Joe Rogan is not only the host of the most popular podcast ever but also a very polarizing figure. Many people have strong opinions of him, some positive and some negative. A poll conducted by Change Research found that 55% of women consider it a “Red flag ” if a man listens to Joe Rogan.
What If a Woman Says Listening to Joe Rogan is a Red Flag
If you listen to Joe Rogan and someone tells you that it is a red flag, you can respond by asking them to explain their position and reasons why; additionally, you can ask them what episodes of his podcast they have listened to that they took issue with.
I personally like listening to Joe Rogan. I find that he has a lot of really good guests, and the conversations are often interesting. I do not expect everyone to like the things that I like and it is perfectly ok for people to disagree with me. I do think that their motives for why they feel a certain way may be relevant, and how they react is important.
The Change Research Study
In 2023, Change Research conducted a poll entitled Young Women Are More Liberal Than Young Men, where they polled many issues. One of them was asking people if they thought listening to Joe Rogan was a red flag.
55% of Women Said Listening to Joe Rogan was a Red Flag
35% of Men said listening to Joe Rogan was a Red Flag
I also want to point out that 53% of women in this poll said someone refusing to see the Barbie movie was a Red Flag. I’m going to circle back to this one shortly.
My first takeaway from this study is the irony of the title as it relates to Joe Rogan. I believe the individuals conducting this survey are making a point that Joe Rogan is not a liberal. From watching his show, I have seen him refer to himself as a liberal and say that he always was one up until recently when he said he is now in the middle (which I think sounds quite reasonable). Joe Rogan did say he would have voted for Bernie Sanders if he had made it to the General Election. Bernie is one of the most liberal people to ever run for president in the United States. So, I do question the fundamental concept here because the study does not actually address what Joe Rogan’s show is about as much as it addresses the public perception of the show.
People I Have Met Who Hate Joe Rogan Have Never Listened to Joe Rogan
When I meet people in my life who have something against Joe Rogan, I always ask them the same question. “What episodes of Joe Rogan have you seen that you took issue with or that bothered you?” I have asked that question many times to people I’ve met who said something bad about Joe Rogan listeners, of which I am one. Unsurprisingly, nobody has ever been able to tell me a single episode they listened to that bothered them.
Isn’t it strange that of all the people I’ve met who say they hate Rogan’s show, not one of them has ever actually listened to it? How can you hate something if you’ve never experienced it?
How to Respond When a Woman Questions You Listening to Joe Rogan
I have been dating a woman named Lia for a while now, and the relationship is going very well. We discussed podcasts on our first date. I mentioned listening to Huberman Lab, Diary of a CEO, The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), and others. Lia expressed concern about the fact that I listen to Rogan. She said, “I guess it’s ok if you don’t make it your whole personality to listen to him.” I said, “What does that mean” and she didn’t have a response. She admitted to never having listened to him and was basing her opinion just on what other people say. I said “those people probably never listened to him either.”
I did not get offended at all by her initial reaction. I was patient with her, and we discussed it in a calm and civilized fashion. She admitted that she jumped to a quick conclusion without all the information. Since then, we have listened to many podcasts together, including JRE. She has warmed up to listening to the occasional Joe Rogan podcast, but he isn’t her favorite. I also introduced her to the Modern Wisdom podcast with Chis Williamson, which she likes more. The whole point of me telling you all this is that she admitted she did not know enough to draw the conclusion that she made. She then was open-minded enough to actually listen to a few episodes of Rogan with me. That is a major Green Flag for me.
I think it is fantastic that Lia looked at this with an open mind. A person who is stubborn and unwilling to listen to a single episode of JRE when I ask her to is not the type of woman I want to be in a relationship with. Lia was open-minded and gave it a shot. This could not have gone better. Side note: she lost a bet with me and had to watch Terminator 2 with me; she liked it so much that she was out with her friends and told them they should watch it. Being open-minded will always be a better option. You can learn new things and discover new interests. She would have never guessed she would have liked that movie if she didn’t watch it.
If someone is against Joe Rogan but willing to give it a shot I think that is great. Also if a woman listens and doesn’t like the show that is also ok. She doesn’t have to like it. I watched the movie The Notebook with Lia I thought it was awful, but I watched it to make her happy. It is ok for people to disagree but you should do so with curtesy and kindness. The fact that they try and give it a shot is what matters.
People Make Assumptions About Rogan Listeners
Aside from writing this blog, I am an architect and run my own small architecture firm with a few employees. I got a new administrative assistant once, and the topic of Joe Rogan came up in conversation. My new assistant said, “Only mediocre white men listen to Joe Rogan,” which was funny because there is a Muslim Woman in my office who listens to Rogan. She was right there as she said this. I brought that up to my new assistant, to which she had no response.
Open and Closed Mindedness
Going back to the Change Research study, they mentioned that 53% of women thought that someone refusing to watch the Barbie Movie was a Red Flag. I think this is reasonable because if she really wants to watch it with you, then you should just watch it with her. I went to a Broadway play on Friday with my girlfriend, and I wasn’t excited to go, but I went to make her happy. As it turns out I liked it more than I thought I would. That’s what you do in a relationship; you do things the other person wants, and you at least give it a chance. For example, tonight we are going to watch Predator after dinner. That’s not her type of movie, but she is going to watch it with an open mind because she is a reasonable adult.
The real problem I see with people refusing to watch the Barbie movie is that it shows they are closed-minded. We need to look at the wording they said “Refuse” that is a strong word. So I think it is very close-minded of someone not to want to watch something they haven’t seen just out of some preconceived notion. Do you see where I am going with this?
If 53% of women think it is a Red Flag to refuse to watch the Barbie movie, then isn’t it ironic that 55% of them believe listening to Joe Rogan is a Red Flag?
How Can You Hate Something You Haven’t Tried?
I was born in New York, but my family comes from Spain, which has some fantastic cuisine, especially seafood. One signature dish from Spain is Pulpo Gallego, which is octopus. I personally really like eating octopus, as do many seafood fans, but not everyone wants to eat it. I have heard lots of people tell me it’s disgusting, to which I respond, “So you’ve tried it,” and they, of course, always say, “No.” How can you know you don’t like it if you haven’t tried it? This is like talking to a nine-year-old.
It’s the same with Rogan. If someone hates it after listening to a few episodes, then I am okay with that. I can respect that. You are welcome to like and dislike whatever you want. What is most concerning is the point of hating the show when you have never even listened to a single episode. How can you hate it when you’ve never listened to it?
Be Reasonable, But Stay Away From Closed-Minded People
Some years ago, I was messaging with a woman on Hinge, and she said (before we met) that she couldn’t date a guy who listens to Joe Rogan. That was just fine with me and I am glad I learned that before I ever wasted my time taking her out. If someone is so closed-minded that they can’t even consider dating someone who listens to Joe Rogan’s podcast, then I would say I am better off not having that person in my life. I politely responded to her, wishing her good luck.
Try to be reasonable and have a civilized discussion when someone expresses a prejudice against JRE listeners. It is ok to try to defend your interests but you also need to know when it is worth it and when it is not. If the other person is clearly not going to be open-minded enough to at least listen to an episode of the show they claim to hate, then maybe it isn’t worth discussing.
