Peter Zeihan on Joe Rogan

[Gadianton]

If you're going to watch an episode of Joe Rogan, this is the one to watch. It took place two weeks ago. I watched it entirely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJTw3SzrlQM

Joe does ask good questions in many instances, but his knee jerks tell you something about his junkyard dog mentality. At one time I had a lot in common with the way Joe Rogan thinks. When I was in high school I had to write a couple research essays for English classes. I wrote one as my case for legalizing drugs, and another as my case for doing away with speed limits. I did terribly, partly because the writing was bad and partly because my arguments drew on one or two facts only, and the rest was reasoning in the abstract about markets and mal-incentives and a bunch of subjectivism as well.

Joe hits back hardest at Zeihan on drug legalization. Rogan has one or two points and apparently just assumed that's all there was to know. Zeihan's encyclopedic memory goes full throttle and leaves Rogan dazed over just how many factors there are to consider when researching a topic. Rogan also goes after leftist green energy, and here the lesson was simpler, but still one Rogan needed to learn. Yes, green energy has been seriously misguided and political. But no, that doesn't mean global warming is a liberal hoax. Human-caused global warming is real, we really do need to do something about it, but we need to be smarter about it. Zeihan of course does have a few ideas, and he gives a reality check to some of Joe's ideas -- "hey, bring up that Twitter post I saw on reusing radioactive waste...?" That happens a lot, Joe saw something on Twitter.

Joe has false starts on a myriad of right-wing talking points. He doesn't quite get to the full-fledged point most of the time, however, as other kinds of follow-up questions become more pressing as he's hearing some of this material for the first time.

Russia has nukes. Don't forget that! Are they more likely to use them if the conflict remains a proxy war with Ukraine, or once Russia beats Ukraine and attacks Poland? Because Nato will annihilate Putin's forces in about thirty seconds and then it will be an existential crisis for Russia.

Zeihan partially repeats his claim that Trump and Biden are the two most similar presidents in American history policy wise. Biden doubled down on Trump's deglobalizing policies. Biden's build back better plan is an example and it has merit.

Zeihan speaks extensively on the problems of authoritarian regimes, mainly Russia and China, the process of Putin and Xi isolating themselves behind yes-men, the problems with making decisions in an information silo, and yeah, he avoids saying "Donald Trump" and Rogan doesn't make the connection. People who think a president is literally supposed to "run the country" but institutionalism stands in the way are delusional.

[Kishkumen]

I saw that pop up in my YouTube feed. I have a hard time watching Rogan, but Zeihan made me intrigued. Now your description has me wanting to watch. Thanks!