass)That's why I fucked yo' bitch, you fat motherfuckerWest side, Bad Boy killers (take money, take money)You know who the realest is, niggas, we bring it to you (take money)That's aight(Take money)
Grab ya Glocks when you see TupacCall the cops when you see Tupac, uhWho shot me? But ya punks didn't finishNow ya 'bout to feel the wrath of a menace
Killin' ain't fair but somebody gotta do it (take money)Oh yeah, Mobb Deep (take money) you wanna fuck with us?You little young-ass motherfuckers (take money)
Fuck 'em, we Bad Boy killers (we killers)
And yet they call Aldean violent and Tupac a hero. Why?
Just as disingenuous as calling Aldean's song violent is the narrative that the song is racist.
“It was crazy because like the real ANTIFA problems that were happening during the BLM, I think it was a lot of white people doing that, right? Wasn’t it? It was a lot of like, lost liberal whites who were very angry, who decided to take up this movement and smash things,” Rogan adds.
“So like, the racial aspect of it, there’s nothing racial about the lyrics.”
Similarly, journalists call it racist to use the word "woke" when woke often refers to wealthy white women in the Northeast and cowardly white men in corporate America.
Not every counter-message is rooted in racism. Few messages are.
The attacks on Aldean are a clear example of a public figure rejecting left-wing organizations -- BLM and ANTIFA -- and the opposition responding with its most familiar rebuttal:
Screeching racism.
The demand for racism outstrips the supply. But the label remains a device to instill fear. Dangling the word "racist" impels a target to cave.
Many have. Including Jason Aldean. On Wednesday, Aldean reportedly removed footage of BLM rioters from the song.
Now, expect the outrage to shift toward Joe Rogan for defending Jason Aldean and questioning rappers.