From CNN, of course. So we couldn't deplatform Rogan by accusing him of "misinformation" or because he dropped the N-Bomb. Let's try tying him to January 6 and genocide.
Link.
Of course the article laments the falling of the norm that white people can't use the n-word in public without massive consequences that he says has existed since WWII. For starters, he's wrong. The norm that has existed since WWII is that white people can't call other people the n-word or use it to refer to black people generally. The idea that they can't use it at all regardless of context (meaning even if they're quoting someone else or referring to the word) is only a few years old, and it was only a media-driven norm. The rest of society wasn't that stupid.
Here's why none of this is working on Rogan. For starters, nobody is explaining the context of his use of the word, and when context is being ignored the public just isn't going to judge him as very harshly. (My understanding is that he wasn't calling anyone the n-word or using to refer to black people collectively.) Donald McNeil only got judged by new media norm because he answered directly to people who were afraid of Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Second, the people trying to take down Rogan don't have the credibility to call him out. The same people complaining about his words being dangerous were celebrating real violence 18 months ago. They lost a huge amount of moral authority with that, and they'll never get it back.
Third, nobody believes that stated reasons for his cancellation are the real reasons. It all feels very trumped up and contrived, which is why they're trying one new thing after the other. I don't mean that the facts are wrong. He has given a platform to antivaxers and did use the n-word, but they aren't the real reasons. The real reasons are that (1) he's bigger and more influential than the "cancellers" and their **** doesn't work without an informational monopoly and (2) he gives a platform to people the mainstream media detests and it's much more than just the antivaxers. It's Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Bari Weiss, Sam Harris and other figures associated with the Right. (Of course, Weiss and Harris are actually liberals, but they don't hate freedom of speech and inquiry and don't like antisemitism, so they're associated with the Right.)
