Joe Rogan is facing criticism following his recent remarks about a controversial slur, which he claimed has made a return and described it as a “great culture victory” at the start of a podcast episode.
Although some may argue that society is becoming overly sensitive, slurs hold their status due to their potential to offend and harm specific communities.
These terms, including the one used by Rogan in a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, are generally not acceptable in contemporary discourse.
During an episode last week, where Rogan was joined by comedian Dave Smith and political commentator Douglas Murray, he introduced a slur into the conversation within the first minute.
Just after launching the episode, Rogan used the term ‘r****ded’, commenting, “We were just talking about it. The word r****ded is back and it’s one of the great culture victories that I think is spurred on probably by podcasts.”
The term historically had medical connotations, previously describing ‘intellectual disability’ as ‘mental re***dation.’
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) updated the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is responsible for the classification and description of mental disorders, to remove the term.
Since its decline in medical circles, the word has been used derogatorily against those with mental and intellectual disabilities.
Following the episode’s online release, Rogan encountered significant backlash from the public over his use of, and commentary on, the term.
Maureen McCormick, known for her role as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, expressed her disapproval on Twitter, directly tagging Rogan.
She stated: “Your statement that ‘the ‘R’ word is back and it’s one of the great culture victories,’ ignores the terrible hurt it causes to the millions of people with intellectual disabilities. This is not a victory. It is a regression.”
Another Twitter user expressed frustration, saying: “As the father of a beautiful autistic son, there’s no word that makes me angrier.”
A third commenter replied to those sharing the clip of Rogan, questioning whether they had a special needs child and noting that “Some find it really offensive, just saying. Society doesn’t care about the disabled.”
Rogan is no stranger to controversy, having previously remarked that you “can never be woke enough” when discussing cultural shifts.