Recently, RFK Jr. went on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to do what seems to be a favorite pastime of his, spew conspiracies. Among them? His belief that he may be taken out by US intelligence agencies, that vaccines cause autism, and that wifi causes cancer.
The interview made quite the splash given the outlandishness of some of the claims and the massive size of Rogan’s show, which continues to rake in 11 million listeners per episode. But one person took particular issue with RFK’s statements, Peter Hotez.
Spotify Has Stopped Even Sort of Trying to Stem Joe Rogan’s Vaccine Misinformation. It’s really true @annamerlan just awful. And from all the online attacks I’m receiving after this absurd podcast, it’s clear many actually believe this nonsense https://t.co/GwIFsOODC2
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) June 17, 2023
Have you heard of him? Probably not. Has your life been impacted by him over the past three years? Undoubtedly. Hotez is a scientist specializing in vaccine development, efficacy, and availability. Specifically, he developed one of the COVID vaccines that many Americans were forced by the government to take against their will.
Please quit repeating this lie. Biden forced millions of women to take an experimental shot as a condition of employment. https://t.co/sNBfw7xoUY
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 21, 2023
As you can see from Hotez’s initial tweet, he’s not only a proponent of vaccines, but also a proponent of censorship around the subject. His complaint is that Spotify isn’t doing enough to silence someone saying things he disagrees with.
In response to Hotez’s criticism, Joe Rogan offered him an opportunity to debate RFK Jr. on his platform, and even included a hefty sum of cash as enticement.
Peter, if you claim what RFKjr is saying is “misinformation” I am offering you $100,000.00 to the charity of your choice if you’re willing to debate him on my show with no time limit. https://t.co/m0HxYek0GX
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) June 17, 2023
This would seem to be an excellent opportunity for anyone who believes in the product they’re pushing to defend it against a conspiracy theorist and set the record straight on the data for Rogan’s 11 million listeners.
But interestingly enough, Hotez has profusely refused to engage in such a conversation.
This is a non answer. I challenged you publicly because you publicly quote tweeted and agreed with that dogshit vice article. If you’re really serious about what you stand for, you now have a massive opportunity for a debate that will reach the largest audience a discussion… https://t.co/g1FGalC0Ym
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) June 17, 2023
And it’s this stance that is currently dividing the internet. Those in Hotez’s camp say that Rogan’s audience is too dumb to take in such a debate and determine the truth.
The central problem with any such debate involving a real scientist is that @joerogan's audience is sooooo dumb (& so statistically unsophisticated) that they will never figure out who won the argument. https://t.co/hjlXGO5Rsf
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) June 19, 2023
The levels of elitism and superiority aside, I’m genuinely curious, how can you square this view with belief in Democracy? https://t.co/yJd0uDwWvf
— Dave Smith (@ComicDaveSmith) June 20, 2023
I just love the arrogance and elitism on full display with this debate.
They’re saying the quiet part out loud.
They think rank and file Americans are too stupid to be worthy of a presentation of the facts. https://t.co/UeYVfM7byT— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) June 20, 2023
The incentive structure is broken. Folks. Science cannot “win” a media performance because science is not entertainment. Science is a practice, a method of pursuing truth. And in our current political media environment it is at a disadvantage against performative “whataboutism”. pic.twitter.com/bLuER07dOl
— Dr. Danna Young (@dannagal) June 18, 2023
“Science” can win when it’s honest, reliable, and has intellectual humility.
Just as Christians are to blame for a growing dislike of Christ, scientists are to blame for the growing distrust of “science.”
— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) June 19, 2023
Woof. Where to begin.
Hotez and his camp, the ‘experts,’” scientists, healthcare workers, and bureaucrats have been colossally wrong about practically everything during the pandemic. From masks, to lockdowns, to school closures, to even yes, the vaccine’s efficacy. And yet they still maintain their feelings of superiority and a staunch belief that they are beyond reproach, debate, and open discourse with the plebs they so openly disdain.
But newsflash guys:. You don’t have a lot of credibility left. You lost the battle. You can’t just censor opinions and statistics that push back on your preferred narrative, and no, Americans are not just going to blindly trust this community again.
Far more challenging in its new form where debate is allowed and the community gets to fact check everyone equally?
Interesting https://t.co/74qdqDREV6
— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) June 20, 2023
The jig is up, and you do once again have to actually participate in the marketplace of ideas if you want your agenda to succeed.
A heck of a lot more people listen to Joe Rogan and RFK Jr. than most of the scientific community combined. And given the outlandishness of some of RFK Jr’s claims, this shouldn’t be a particularly hard debate for someone with Hotez’s resume to win—if the facts are actually on his side.
And yet he continues to claim that he is above holding conversations on his subject of expertise simply because he dislikes his opponent.
Scientists shouldn’t debate gaslighters | Science | many thanks @ScienceMagazine @hholdenthorp https://t.co/urdxqUOQS5
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) June 21, 2023
It’s ironic how much Democrats run around whining about threats to democracy when they refuse to actually engage in the process at almost every turn. These are the same people who will tell you polarization is a top threat to democracy too, and yet won’t hold open conversations with their political opponents. Make it make sense.
People will complain about polarization then refuse to have a conversation with their opponents lol
— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) June 20, 2023
The fight over this debate has taken over Twitter, and a whole lot more than 11 million people are paying attention now. Hotez and co.’s refusal to engage is not making them look more credible, it’s making them look arrogant, elitist, and like they don’t actually have the facts on their side—which is ultimately going to give a lot more credence to the conspiracy theories they want people to turn away from.
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