Dark Qiviut

There's no doubt that Joe Rogan has said some really harmful things regarding specific minorities, especially his erasure of transgender people young and old. And there's no doubt that his ability to lend right-wing extremists like Jordan Peterson and Milo Yiannopoulos a platform without much pushback and his dislike for "PC culture" made him an icon for the cult-right, even though he's more (supposedly) left-wing ideologically.

However, his recent support for Bernie Sanders matters, and it matters as much for the Bernie staff to put out a recent video amplifying it. A few reasons why.

1. Joe Rogan, like it or not, is incredibly popular and absolutely influential in politics. His diverse watchers and subscribers make up a large chunk of the 200 million views he gets monthly. He's the #1 podcast. According to Rogan himself, Buttigieg, Biden, and Warren contacted him to get on his podcast, but he rejected them, preferring Gabbard, Yang, and Sanders overall.
    
2. True, some places require voters to "swing" from Republican in order for a Democrat to win. Unfortunately, Democrats water down their own platform to pander to Republicans and conservatives, turning the battle from Democrat vs. Republican into Republican-lite vs. Republican. For example, after the DNC released their progressive platform, Clinton nominated Tim Kaine to be her VP; and Andrew Gillum after winning the 2018 Democratic nomination for Florida governor, only to later "soften" his healthcare stance from Medicare for All to healthcare "access" and support the failed right-wing Nicaraguan coup.
   
   Persuading conservatives and moderates to hop onto your progressive platform is an art, and Bernie gets it. He's honest to everyone that isn't ideologically aligned with him and confident that he can convince people to join him rather than the other way around. While he caught a lot of flak for agreeing to do a town hall on Fox News, he knocked it out of the park. If he's able to conduct a speech at Liberty University and get out of it with support, he could do an interview with Joe Rogan. Despite major social disagreements (Bernie has a strong LGBTQ record dating back to the mid-70s), he got a platform where he can break down his policies with utmost clarity and persuaded millions of viewers to support him.
   
   Joe Rogan's epiphany to voting for Bernie didn't come from Bernie watering down his platform. Instead, he persuaded Rogan to agree with him while staying true to his core values and morals.
    
3. Until his endorsement interview with the NY Times, he had no idea what "cancel culture" is, and honestly, I can see why. Seriously, he's not the type of guy to "cancel" anyone just because they have unsavory ideologies. Look up his nuanced explanation for why the left-behind appeal to racism from demagogues. (Given his family history, he understands a thing or two about demagoguery and authoritarianism firsthand.) And to be very blunt, "cancel culture" has jumped the shark long ago, turning mostly into a faction of loud, well-off white liberals masquerading as aware to "appear" woke. Who are the ones mostly trying to "cancel" Rogan and/or Sanders? You guessed it, well-off (white) liberals. The same group that damned progressives for having "purity tests" during a primary, yet created their own "purity test" by shaming Sanders and his mythical "Bernie Bros" for welcoming his support. Because of this, well-intentioned criticism of amplifying Rogan onto Bernie's platform gets drowned out with fauxrage, tokenizing the same people they claim to support.
   
   And I'm beginning to get disgusted with the cancel fetishization that's polluted social circles for the past year or so. You don't build tents or coalitions by shutting them out and perceiving them to be lost causes. You build tents by persuading people to joining your cause, understanding justified circles and movements better, and opening their minds. Bernie's building a multi-racial, multi-generational, working-class coalition from all walks of life with one mission: bringing people together to fight for justice for those they know and don't know. Bernie has never devolved from his own progressive, socialistic mantra, and it shows with the compassion "Not Me, Us" exudes.
    
4. Just like it takes a lot of confidence into appearing in "enemy territory," it takes as much courage to change your own mind. Bernie sees people as people, and his humanism means he can see the good in people even if they don't believe it. He patiently explains his positions and waits to see if minds are changed. His confidence and trust in basic humanity means the audience can trust him back. Places like Fox News and the Joe Rogan podcast have their own bubbles, and Bernie Sanders cleverly pops that bubble while not talking down to anyone.
   
   Our brains like to view everything in our world as black or white, you're with us or against us. But reality is a pile of gray mush, and the shades of gray vary from person to person. It's easy to rage or treat people you dislike as lost causes, but much harder to get them to evolve and change their minds. While I don't have my own analysis anymore, Paste Magazine has its own for Gem Harvest — my favorite Steven Universe episode of the few I watched — and breaks down succinctly (and perhaps by accident) why the "deplorable" stereotype of Trump supporters (many of whom feel forgotten and abandoned by the establishment types) hurts more than helps.
   
   Successful persuasion is more rewarding than abandonment. Bernie has the foresight and firsthand experience to get that and stick by his convictions, even though others think this is naive. Joe Rogan's decision to "probably" vote for Bernie and how the podcast's watchers like him now reflect that conviction.