Joe Rogan Perspective (Max Kuhnert)
On March 10, 2020, Joe Rogan brought on a disease expert to discuss the severity of COVID-19 and to spread awareness to his listeners.
Facts to look over
At the start of the interview Joe asked Dr. Osterholm a common question of if this is only an old person's disease in which he responded,With this statement he is showing and educating Joe on how it is not just a old persons disease. Before the show in an episode Joe talks about not being scared of the virus as he only thinks it will be old people that get effected. With this statement and by the numbers shown by the CDC. They have been tracking the deaths and while old people may die more often, it still can affect people of any age."We need to stop thinking that this is an old persons disease "
This is another statement by Dr. Osterholm who was comparing a study I China with smoking, to the obesity crisis in America,
I wanted to research this fact as obesity is a reality that too many people face in America especially. When looking at the CDC's website they show that if you have a body mass index of 40 or above you are at a much bigger risk. This is due to the fact that being obese can cause you to have serious breathing problems or even develop acute respiratory distress syndrome."Obesity is just like smoking in terms of its ability to really cause severe life threatening disease"
This is a statement that Joe was wondering about and said it more as a question in the podcast,
This is a good question as if you would listen to the show, you would realize that he loves asking about saunas. When looking at this question, while they do not specifically say sauna, the World Health Organization says that your normal body temperature will stay relatively the same therefore it will not kill the virus."20 minutes in a sauna is very good at killing the virus"
This is another statement by Joe in a podcast when trying to expand on the idea of doctors and other professions,
When looking at this I found it very interesting because it may show that doctors could be getting it much worse. This although being very enticing to think that it is true, according to a paper called, "Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmabillity of COVID-19", that in the cases of mild and severe symptoms that they had the same viral load. This disproves that the longer you are exposed the worse it will be."People with prolonged exposure to this get it worse"
When asking about the best ways to prevent the virus, Dr. Osterholm had this to say,
When this is said, Dr Osterholm said it in the way that it Is mostly a viral virus meaning it is spread through the air. But in a study by CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota it shows that with 40% or more alcohol in the solution it kills the virus and reduced to background levels in 30 seconds."Hand sanitizers are a great thing to kill a lot of ideas... but don't think it will have a big impact on this virus"
Analytic Essay
The Progressive Awareness of Covid-19
During this pandemic, we have seen a progression of different emotions from relaxation to the realization that this will affect all of us. This same exact emotional curve can be seen for Joe Rogan. Joe has the largest podcast in the world with over 190 million downloads a month. With these varying views over time, it can influence many different people. When talking about his vast audience, some people may say that he leads the intellectual dark web (Rozner, 2018). While unknown to some people it can be seen as a place where freedom of speech is seen most. A place not on mainstream media, that invites a varying amount of people including Jordan Peterson among a variety of others. With this reach, he can affect everyone in a more real way as he is not perceived to be a CNN or Fox News person, but rather an ordinary person that surrounds and talks to individuals in a more free way. That is why when he now talks about COVID-19 he surrounds himself with experts in the field to gauge the severity of this situation.When he is able to get Dr. Micheal Osterholm who is a director of CIDRAP at University of Minnesota and regents professor. This background shows that the facts that he wants to bring to the public are very important. When this is told on the podcast it is clear just how much it changed Joe's opinion on the topic. He went from a concerned citizen for the elderly to a person that knows how much this can truly change our lives. When listening to this podcast in particular it is clear that he is asking the questions that not only he thinks will be relevant, but also that he thinks his viewers should know the answer too.
One of the major topics delved into while talking to Dr. Osterholm was just the severity of this virus. While this was being discussed before the major outbreak in America, it became abundantly clear that Joe’s opinion was changed. Through a message from an Italian doctor (PowerfulJRE, Mar 10), Joe realized that this is not just a regular seasonal flu.
At the start, you can see how he had barely any knowledge on the topic and just thought of it as an “old person's” disease. (JRE Clips, Mar 24) When saying this it can be very harmful to his listeners as he is the most listened to podcast in the world. With this, though, you can see his progression from no knowledge to getting guests on who would not only boost his knowledge but also the knowledge of everyone who listens to his podcast. When learning more it is clear that he cares about the real facts from experts, not just celebrities who think that they know everything.
When he first was talking about COVID-19, he mentioned how he hoped it could be seen as a wake-up call for humanity (JRE Clips Mar 26). When saying this he is exploring the mental aspect of the virus and hopes that we all can stray from the selfish lifestyle and rather into a giant community again. Where we once were a country built on the foundation of community and being together, we have now become a country connected only through our phones. With the outbreak he wants it to be seen as a threat but also a threat in the way that we need human connection and long for it.
Overall through surrounding himself with people more knowledgeable than himself on the topic of COVID-19 Joe realized that this is a serious issue that affects all of us. His views changed from an old person’s disease to one that will affect all of us. With this new knowledge, he hopes to also bring out to everyone who listens so they can make more informed and responsible decisions. With these responsible decisions, he also hopes that it will make everyone more self-aware of the crumbling of the community that has happened in America over time. Without a strong community, there is nothing that will push us forward and propel us to do better.
