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Jordan Peterson has shared the reason why he believes Joe Rogan has proved to be so successful with his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.

Rogan started the podcast on YouTube back in 2009. By 2015, it had grown to become one of the world's most popular podcasts, regularly pulling in millions of views.

In December 2020, Rogan signed a licensing deal with Spotify for the platform's exclusive rights to broadcast the podcast. The deal was widely reported at the time to be worth $100 million, although The New York Times reported in February 2022 that the true number for the three-and-a-half-year deal was "at least" $200 million.

While Rogan has faced backlash over the years for some of the views shared by the host and his guests on certain episodes, the former Fear Factor presenter remains the jewel in Spotify's crown with the most listened-to podcast.

Canadian psychologist and media personality Peterson, who has been a guest on Rogan's podcast on a number of occasions, sought to explain the recipe of the broadcaster's success in a video that has gone viral on social media.

"So one of the reasons Joe Rogan is so successful, by the way, is that that's what Joe doeshe just asks questions," Peterson said in the clip. "He isn't trying to get something from his guests. He's not trying to become more famous. He doesn't need any more money.

"There's no instrumental utilization of language in his discourse. He's just a humble lunkhead, in the most profound sense, who would like to know more than he knows, and who asks all the stupid questions he can think up.

"And it turns out that he's actually very, very smart and very well educated now after talking to hundreds and hundreds of people and listening," Peterson went on. "And so the stupid questions he asks aren't stupid, and they're questions that are shared by virtually everyone who's listening. And he takes his listeners along on this process of exploratory endeavor, and it's the pathway to success."

The YouTube clip, which Peterson shared on Twitter on Wednesday, was met with widespread praise by his followers.

Peterson is known for his conservative views on issues, but he was once simply known as a clinical psychologist and professor. After working as an assistant and associate professor at Harvard Universitywhere he published several influential papers on familial alcoholism and other issuesthe Canadian returned to his home country with a position at the University of Toronto.

He wrote the best-selling books Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos and Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life. His public stature began to grow as a result and Peterson was soon a well-known intellectual.

He became recognized outside the intellectual community because of his controversial views on transgender rights, which he laid out in a series of YouTube videos in 2016. Among his divisive stances was his refusal to refer to students by their chosen gender pronouns.

One especially notorious incident from 2016 came when Peterson was filmed speaking to transgender students. He argued to them that their activismand political correctness in generalhad a negative impact on society.

The video racked up millions of hits on YouTube, and Peterson was soon bragging to Rogan about how he'd learned to profit from controversy.

"I shouldn't say this, but I'm going to, because it's just so g****** funny I can't help but say it: I've figured out how to monetize social justice warriors," Peterson said on Rogan's podcast in 2018. "If they let me speak, then I get to speak, and then I make more money on Patreon If they protest me, then that goes up on YouTube, and my Patreon account goes way up."

Peterson has also faced backlash for other comments he has made. In July 2022, his Twitter account was suspended indefinitely after he refused to apologize for comments he made about trans actor Elliot Page. It was later reinstated when Elon Musk took over the social media platform.

In 2022 Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde described Peterson as a "pseudo-intellectual hero to the incel community" in Interview magazine. "Incels," short for involuntary celibates, refers to an online subculture of men who express extreme resentment and hostility to women in their online discussion groups.

When asked about Wilde's comment during an interview with Piers Morgan in September, Peterson responded: "You know, people have been after me for a long time because I've been speaking to disaffected young men."

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Jordan Peterson's Reason for Why Joe Rogan Is 'So Successful' Goes Viral - Newsweek

Barring amendment or rejection, a pernicious new bill restricting free speech is set to become enshrined in Irish law. Under it, mere possession of material deemed hateful by the state could result in prison time for those accused, if the state suspects the material is intended for dissemination.

Last week, the legislation, designed to shield those with protected characteristics from hate, passed through the Dil ireann, Irelands lower house. Currently, it is being debated by its upper house, the Seanad ireann.

Only 14 of the Dils 160 members voted no to the bill before it headed to the Seanad.

Public awareness about the bill, known as the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 has been minimal. Its been largely ignored by the Irish media.

That changed when a respected and well-known commentator in dissident Right circles, Keith Woods, whose account had been reinstated only one month ago, brought attention to the legislation by tweeting out a screenshot of one of its more alarming segments:

Pointing to the fact that since the burden of proof is shifted to the accused, who are expected to prove they didnt intend to propagate whatever hateful material was in their possession, Woods deemed the clause to be so radical that even the Trotskyist People Before Profit [a far-left Irish party] opposed it as a flagrant violation of civil liberties.

Attempts were made to remove the incendiary section of the legislation, according to posts circulating on social media. A tweet by the advocacy group Free Speech Ireland noted that a proposed amendment from the People Before Profit party, which would include the UN Convention on Human Rights protections on Free Speech, had been defeated.

The same fate befell another amendment which asked to excise the section allowing for the prosecution of individuals possessing offensive material without communicating it, the tweet concluded.

Woods tweet managed to catch Twitter owner Elon Musks attention, who retweeted the post to his over 137 million-strong audience, warning: This is a massive attack against freedom of speech.

A subsequent share followed from Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson, who made a connection to his own countrys C-11 bill, which passed last Thursday.

The Canadian law would subject social media platforms and streaming services such as Netflix, Crave, Spotify, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube to Canadian content requirements and regulations comparable to traditional broadcastersa policy change that does not sit well with independent content creators on YouTube, who fear they would be hamstrung in terms of what kind of content they can produce as a result.

Donald Trump Jr. in turn felt equally obliged to respond, saying it was insane what is happening in the free world.

Twitters influence as a platform wholly devoted to free speech was on full display shortly thereafter. In a follow-up tweet by Woods on Sunday evening, he said that opposition politicians had now come out to say they opposed the law, and that media were finally giving the matter some coverage, while #NoHateSpeechLaws was trending on Twitter.

He concluded with, if what we did here didnt matter they wouldnt put so much energy into trying to silence us.

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Ireland Set To Pass Far-Reaching Hate Speech Laws - The European Conservative

Jewish teaching is clear that sexual and erotic activity is permissible only within heterosexual marriage. Any other sexual pleasure is prohibited. Of course, it is difficult for human beings to live up to this principle in real life. The Hebrew Bible and Talmud therefore offer rules and teachings to help individuals live virtuously.

For instance, Jewish law prohibits non-marital erotic touch. It also forbids men from ogling women. The Code of Jewish Law declares that a person must be exceedingly careful regarding matters of sexuality, to the extent that one should avoid walking past a brothel.

It is therefore puzzling that conservative commentator Dennis Prager recently asserted in a discussion with Jordan Peterson that looking with lust is not a sin in Judaism. Then, though he explained that he was not giving a religious answer, he stated that men want variety, and that pornography in lieu of one's wife is awful, while pornography in addition to marital intimacy, as a substitute for adultery, is not awful. Importantly, Prager later clarified that the discussion did not fully express his nuanced view.His main point is that Judaism is a behaviorist, law-based religion in which sins of behavior are far worse than sins of thought.It should be emphasized that Prager is one of the great champions of the biblical worldview for general society and I am deeply indebted to him for his insights and accomplishments.

But the fact is that thought and intent do play important roles in Judaism, especially within the realm of sexuality. The Talmud teaches that one may not have relations with ones wife while thinking about another woman.

In the conversation with Peterson, Prager contrasts Jewish law and ethics with the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus declares, You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matt. 5:2728). Prager is certainly correct that capital punishment only applies to physical adultery in the Hebrew Bible (Lev. 20:10). But this does not mean that there is no equivalent to Jesus's teaching on lust in Judaism, as Prager says. Other teachings in the Sermon on the Mount contradict the Jewish tradition, but Jesuss teaching on lust is not that different from what the Hebrew Bible and Talmud say.

Lust is not a momentary, passing, unwilled and unwanted illicit thought. It is a sustained ideation that is prohibited. The Ten Commandments forbid lusting for a married woman (Exod. 20:14, Deut. 5:18). The Book of Job declares that having ones heart ravished by the wife of my neighbor is debauchery, a criminal offense, for indeed, pious Job made a covenant with [his] eyes not to gaze on a maiden (31:1). The Talmud goes a step further and describes masturbation as metaphorical adultery with the hand (Babylonian Talmud, Niddah 13b).

Lust and pornography are prohibited regardless of whether they are in lieu of or in addition to marital intimacy. The Hebrew Bible and Talmud do not agree with Jesus in equating lust with adultery, but they indicate that the gap between these two sins is quite small. One could say that in Judaism, adultery is a capital offense and watching pornography is a felony.

Pragers erroneous conclusion stems from a too simplistic understanding of thought sin vs. action sin in Judaism. Human beings are not mere robots. We are sentient. Actions can influence thoughts and thoughts can spur us toward actions. The Hebrew Bible therefore demands that we exert discipline over both. We must not commit adultery and we must not lust. We must not murder and we must not hate our brother in our heart (Lev. 19:17). Thoughts and actions are central to the human condition and are subject to Jewish law. The main distinction between them is that only actions are punishable in a human court of justice.

Furthermore, intentionally viewing pornography is not a thought crime, it is an action. Jewish courts in antiquity did adjudicate cases of putting oneself in a position to view lewd activity.

What about Pragers assertion that men want variety? Here Jewish law straightforwardly states that the man should focus on his wifes pleasure, not his own. Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks describes marriage as the single most humanizing institution in history. It is the place where spouses channel their brute sexual desire into love, dedication, and procreation. This can only be done by focusing on the needs of ones spouse. Giving supersedes receiving.

Marriage is therefore a covenant, which emphasizes how the new unit grows together, not what each individual gets out of it. Spouses may have different sexual expectations, and sometimes circumstances interfere with intimacy, but the covenant of marriage requires loyalty and commitment regardless. Pornography destroys that covenantal commitment and feeds existing dissatisfaction with fantasies about what could or should have been. Ultimately, it ruins marriage. Purity of mind, in contrast, increases dedication and builds marriage.

The Talmud recounts an incident where a man lusted for a specific woman to the point where doctors recommended satisfying his desire as a cure, lest he die. But the sages refused to allow any activity between them that could give him erotic pleasure.

Reality does not need to conform to mens desires. Rather, men need to control themselves according to Gods will and refine themselves into dedicated husbands and fathers. That is the Jewish teaching for a successful marriage, society, and civilization.

Rabbi Rafi Eis is the Executive Director at The Herzl Institute.

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What Judaism Teaches About Lust | Rafi Eis - First Things

Men, is it better this way? Better with Dylan Mulvaney in a bathtub of bubbles posing as a spokesperson for an all-American beer?

If you're a guy, a man's man, isn't that commercial the epitome of what cultural castration looks like? And doesnt it make you sick?

My husband Chris thought profoundly about this subject earlier this week, and persuasively suggested that today's men have been castrated. Or are at least at risk for the procedure.

I agree.

This castration started with the dependable, doltish, Disney dad. A bumbling fool who could barely string a sentence together. But it didn't stop there.

It's only gotten worse with Mulvaney, who was aghast that no one was excited to see his mug plastered on their beer.

Its also closer to home. Here, in Alabama. Did you notice the mass castration event which has smacked our statehouse?

During this legislation session, a handful of duly elected leaders men we sent to get stuff done refuse. Repeatedly.

Instead of working for us, these men choose to bow in terrified obeisance to their overlords. These overlords, aka lobbyists, use neutered officials to do their bidding. Officials who, instead of bucking wildly against a dirty political system, graze gently in the field, chewing only on pre-approved cud.

The week's events at the capital perfectly demonstrate the results of this mass castration.

Alabamians want an anti-ESG environmental, social, and governance bill passed.

We know that ESG is failing worldwide, but our officials dont seem to. They went along with companies like Regions Financial and let their pushback remove a sane, anti-ESG bill.

Or consider the issue of the Alabama state health officer. He ran roughshod over our lives during three horrific Covid years and is still using the Alabama Department of Public Health to push the clot shot. Despite efforts, our elected officials are still unable to provide meaningful accountability in this area. At least not yet. Which means never.

And it just gets better! Our elected officials are also unable and unwilling to deal with school choice. They're kicking it from one committee to the next, unable to tell us the truth: they don't want school choice because it doesn't pay to give up power and control of our schools.

And so, in their castrated glory, they mask all of it under a thin veil of morality.

Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson talked about this recently, and his comments were so accurate for what's happening in Montgomery that it took my breath away.

Speaking of Frederick Nietzsche and his critique of traditional morality, Peterson said that "most of what passes for morality isn't morality, it's just cowardice. It's not that I'm a good person or don't hurt you. It's that I'm afraid to hurt you." This enables individuals to "mask [their] essential fear and cowardice in the guise of morality.

Isn't that what's happened? People are too afraid to say what's happening, partly because they've been neutered, trained to cower instead of kickback. Why won't they offer meaningful discussion? Why won't they defend their reasoning? Why won't they step out from behind their facade?

It's because they can't. They've lost their ability.

But we know that real men, true leaders, don't cower. They stick around even when death is in the offing.

Consider what Japanese men did during the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, as told on the podcast series, Against the Odds.

The Thoku earthquake the most powerful ever recorded in Japan and subsequent tsunami damaged the nuclear plant's emergency generators, causing it to lose power. The nuclear accident that followed was the worst since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

When the Fukushima nuclear complex leaders discovered the dire situation, they gave workers the option to leave. Instead, 200 men, operating in groups of 50, volunteered to stay behind at their stations despite the horrific danger.

Where are men like that today? Are there any left in our state capital?

I'm not sure. But I hope that some will soon recover their backbone.

Even if not, there is still good news: We know fighters on the outside. Men like my husband and yours. Men whose work fills the pages of this platform. Men who work hard, day in and day out non-castrated fellows who refuse to cower like too many others in our capital or Hollywood. These men do what's difficult because it's right.

We see you men like the men of old. Men who know the better way. Warriors, all. Battling for the kingdom and, in turn, for our culture.

We can't count on our leaders. But it's a good thing that we can count on you.

Keep it up.

Amie Beth Shaver is a speaker, writer and media commentator. Her column appears every Wednesday in 1819 News. Shaver served on the Alabama GOP State Executive Committee, was a candidate for State House District 43 and spokeswoman for Allied Women.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.

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Amie Beth Shaver: The castration of today's men - 1819 News

The day that [Musk] officially took over the platform, a lot of right-wing figures had started tweeting anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, specifically the term groomer, says Kayla Gogarty, research director at Media Matters for America, a media watchdog group, referring to the conspiracy theory that LGBTQ people prey on younger people by grooming them. [These accounts] were basically saying that they were testing the waters of Twitters content moderation, she says.

Twitters policies do not allow slurs and tropes that intend to degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category.

There seems to have been a clear indication that people anticipated that Musk would reduce moderation, says Keith Burghardt, a computer scientist at USCs Information Sciences Institute and one of the co-authors of the paper. But its clear that hate speech didnt decline immediately after Elon Musk bought Twitter, suggesting that whatever moderation he did was not enough.

Even before it reduced the size of its moderation teams, Twitter wasnt particularly quick to remove hateful content, according to Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, founder and executive director of CyberWell, a nonprofit that tracks anti-Semitism online in both English and Arabic.

Data collected by CyberWell found that though only 2 percent of anti-Semitism contenton social media platforms in 2022 was violent, 90 percent of that came from Twitter. And Cohen Montemayor notes that even the companys standard moderation systems would likely have struggled under the strain of so much hateful content.If youre experiencing surges [of online hate speech] and you have changed nothing in the infrastructure of content moderation, that means youre leaving more hate speech on the platform, she says.

Civil society organizations that used to have a direct line to Twitters moderation and policy teams have struggled to raise their concerns, says Isedua Oribhabor, business and human rights lead at Access Now. We've seen failure in those respects of the platform to actually moderate properly and to provide the services in the way that it used to for its users, she says.

Daniel Hickey, a visiting scholar at the USCs Information Sciences Institute and coauthor of the paper, says that Twitters lack of transparency makes it hard to assess whether there was simply more hate speech on the platform, or whether the company made substantive changes to its policies after Musks takeover. It is quite difficult to disentangle often because Twitter is not going to be fully transparent about these types of things, he says.

That lack of transparency is likely to get worse. Twitter announced in February that it wouldno longer allow free access to its APthe tool that allows academics and researchers to download and interact with the platforms data. For researchers who want to get a more extended view of how hate speech is changing, as Elon Musk is leading the company for longer and longer, that is certainly much more difficult now, says Hickey.

In the months since Musk took over Twitter, major public news outlets like National Public Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Company, and other public media outlets have left the platform after being labeled as state-sponsored, a designation that was formerly only used for Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state media. Yesterday, Musk reportedlythreatened to reassign NPRs Twitter handle.

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Twitter Really Is Worse Than Ever - WIRED